Prayer Guide

Thank you for helping us cover our families, church, community, and culture in prayer for 24 hours this weekend! Praying for an hour can sound intimidating, but when you use some of these ideas for your conversation with God, we believe the time will fly by, leaving you thirsting for more. Use these prompts to guide you, but don’t feel bound by them. And there is no set amount of time to spend on any of these movements in prayer. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Where to pray

• You can choose anywhere to pray, but you may want to give some time to it ahead of time. 
• Do you have a special place where you usually pray?
• Where can you pray with few distractions?

Staying Focused & Other thoughts

• Remember that prayer is a conversation with God. You don’t have to fill the entire hour with words. Conversation also involves listening to God.
• What we do with our bodies can help us focus and it can be an outward expression of our heart’s posture.
• Journal your prayer.
• When a distracting thought comes — maybe something you need to remember to do later — write it down so you can let it go.
• When you catch your mind wandering, simply return to another prompt, classic prayer, or scripture to refocus.
• Do you have your best conversations when you walk or drive? You might try it for your prayer time, too.​

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Movements of Prayer

Praise 

• Bring the Living God into focus, recognizing him for who he is — his attributes and character.
• Praise him A-Z! List words and phrases that describe God starting with each letter of the alphabet. “Awesome, Beautiful, Compassionate, Dependable…”
• Fill in the blanks: “God you can _________ because you are ________.”
• My (fill in problem) is overshadowed because you are (fill in attribute of God).
• Psalm 63:3 – “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Waiting 

• Quiet yourself and let your thoughts dwell on the love of God and his presence
  

Confession 

• Humble your heart, listen to your conscience and admit your sin.
• Psalm 139: (NIV) – “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
• Psalm 51:10 (NLT) – “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
• Release any bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness

Intercession 

• 1 Timothy 2:1 – “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people.”
• Pray for others, by name when you can, who you know need God’s help:
  • Those who are spiritually dead and need to experience new life in Jesus Christ.
  • Those who are being led astray.
  • Those who are grieving.
  • Those in financial hardship and the unemployed.
  • Those who are in difficult relationships.
  • Those who struggle with mental illness.
  • Those with suicidal thoughts.
  • Those fighting addiction and those left in their wake.
  • Those in physical pain and distress
  • Those who are abused or oppressed.
  • Those who are deceived.
  • Those with whom we disagree.
  • Those who are hungry, ignored, and vulnerable.
  • The children in our lives.
  • Those who teach.
  • Those who serve, protect, and provide care for others.
  • Those who lead and govern.
• Pray for requests people sent us:
  • Lena Collins, “pray for me, God knows why.”
  • Pam Babcock, “God to pour out his spirit of salvation on the people of Noble County.”
  • Pamela Manns, “Pray for my son. He was in a car accident in 2012 and has not talked or walked and resides in a health care facility. Also pray that God heals our land.”
  • Jacklyn Long, “Plz lord hear my unspoken prayer. U know my/our need.”
  • Sarafine Corrado Gobble, “Please pray for my husband's healing, he had a stroke in June in the process is very slow and has affected our life greatly. But we believe that Our Lord is greater! We believe he will hear our prayers for progress in healing.”
    
  • Lanette McGuire, “Please pray for me. I’m having a troubling family issue that isn’t getting resolved. I appreciate the power of prayer.”
    

Petition 

• Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.”
• When you pray, be bold and specific — this increases faith as you see God answer.
• Pray for our culture.
  • Continued freedom, especially to gather, worship, and share Christ with others
  • Racial reconciliation — God’s way through transformed hearts and real relationships
  • Freedom from the spirit of fear surrounding the pandemic — and a clear way forward
  • God’s will in the election
  • Answers to complex issues facing our culture: abortion, immigration, tax reform, health care, poverty, substance abuse, racism, __________.
• Pray for our community.
  • Schools – that Christian students and teachers would have a passion for prayer and the courage to share their love for God with others; that respect would increase between students and toward faculty; that bullying would cease and gossip would end; that God would provide protection over the school, that each student’s health and nutrition needs would be met, and that the environment would be helpful for learning; that students would be free from substance abuse, depression, pornography and abuse.
  • Businesses – that they would experience God’s favor and thrive, providing stable employment despite economic hardships.
  • Churches – that God would bring a spirit of revival, breathing new life in our area churches; that the followers of Christ in our churches would present the gospel message clearly, creatively, and faithfully; that God would give believers a deeper thirst for him, his Word, and his Way; that our hearts would shift from a consumer faith to a deep, active faith that transforms us.
  • Solutions to (problems you have seen in the community)
  • Prejudice, racism and favoritism would be rooted out in our community.
• Pray for our church and our impact in our community.
  • That God would use us — each one of us — to reach lost people and help them experience new life in Jesus.
  • For 5 baptisms of new believers this year.
  • That the threat of the pandemic would end so we can confidently gather and invite others to join us.
  • That our small groups would increase and be a vehicle to reach beyond the walls of the church, sharing Jesus with others and serving together in the community.
  • That God would raise up leaders and volunteers for outreach, small groups, music, children’s ministry,
  • and digital ministry. Matthew 9: 37-38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”
  • That God would help us find the next pastor to lead our congregation: someone anointed by God to preach the gospel and shepherd well; someone who will love our community; someone who has a big vision to reach lost people and help us move forward the mission God gave us; someone who ___________.
  • Other requests for our church as the Lord leads you.

• Pray for needs in your own family.
  
  • Relational, spiritual, physical, financial, personal
    
  •  ________

Submission

• Make yourself available to be used by God as he desires.
• If you feel led, trusting fully in God’s love, grace, and goodness, you can pray these words of submission by John Wesley (1702-1791)
  
  I am no longer my own, but thine.
  Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
  Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
  Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
  Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
  Let me be full, let me be empty.
  Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
  I freely and heartily yield all things
  to thy pleasure and disposal.
  And now, O glorious and blessed God,
  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 
  Thou are mine, and I and Thine.
  So be it.
  And the covenant which I have made on earth, 
  Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
  

Listening

• In every movement of prayer, there should be a posture of listening for God’s voice, but use this time to specifically quiet your heart for humble listening.
  
• Be prepared to write down what he speaks to you. You may want to dwell on it more later and even share it with others.

Thanksgiving

• End your time of prayer with a heart full of gratitude.
  
• Philippians 4:4-6: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
  
• Tell God several things you’re grateful for.
  
• As you leave your time of prayer, go with peace and confidence of the Lord’s presence. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

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Concert of Prayer

Don't forget to join us at the church at 7p.m. on Saturday for a time of prayer and thanksgiving together!

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