The Significance of 40 Days: Prayer/Poems

By R. Patricia Esquibel Holmes

I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your marvelous works.

-Psalm 9:1

May it be said of us, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith

-2 Timothy 4:7

• This book expresses how God has led me in my lifetime: God is faithful, trustworthy, gentle and kind. H

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637695395

Book preview

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The Significance of 40 Days

Prayer Poems

R. Patricia Holmes

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

The Significance of 40 Days, Prayer Poems

Copyright © 2021 by R. Patricia Holmes

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the NKJV. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-63769-538-8

E-ISBN: 978-1-63769-539-5

Foreword

The seedlings of this book were planted when Patricia was a young mother living in Texas, and the Lord courted her and whispered the poetry of love words into her ear—eventually wooing her into a loving relationship with Him. This would be the first time that Patricia ever realized and knew that she was LOVED and valued.

Since that time, Patricia has daily immersed herself into God’s words. She is an ardent student of the Bible, which is evident by her daily reading, memorization of the scriptures, meditating on God’s words, and teaching a women’s Bible study group in her local church. In addition to her own self-study, she has read most every well-known Bible commentary to further understand and apply the verses to her life. The Lord has continued to pursue her through each Bible story that she has read and every murmur of love spoken from the Holy Spirit. This love has now been poured out into this book The Significance of 40 Days, Prayer Poems.

I am confident that your life, your spiritual growth, and your relationship with your Heavenly Father will be heartened by the interpretation of the poems found in this book. Allow the love of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit to saturate your mind and permeate your soul, to be affected by each poem and challenged by each Bible passage. I embolden you to read the poem out loud, to soak in the meaning, to recall each story, and to allow the Spirit to whisper the message of love and inspiration to your soul.

May the Lord bless you and give you peace,

Melissa McDonald Sarep, M.S. TESL

University of Southern California

University of California Continuing Education, Irvine- Retired Academic Coordinator

Introduction

The Significance of 40 Days, Prayer Poems is to serve as a reminder of God’s work in and through people and events, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. For readiness to serve God requires a total surrender and a contrite spirit. The preparation usually takes much prayer and commitment to God; the scriptures tell of this preparation as a time in isolation, in fasting and praying, much, and often.

Please walk with me through these forty days of prayer, the series. I pray you will be encouraged and that you will attain a desire in your heart to grow your faith and trust in the LORD God, our Savior.

Briefly, I will call to mind Elijah; this man was the most recognized and dramatic of Israel’s Prophets, and he served God faithfully.

Yet, the day came when he was overcome by fear and he fled for his life! He was depressed, he wanted to die, he was fearful of Jezebel’s threats after he had challenged the Prophets of Baal to an offering, a sacrifice of one bull to their god and one to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—The God of Israel. Baal, their god, did not consume the sacrifice offered to him; Elijah’s sacrifice was consumed by a most miraculous feat after which Elijah proceeded to annihilate all of Jezebel’s Prophets as well!

God continued to nurture Elijah in the wilderness, the place where he had settled, under a broom tree after traveling all day. After a couple of days rest and nourishment provided by an angel, God instructed him to get up and eat some more, for the journey ahead will be too much for you. Elijah got up, ate, and travelled forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

Afterwards, His instructions were multiple, one of which was to return to His ministry and anoint Elisha as His replacement!

The next time we hear of Elijah, he is standing with Moses and Jesus in the Transfiguration scene. I am overjoyed with praise to God for presenting Moses and Elijah as in a reminder to us of His power and gratitude to His faithful servants.

The next forty days, forty nights event is after Jesus’ baptism; He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There, He was tempted by the devil. For forty days and forty nights, He fasted as well during that time. The devil came and tested Jesus on three separate occasions, and Jesus responded by the Word of God, quoting Scripture in response to the temptations. A great example to us to hide God’s Word in our hearts and be ready, always, to give an answer to anyone who asks of our faith and hope in God.

After the testing and not accomplishing his intent, the devil went away, and the angels came and ministered to Jesus.

You will see your time in these forty-day periods, your love for God’s Word increase, and your devotion to obedience to Him will immeasurably and willingly grow. Like Elijah and Jesus, receive His encouragement and teachings, know God is with you, and will never fail you in all you do.

These two incidents, Elijah’s and Jesus’, help us understand the preparation and devotion required to be faithful to God, the amount of time and study we must devote to God and His Word in preparation for our nearness and obedience to Him. We want to be like Him when we see Him as He is.

As you read these prayer poems, in forty-day intervals, I pray you will receive that which the LORD has for you and your life. May His purpose for you be accomplished and may you see your life more closely united with Him who loves you.

I pray this 40-Day Prayer Poem series

with God, our Father,

will encourage your walk with Him.

I pray you will build a closer

relationship with God, our Father,

in that you know of His

steadfast love and care for you.

I pray that in a time of

sorrow, sickness, sadness, loneliness

or

any affliction, you may be experiencing,

you find comfort in God’s Word and prayer.

God’s Word is the cure for every hurt, or pain, for loneliness.

His comfort is ever available.

His love and care are reassuring of His

commitment to be always our Shield.

I pray that in your worship time you

will remember to tell God, our Father,

you love Him and ask Him to teach you,

to grow in your love for Him immeasurably.

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

His help is timely, perfect, and trustworthy!

Amen and Amen!

May you know God is always for you,

with you,

and in you.

Patricia Holmes

My God, My Father

I love You God, my Father.

I know You love me; I receive it every day and every hour.

Your Word, I must read, hide it in my heart. And I will pray! This is my part.

I will follow Your commands, in obedience, as