First Testament
The prophet Isaiah invites the practice of this spiritual discipline when he says, “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.” (Isaiah 12:5)
What is worship?
The discipline that Jesus is providing a template for here: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9b-13)
What is prayer?
In the passage following, this spiritual discipline is recognized as a way of finding hope, forgiveness, and restoration. “If we admit our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
What is confession?
After David commits adultery with Bathsheba and uses his position of power to have her husband killed in battle, he prays the following psalm in order to practice this spiritual discipline: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." (Psalm 51:1-3)
What is confession?
In Daniel 10:2-3, Daniel uses this discipline to mourn and to grieve. “ In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”
What is fasting?
In Mark 6:31, Jesus invites the disciplines to practice this discipline with him. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to the disciples, "Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest."
What is solitude?
While practicing this discipline, we may find ourselves exclaiming this exhortation from Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4:4)
What is celebration?
It's when you're trying to figure out what to do or which way to go and you use this kind of passage to help you: "Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:4-5)
What is guidance?
In this instance, the prophet Isaiah is anticipating when God will bring us into this discipline. Therefore when we practice this now, we join in the anticipation of what is to come. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, … of rich food full of marrow” (Isaiah 25:6)
What is celebration?
In this parable, Jesus is teaching primarily about the value of this spiritual discipline. "Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’" (Matthew 25:34-40)
What is service?
As Paul and Silas travelled and shared their thoughts and experiences of Christ, they encountered some faithful believers in the Jewish synagogue in Beroea who used this spiritual discipline regularly. They even used it to consider carefully what Paul and Silas had to say. It is said of these people that, “they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
What is study?
This discipline often leads to justice as shown in this psalm: “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry." (Psalm 146:5, 7)
What is service?