Family Prayer Sunday
Corporate prayer has always been a powerful tool for the church. It was common for the believers in the early church to gather and pray. As we see in Acts 1:14 and 2:42, they were devoted to it from the very beginning – even before Pentecost. It’s what the church does!
The Sunday after Christmas has become a day of family prayer the last several years at Freshwater, and this past Sunday, we followed some examples from the early church in Acts by praying for what they prayed for.
We passed out prayer sheets for everyone to grab during our prayer time before Clint Adams, one of our elders, led us through six segments of prayer. If you missed this year’s family prayer time or you wanted to continue in this posture of prayer into the new year, we encourage you to download the prayer sheet here and follow along with the prompts below.
- We began by getting ourselves into the right posture, like setting the table. Acknowledge His presence (Matthew 18:20), take a posture of surrender (John 15:5), offer praise and Thanksgiving, and come confidently before Him (Hebrews 4:16).
- Next, we laid out our requests before Him by first praying for one another (Acts 20:17-38) – for strengthening and protection (28-32), for generosity, and for growth in the spiritual disciplines.
- Pray for boldness to share Jesus with those around us (Acts 4:23-31). Who are your 3 – the ones God has laid on your heart to pray for?
- Pray for deliverance and healing (Acts 12:4-17). God can heal our physical and spiritual pain – not for our entertainment or our fame, but for his fame and for advancing his kingdom. Who needs deliverance and healing? Call on God to pour out his favor!
- Pray for growth in service (Acts 13:1-3). The early believers prayed people into roles in the church (deacons, missionaries, elders), setting them apart for God’s work. But there is work in God’s kingdom for each believer. Where are you called to jump in?
- Finally, pray for direction (Acts 1:23-26). What decisions are facing you and/or your family? How will the church move forward with discipleship? How will we fulfill our vision of being the fresh water of God, bringing transformation through the presence and power of God?
Worship Songs from December 29
- “Hark”
- “What a Beautiful Name”
- “I Speak Jesus”
- “Reign Above It All”