Dear SVC Family, Welcome to 40 Days of Prayer for Week of Hope! I m so excited about our church family seeking God s face together over the next 40 days. As we prepare to serve our Fairfield community, I m reminded of a verse that I feel like sums up how we are to respond when people ask, Why are you doing this? But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15 As we humbly serve our community on July 16-18 and invite people to come to our Concert and BBQ at SVC on July 19th, we will have people asking us what this is all about. That s when we have the honor of sharing that the source of our hope is Jesus Christ. This 40-day prayer guide is to be a tool that our Solano Valley Church family can use to help prepare and posture our hearts towards the Lord, asking Him to give us opportunities to share the reason for our hope and that people would respond to the gospel with repentance and wanting to follow Jesus. We will be looking at 40 passages in the Bible that talk about hope. The Bible is filled with hope! The 4 key elements of this journey are: Daily time in God s Word Daily Prayer Fasting Weekly attendance in the Worship Service I pray that you will delight in God s presence and being in His Word daily over the next 40 days. Day 1 is June 10th. Let s go! Joy Rounsavall Prayer Leader Sojoyful5@comcast.net 1
A Short Course of Fasting Fasting is the spiritual disciple of denying ourselves of something (typically food) to feast on the things of God. Here are some answers to practical questions about fasting. 1. Do I have to fast from food? When we see fasting in the Bible, typically food is involved. But what the individuals eat (or don t eat) varies. For example: v Moses had no bread or water for 40 days (Deut 9:9) v Esther didn t eat or drink anything for 3 days (Esther 4:15-17) v Daniel ate no delicacies, meat, or wine for 3 weeks (Daniel 10:3). In other words, he ate to live but not for enjoyment. The Bible doesn t give us strict rules about what we can and cannot eat during a fast, because the focus is less on what we do (or don t do) and more on what we are asking God to do in our lives. With that in mind, food isn t the only thing we can fast from. When considering a fast, ask this question, What can I remove from my life for a season in order to make more space for prayer? Here are some ideas: v Fast from all social media. v Fast from TV. v Fast from your favorite show. v Fast from a certain activity that is part of your daily routine. 2. What am I supposed to do during the fast? You are supposed to pray like crazy! Fasting without praying isn t fasting. It s dieting or deprivation. The only reason to fast is to make space for you to seek the Lord with greater urgency. Here is what that might look like practically: v During the times when you would be eating, pray! v Use those hunger pangs as a reminder to pray. When your belly rumbles, seek the Lord. v Pray passages of Scripture related to hunger. Here are a few such prayers. 2
v Lord, Your Word says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Increase my hunger for You and Your Word just like my physical hunger is increased during this fast. v Jesus, You said, Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt.4:4) Teach me to be sustained by your Word. 3. Is it okay to tell others I m fasting? It will be impossible to hide your fast from your family, but the Bible clearly teaches that fasting should be as private as possible. Here is fasting 101 according to Jesus: And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:16-18). A natural by-product of fasting should be humility. It doesn t take long without food to realize that we aren t really in charge. We cannot even sustain our own bodies without the food the Lord provides. When fasting becomes about impressing others or trying to impress or persuade God, we ve missed the point. This is taken from Erin Davis s article titled A Modern Woman s Guide to Fasting from the True Woman Blog at Revive Our Hearts.com. Seek the Lord and ask Him how He would like you to fast during our 40 Days of Prayer. You can mark you commitment below. My fasting commitment: q I commit to fast from (pick a meal) for days a week. q I commit to fast from during the 40 days of Prayer. (TV, social media, type of food, drink, etc.) 3
Daily Bible Reading & Prayer Guide Prepare your Heart Ask God to teach you through His Word and help your heart be still in His presence. Surrender yourself to Him and yearn to obey whatever He shows you. Begin with this prayer: Open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in your law. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you, all day long. Psalm 119:18, 34, 25: 4-5 Listening to God v Read today s passage. v What key words stand out to you? v Write out a key verse that stands out. v Summarize the entire passage in 1-2 sentences. v What does this passage say? v What does this passage mean? It may be helpful to use a Bible commentary or Study Bible. Responding to God v How do I apply this passage to my life? 4
P lease Pray this Everyday for these 40 Days Lord, we pray according to Your Word that we at SVC would have: H-eart of a servant, full of humility and joy. even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28 the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 O-pportunities to share the gospel with people as we serve our community on July 16-19. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 P-eople are drawn to Christ, they repent and want to follow Him. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 2:17-18 E -very one at SVC would serve in some capacity during Week of Hope 2018. 100% participation! v All the details would come together for the outreaches, BBQ, and concert. v People feel God s love as we serve v Leaders and volunteers are provided for every service project v that God wants to happen. v Pray that God would use these community service projects to build bridges with our Fairfield community to share the gospel. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. I Peter 3:15 5
40 Days of Hope reading & Prayer guide q Day 1 Sunday, June 10 Psalm 25 q Day 2 Monday, June 11 Psalm 33 q Day 3 Tuesday, June 12 Psalm 42 q Day 4 Wednesday, June 13 Psalm 62 q Day 5 Thursday, June 14 Psalm 71 q Day 6 Friday, June 15 Ps. 119: 41-56, 73-88, 113-120, 146-152 q Day 7 Saturday, June 16 Psalm 130 q Day 8 Sunday, June 17 Psalm 147 q Day 9 Monday, June 18 Isaiah 40:9-31 q Day 10 Tuesday, June 19 Jeremiah 29:1-23 q Day 11 Wednesday, June 20 Lamentations 3:1-33 q Day 12 Thursday, June 21 Ezekiel 37:1-14 q Day 13 Friday, June 22 Luke 24:13-35 q Day 14 Saturday, June 23 Acts 2 q Day 15 Sunday, June 24 Acts 22:30 23:1-11 q Day 16 Monday, June 25 Acts 24:1-21 q Day 17 Tuesday, June 26 Acts 26 q Day 18 Wednesday, June 27 Acts 27 q Day 19 Thursday, June 28 Acts 28 q Day 20 Friday, June 29 Romans 4 q Day 21 Saturday, June 30 Romans 5 q Day 22 Sunday, July 1 Romans 8 q Day 23 Monday, July 2 Romans 12 q Day 24 Tuesday, July 3 Romans 15:1-13 q Day 25 Wednesday, July 4 1 Corinthians 13 q Day 26 Thursday, July 5 1 Corinthians 15:1-34 q Day 27 Friday, July 6 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 q Day 28 Saturday, July 7 2 Corinthians 3 q Day 29 Sunday, July 8 2 Corinthians 5 q Day 30 Monday, July 9 2 Corinthians 10 q Day 31 Tuesday, July 10 Galatians 5 q Day 32 Wednesday, July 11 Ephesians 1 q Day 33 Thursday, July 12 Ephesians 2 q Day 34 Friday, July 13 Ephesians 4 q Day 35 Saturday, July 14 1 Thessalonians 5 q Day 36 Sunday, July 15 Hebrews 6:13-20 q Day 37 Monday, July 16 Hebrews 10:19-39 q Day 38 Tuesday, July 17 1 Peter 1 q Day 39 Wednesday July 18 1 Peter 3 q Day 40 Thursday, July 19 1 John 3 6
1 Sunday, June 10 - Psalms 25 2 Monday, June 11 - Psalms 33 7
3 Tuesday, June 12 - Psalms 42 4 Wednesday, June 13 - Psalms 62 8
5 Thursday, June 14 - Psalms 71 6 Friday, June 15 - Psalm 119: 41-56, 73-88, 113-120, 146-152 9
7 Saturday, June 16 - Psalms 130 8 Sunday, June 17 - Psalms 147 10
9 Monday, June 18 - Isaiah 40:9-31 10 Tuesday, June 19 - Jeremiah 29:1-23 11
11 Wednesday, June 20 - Lamentations 3:1-33 12 Thursday, June 21 - Ezekiel 37:1-14 12
13 Friday, June 22 - Luke 24:13-35 14 Saturday, June 23 - Acts 2 13
15 Sunday, June 24 - Acts 11:30-23:1-11 16 Monday, June 25 - Acts 24:13-35 14
17 Tuesday, June 26 - Acts 26 18 Wednesday, June 27 - Acts 27 15
19 Thursday, June 28 - Acts 28 20 Friday, June 29 - Romans 4 vw 16
21 Saturday, June 30 - Romans 5 22 Sunday, July 1 - Romans 8 17
23 Monday, July 2 - Romans 12 24 Tuesday, July 3 - Romans 15:1-34 18
25 Wednesday, July 4-1 Corinthians 13 26 Thursday, July 5-1 Corinthians 15:1-34 19
27 Friday, July 6-2 Corinthians 1:1-11 28 Saturday, July 7-2 Corinthians 3 20
29 Sunday, July 8-2 Corinthians 5 30 Monday, July 9-2 Corinthians 10 21
31 Tuesday, July 10 - Galatians 5 32 Wednesday, July 11 - Ephesians 1 22
33 Thursday, July 12 - Ephesians 2 34 Friday, July 13 - Ephesians 4 23
35 Saturday, July 14-1 Thessalonians 5 36 Sunday, July 15 - Hebrew 6:13-20 24
37 Monday, July 16 - Hebrew 10:19-39 38 Tuesday, July 17-1 Peter 1 25
39 Wednesday, July 18-1 Peter 3 40 Thursday, July 19-1 John 3 26