Prayer Guide for April 12, 2020

Quotes on prayer:

• “Where a people prays there is the church; and where the church is there is never loneliness.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoted in Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945 by Frederick Schlingensiepen

• “It is much easier for me to imagine a praying murderer, a praying prostitute, than a vain person praying. Nothing is so at odds with praying as vanity.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoted in Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945 by Frederick Schlingensiepen, p 40

Adoration: Praise Sovereign God for His attributes, for who He is and what He is like in this passage:

1 Peter 5:10: The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. (CSB)

Hebrews 12:2: We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. (GW)


For ________________, Mighty God. We give you praise!

Confession:

1 John 1:9: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (NLT)

I confess ______________, forgiving God. Hear our prayer.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that is displeasing to Him and confess it to Him.

Thanksgiving: Let us thank God for what He has done & does. Let the following passage also remind you of things for which to be thankful:

1 Peter 1:3-4: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

For _______________, loving God. We give you thanks.

Supplication (Humble Petitions) & Intercession:

1 Timothy 2:1: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. (GW)

Prayer Requests: In addition to the following requests, pray to our merciful God about anything/anyone the Spirit puts on your heart to pray:
• The spiritual, physical, social, and financial welfare of our city, county, state and nation.
• Those who are isolated in their homes or alone in nursing homes and hospitals.
• Those who have had loved ones pass away and have been required to have private funerals due to COVID-19.
• Provision for those without work or closed businesses.
• Wisdom for government and medical officials to make good, timely decisions.

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

• Think about this passage:

Romans 8:16-18: 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (CSB)

• As a child of God, am I willing to suffer with him?

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

Meditate on this passage:

John 3:3, 5: 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…5 … unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (ESV)

• For whom would the Lord ask you pray to experience the new birth?

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

Benediction: The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, KJV)