The first Gospel book begins the introduction to Jesus Christ. Matthew, a Jew, painstakingly offers Old Testament confirmation that Jesus was the Promised One, the Messiah, prophesied by scriptures, who presented Himself on this earth. You may not be a Jew, but you have to appreciate what Matthew laid out in his Gospel. Proof. Prophets teed up the clues about Jesus' life, then Jesus arrived to fulfill them one-by-one. Matthew wanted to say, "He's here " As you are PRAYING THROUGH MATTHEW, focus on what God did to bring his Son in the world. This moment was 2,000 years in the making and when it happened, the world (and our lives) changed forever. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES What is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard him with their ears or in their heart. Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world. Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose. Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened. Scripture - God spoke through his written word when people read those words later. Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things. 1.Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word. 2.Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day. 3.Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading. 4.Read the prayer. Read the written prayers as if they were from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul. 5.Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray. 6.Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every so often I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word."