Prayer is both a way to connect with God and a catalyst for his work. God genuinely responds to the petitions of his people. He cares about the desires of our hearts. As a church, we want to bring those petitions and desires to him and see him work in our community. Over the next 14 days, you have the opportunity to express specific prayers to God in order to draw near to him as well as pray for our church, our community, and our partnerships around the world. You can pray these prayers any time during your day; in your car, on your lunch break, anytime you can make space for just a few minutes. During our prayer time we want to enjoy God, ask some things of him, listen to what he has to say, and experience his presence. To prepare yourself, acknowledge the noise and static in your mind. Think about the distractions in your life, the things that tend to block out God s voice. Allow yourself to rest in a moment of silence. Ask God to quiet your thoughts and put aside distractions so you can focus on him and hear his voice through this journey. Be still and know that he is God. ~ Psalm 46:10 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, For this is God s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at the prophecies, but test everything that is solid. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 So humble yourselves Under the mighty power of God, And at the right time he will life you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, For he cares for you. ~ Peter 5:6-7
DAY 1 CONNECTION & GRATEFULNESS Tell God the things you like about him. Express your thankfulness for all that he has provided for you over the years. Take a few minutes to think about all of the blessings you have in life. Begin a list of these blessings in your journal. Ask God to continue to bless you and those you love in 2016. Thank God for creating you with a purpose. Ask him to continue to show you the path you should choose. Thank him for his unchanging, unconditional and unlimited love. Visualize yourself sitting in the presence of God. You have his undivided attention, listen and see what he might be whispering to you. DAY 2 COMPASSION Take a minute to reflect on self-compassion. Bring to mind something difficult that you are going through right now and express to God how that makes you feel. Begin to shift that compassion to others you love. Think about some of the difficult things your loved ones have been going through. Try and connect with their pain. Ask God to be with them in their trials. While acknowledging your own burdens as well as the burdens of your loved ones, begin to think about the burdens of those around the world; people you have not met yet, possibly the orphans that we care for in Africa. Pray that God brings comfort and peace to them as well. Reflect on the gift of compassion. We serve a big God who not only hears our cries but the cries of the whole world, and he cares for each hurt and person specifically. Journal a few thoughts on compassion and any ways you felt your heart open during this time of prayer.
DAY 3 FAITHFULNESS To be faithful is in essence having focused intention in order to foster growth. Ask God to help you expand your faithfulness to him and others. Take the time to think of who has been faithful in your life. Thank God for them and reflect on ways you can learn from their example. Ask God to increase your ability to be a faithful spouse, parent, employee, boss, family member, or any other role, allowing you to be a blessing to those around you. Reflect on areas you are not faithful. It may be how you treat your body, how present you are in your relationships, or how consistent you are with your commitments. Ask God to help you be more committed and faithful in 2016. Pause and seek ways that God can increase your faithfulness through surrendering more of your heart, will, and mind to him. DAY 4 WISDOM Seeking wisdom from God can happen during prayer time, when reading his word, and by inviting the voices of others into our lives. Ask God to help guide you in receiving more wisdom, growing your capacity to love. Bring to mind some people in your life you consider wise. Thank God for them. Consider sending them an encouraging note later today. Ask God to help you have a balance of grace and truth in all of your speech. Growing in wisdom can lead to a sense of independence. Ask God to continue to help you right size him in your life and create a growing dependence on him. Bring to mind some difficult decisions or situations currently in your life. Ask God for the wisdom to know what support you might need and what the next best step is for you. Think about some things that appear to be going great in your life currently. Ask God for the wisdom to know what support you might need and what the next best step is for those areas as well.
DAY 5 LOVE Read through the following meditation 3 times At the foot of the cross Where grace and suffering meet You have shown me your love Through judgment you received You ve won my heart Now I can trade these ashes for beauty And wear forgiveness like a crown Coming to kiss the feet of mercy I lay every burden down At the foot of the cross At the foot of the cross Where I am made complete You have given me life Thought the death you bore for me Thank God for loving you so much that he sent his only son- Jesus Christ- so that you would be redeemed and be part of God s loving family. Ask god to increase your capacity to love yourself and to in return love others. Pray that your love would be a light for others to see Jesus. Ask God to show you who he wants you to show love to this day. DAY 6 THE CHURCH Pray for unity in our church. That we all embrace the mission of people helping people find and follow Jesus as a top priority. Pray for God s will to be done in the church. That we would have the spiritual awareness to see what he is doing and hear what he is saying. And that we would then respond with courage to do what God is asking us. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move during our gatherings. That people would encounter the presence of God when they step foot on this property. Pray for our pastors, staff, leaders, and volunteers. That they are given wisdom and strength to lead and serve well. Pray for fruitfulness and Kingdom of God expansion in 2016. That we would see thousands come to faith in Jesus this year through our services, growth groups, and outreach efforts. Pray for every campus and church plant to be effective in their communities while walking out the vision and mission of the church.
DAY 7 OUR CHURCH BODY Ask God for a collective heart that cares about doing good, showing mercy and walking humbly with God. Pray for a growing awareness of God and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Ask God to increase our generosity both financially and with our time. Pray that we will have creative ideas as we serve our local communities and schools. Ask God to show us ways to include more people who are looking for the support of a community group but are currently not connected. DAY 8 CHILDREN S AND STUDENTS MINISTRIES Pray that each of our classrooms and student ministries are filled with fun and life giving messages. Pray that each child and student looks forward to attending and that they d invite friends and their families to come be a part. Pray that each child has an encounter with God and chooses to follow Jesus. Pray that each volunteer sees and treats each child or student as God s precious children. Help each person see the potential and God-given giftedness of each child and student. Ask God to direct the planning for the curriculum that is used across all campuses and the planning of Kids camp and other activities. Pray that the church continues to be a safe place for children to gather and learn about God. Ask God to be with them as they bring home what they are learning to their families.
DAY 9 MINISTRY VOLUNTEERS Pray for our amazing volunteers to balance the demands of ministry while maintaining strong families and relationships. Ask God to show you what your next ministry step might be and if there is a specific ministry he wants you to begin serving in. Pray that new people join our teams and meet the needs of helping people feel welcomed and cared for while they are here. Pray that each person who volunteers walks away from giving their time feeling blessed and used by God for his greater purposes. Pray for our growth group leaders to have confidence and wisdom as they create space for people to connect in friendship and community. DAY 10 NEIGHBORS Pray that the people of EastLake Church will radiate the love of Christ to those in their neighborhoods. Pray that we would have hearts to serve and love people. Reflect on which people God might be putting in your life who needs to experience his love. Ask God to show you ways to support and love them. Pray that God uses your relationships to draw people towards Christ. Pray that you will have the spiritual awareness to see opportunities to share Christ with those you re in relationship with. Pray you will have the courage and faith to take those opportunities.
DAY 11 PARTNERSHIPS Ask God to be with the children of Bright Hope School. Pray that they continue to grow in health as well as academically and socially. Pray for the teachers as they guide this process. Pray for Charity Water and the communities that they are trying to help with clean drinking water. Pray for the families in Mexico that do not have shelter; and that many new homes can be built. Pray for the victims of human trafficking who will stay at the emergency shelter here in San Diego. Ask God to bring them some peace and comfort. Ask God to continue to bring justice to those who are oppressed and comfort to those who are hurting. Reflect on or journal about some ideas on how you can help partner to show love to those hurting around you. DAY 12 COURAGE Change is hard. Anytime we take on a new spiritual practice or discipline we require courage to continue growing and changing. Invite God to grow the gift of courage in you. Spend some time reflecting on how your personal connection and time of prayer has been going. Are there any areas of relationship that God would like to shift a little? Invite him to speak into that. Is there some way that God has asked you to step out of your comfort zone? Has he put the name of a friend he would like you to invite into relationship or church? If so, ask him for the courage to follow through with those promptings. Pray for the courage to ask God for big dreams and to stay faithful when entrusted with little.
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