24 H our s of Prayer

Transcription

1 24 Hours of Prayer

2 Instructions For the 24 Hours of Prayer we invite everyone to spend minutes praying through the journey of the Deeper Places series, by engaging with the psalms that we are looking at each week. Then we will pray for minutes for the ministry of the church and the people as we seek to fulfill the vison of Growing God s Church through the Gospel. Both sections are designed to pray through, moving forward until you reach the end of this passage of prayer. However, feel free to spend more time in a particular section if you feel led by the Holy Spirit to do so. The goal is to engage honestly and passionately with God in prayer not just to finish a list of prayer points. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, As we commence our time of prayer, minister to us by your Holy Spirit. Give us confidence to pray to you through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ and his death on our behalf. May your Word guide and instruct our hearts and minds so that we pray according to your will. Fill us with a passion for you, your people and the world that needs you. Dwell with us and fill our hearts with your praise. In Jesus name, Amen Part 1: Praying through the Psalms The Richness of Complexity We start the journey of prayer by using Psalms 1 & 2 to guide us as we acknowledge the simplicity and complexity of following God in this world. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2 Pray that God might help you delight in the law of the Lord Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles. Psalm 2:1-3 Pray that we might live in a way that honours God in all areas of life, even though we live in a hostile world that closely resembles Psalm 2 The Joy of Brokenness Silently confess your brokenness before God Try to be specific in your praying over areas of your life that you would like to see change and where you need God s forgiveness. 2

3 Now pray these following verses for yourself and those with you. Search me, God, and know my heart; See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12 Claim the promise of forgiveness through Christ as found in this famous verse My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 The Pathway of Lament Pray for yourself and others who you know are feeling abandoned by God, alone in their faith or going through a hard time. Use the words of these psalms to cry out to God and bring your prayer of lament to him. How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm 13:1-2 Pray that God by Spirit will work in your heart to renew you and those you are praying for. Pray that God would bring you to a place of joy in Him Use these words that complete the prayer of lament in Psalm 13. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord s praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6 The Liberation of Desire Our hearts need to continually be re- orientated back to God and having our hearts desires set upon knowing and serving Jesus. Pray these portions of the psalms into your life in this section. Where your heart is not desiring God, confess that and ask Him to renew you in spirit. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4 3

4 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26 The Wisdom of Contentment One of the great needs of the contemporary church if we are to be different to the world is to find contentment in knowing God. If we are to grow deeper in Christ then we need to find contentment in Christ. Reflect upon and pray through these verses in this section for your own lives Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Psalm 112:4-5 The Enjoyment of Praise Finish this section of prayer through the psalms by filling your prayers with praise to God. Thank and praise him for all the benefits that we have from his hands Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle s. Psalm 103:1-5 The Apostle Paul says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 Think about the many blessings you have in Christ and respond in praise 4

5 PART 2: Praying for St Matthews and the Growth of the Gospel Now it s a chance to pray through the many and various ministries and needs of St Matthews Manly, asking God for all that we require. Vision: Growing God s Church through the Gospel Pray that God might use St Matthews Manly, with our renewed vision, to grow his church through the gospel Pray for a great work of the Holy Spirit in us, and then through us, so that many people might become disciples and grow in their discipleship Worship Pray that we might be transformed by the Word of God as we encounter the risen Christ through the preaching of the gospel in our services Pray that we might respond prayerful and joyfully, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the proclamation of the good news Pray that our public worship, preaching, prayers and welcoming is joyful, warm, deep and relevant to those who know Christ and those who are yet to know him Growth Pray for people to be maturing disciples of Jesus, transformed by the Word of God and prayer, living in community and serving in the church and the world Pray for all our small groups, including kids groups, youth bible studies, and adult groups, that they might be little cells of discipleship, growth and care Pray that group members would be regular in attendance as we finish the year and would be growing deeper in their faith as we reflect on the Psalms Thank God for the service of small group leaders and ask that they might have time to prepare well and to pastor their groups effectively Pray for all those reading the Bible one- to- one with others, that their time together would be a rich and maturing experience Pray for Scott Petty as he seeks to develop small group leaders and organize small groups for 2018 Care Pray that as a church we will be able to express Jesus love, grace and truth to people in difficult times or seasons of need Pray that our small groups might be effective centres exercising pastoral care to group members Thank God for the Soup Kitchen which brings love, grace and truth to some needy members of the Northern Beaches community, and pray that God will strengthen this ministry and sustain the volunteers Pray for Max Boys as he develops the pastoral care ministry across St Matthews 5

6 Mission Pray that many lost people might come to know Christ in Manly, as we reach out to people who connect with the church through ministries like ESL, Open Door, Mini Matts, Kids Church, Youth Ministry, Soup Kitchen, etc Pray that many of our members (perhaps including you) would be able to start reading John s gospel with friends and contacts, using the Word 121 materials Pray for the running of the SOUL evangelism courses at church, and for those who do the course in preparation for baptism at St Matthews, that people would not only find out more but would be drawn into relationship with Christ and become members of St Matthews St Matthews Mission Partners Pray for our heroic Mission Partners and Church Planters who are seeking to win lost people to Christ: Indigenous Ministry with Neville and Kathy Naden & Jack and Lilley Harradine HEAL Africa bringing spiritual, medical and social healing in DR Congo Bridge of Hope in Manado, Indonesia providing micro- finance to families in poverty Dave and Leoni Painter in Cambodia, currently on sabbatical doing further theological study, before returning to do translation, evangelism and bible teaching in Phnom Penh Mark and Rachel Collins as they lead the new church plant in Marsden Park David and Crystal Fell who are missionary church re- planters on Norfolk Island Anchor RE teaching Scripture at Balgowlah Boys, Mackellar Girls and Manly Selective High Schools The Salvation Army Church ministering to the homeless in Manly Andrew and Michelle Blumer doing evangelism with their English school in Austria Pray in particular that we will raise $135,000 for our mission partners during this Commitment Series Next Generation Ministry Pray that we might win and build the next generation of disciples of Jesus by investing in Sunday Kids Church, midweek Kids evangelism like Mini Matts and Holiday Club, Youth Ministry on Friday nights and Sundays, School Scripture outreach at MVPS and nearby high schools Pray for Naomi Ireland and Nathan Campbell as they develop our ministry to young people along with the interns Nick Meakes and Peter Welling. Other people stuff to ask for Pray that as a church that we will manifest God s love in all our dealings with each other and not let anger get a foothold Pray for single people to find contentment in their situation and deep friendships around them, along with those experiencing divorce to find healing in their lives Pray for single parents, for those parents to have an extra measure of energy, wisdom and strength from God, as well as support and friendship to help parent their children well 6

7 Pray for husbands, wives and children, for strong marriages and stable families, that husbands and wives would love each other, forgive each other and remain faithful to one another, and that children would grow in a real knowledge of Christ through loving discipleship at home Pray for domestic abuse to come to light and people to be protected from such situations Pray for those struggling with mental health issues, to have hope and healing in Christ Pray for our relationships with people in the community and at work, that our presence might shine a light unto the Lord Jesus and present opportunities to witness to him Pray for workers as they seek to honour God in their places of employment, to serve their employers well and to work with diligence and integrity Pray for God to work powerfully to heal people and help those in great need, particularly those with significant health issues and those who are seeking visas to remain in Australia Pray that we would help each other grow in godliness and purity in a sin- soaked society Pray that we would not love money but be generous in manifold ways Other church stuff to pray for Pray that God might sustain all volunteers in their ministry so they can continue to serve him and others with joyful hearts Thank God for the Parish Council and pray that they would all work together well Pray for the staff team, especially for Bruce Clarke as he leads and oversees the whole ministry. Pray for the other members of ministry staff: Scott Petty, Max Boys, Dave Hanbury, Nathan Campbell, Naomi Ireland, Samantha Dunn, Sozon Smith, Barry Hammond and Janice Hickman (maternity leave position for Kelsey Wilson) Thank God for the excellent work of the admin staff: Darryl Sessions, Mari Steyn, Katie Smith, PJ Fisher, Viliam Mako Pray for our finances, giving thanks for the healthy position we are in but also asking that our regular giving will rise to meet budget in 2018 Pray for the Shop Properties Development and the team working on it. Pray for a good tender process and competitive bid to be gained, and smooth passage through the Diocesan committees currently taking place. Finish by saying the words of the grace to one another May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, And the love of God And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be with us all, evermore. Amen 7