2024 Week of Prayer
Prayer is an open door to connect to the heart of God.
If we want to see something impossible come to be, we must pray.
If we want to gain wisdom or direction, we must pray.
If we want more of His presence, we must pray.
Prayer is the preeminent ministry to God. And as we enter our weeklong initiative as a church to pray every day, for 24 hours straight, we are expecting God to hear us and answer. (See 1 John 5:14-15, Mark 11:24, James 1:6-7.)
We want to see God’s glory. So we must pray.
Be Still and Wait
As you begin to settle into your time of prayer, don’t rush into it.
Be still before the Lord. (Psalm 46:10)
Wait on Him.
You may want to say a short prayer of anticipation, such as: “Come, Holy Spirit.” And then simply sit in His presence for a few minutes.
Listen for His Heart
As you wait on the Lord, He will begin to stir your heart. God wants you to pray according to His will and in alignment with His heart.
But initially, you may not know what to pray.
As you begin to experience Him in your prayer time, the Holy Spirit will prompt you to pray certain things.
In Romans 8, Paul tells us:
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27, ESV)
When the Spirit guides You to pray something, follow His lead.
Pray Like They Did in Acts
As you get deeper into your time of prayer, ask God for the following supernatural requests as He leads you.
You may want to look up the associated scriptures to fuel your prayer with Biblical language and zeal.
1. God, fill me with your Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:31, Acts 10:44-48)
You can be filled with God’s Spirit, but you can’t create this movement for yourself. You can only put yourself in a posture to receive. Empty yourself before God, and ask Him for a fresh filling.
2. God, fill us (Your church) with your Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:31, Acts 10:44-48)
In Acts 4, it says that they were “all filled with the Holy Spirit.” While God’s filling comes in a very personal way, He also will fill groups of people with His Holy Spirit.
All can be filled, even today, even now. We must ask.
3. God, graciously give us deep Christian fellowship (koinonia) in our church at Freshwater (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-37)
The believers in Acts were united in Jesus. They shared their money, time, possessions. They shared their entire lives—even the deeper places of their soul (1 John 1:7).
And this unity and Christian community was birthed through the power of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3-6).
4. God, do signs and wonders among us to show Yourself to us and to a needy world (Acts 4:30-31)
There should be unmistakable signs of God’s presence moving in our church. ALL THE TIME. There should be evidence of His activity. Moves of His Spirit.
Power.
Healing.
Life-change.
Freedom.
Joy.
Transformation.
God, just as you revealed Yourself in Acts, we ask You to do it again here.
5. God, give me boldness to speak about You. (Acts 4:29-31)
We are not praying these prayers for our selfish gain (James 4:3). Our desire, in praying for these things, is that God would get glory in our church and in this city.
In Acts 4, the believers prayed that God would “grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and sign and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29b-30).
Give us boldness to share about You, God, for your glory.
A Week of Prayer
On Sunday, Pastor Jake shared the details about our Week of Prayer during the week of August 26. Watch a sermon replay below if you missed the message or want to see it again.
Prayer is the lifeblood of the Church because, by it, we access the very Presence of God. Join us in our 24-7 Prayer Campaign this week as we ask God for more outpouring of His Holy Spirit on Freshwater and on our city.
God meets us where we are, so we encourage you to pray where you are during this week – at home, in nature, a quiet break room in the office or even just in your parked car. Find a place where you can give Him your undivided attention, free from distractions.
Click the button below the video to review the available slots and sign up to pray during at least one of those times during the week. If you feel led to take more than one slot, please do so.
Watch the Message
Worship Songs from August 25
- “Here’s My Heart”
- “Lord I Need You”
- “Do It Again” (after the message)
- “King Of Kings” (after the message)
- “The Blessing” (after the message)