121 Days of Prayer

God Gave Them a Sluggish Spirit

The purposes of this prayer are: Salvation and Illumination.

God of Glory, Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that salvation comes to us through grace from God, not works of man. He also explained why God chose to save only a remnant of the Jews and not all of them: “What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, ‘God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.’ And David says, ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent.’ So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” Romans 11:7–12 (NRSV). Lord, you promised Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through his descendants. This became true when you sent your Son, Jesus, into the world. All who hear the good news of Jesus and receive the gift of unwavering faith in his act of salvation on the cross will spend eternity with him in heaven. Praise God! Amen.