Will you continue to pray?

In my Tuesday Church Growth Group we had a cracking Week of Prayer study. We prayed through the prayer points, we shared stories, we read the Bible and we gave thanks that we are part of a church that sets forth the truth plainly and helpfully. I came away bolstered and enthused - praise God!

It did occur to me though, that, even though we did the Week of Prayer, the job of praying was not done. It might be easy for us to think “we prayed” and so tick that “task” off the list. My friends, let it not be! Grab your Bible and look up Luke 18:1-18, the parable of the persistent widow. Luke writes that Jesus told the parable because his disciples “should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). I was rebuked when I read this. Let us be like that widow when it comes to praying for our season of Mission. The Week of Prayer does not enable us to say “done” but it helps us make a good start.

Can I encourage you to pull out your Week of Prayer booklet and pray each day through to the end of September for the mission activities we are engaged in. (If you lost it there are more at church.) Just pray for one thing each day. What a joy it will be to call upon our great God day after day that he might work in the hearts of many to invite people to hear the gospel, and work in the hearts of many others to believe the good news.

If you want a prayer to pray daily, here is one a friend wrote a few years back for her church. I share it with you here in a slightly amended form.

Let us be people who pray!

Lord God,

We thank you that you were not content to leave us in our misery and suffering, but that in love and mercy, you reached out to us. Thank you that when we were dead in our sins, you sent Jesus to die in our place. Thank you that he humbled himself, even to death on a cross. Thank you that you have a heart that seeks the lost.

We were lost. We were desperately needing you, while walking in the opposite direction. We are sorry for having hearts that rebelled against you and sought darkness.

Thank you for saving us.

Please give us hearts that care for and love the people who are still in darkness. Teach us to care for and love them as you do. Thank you for including us in the mission of reaching other people for your name. Grow us to care for humanity, for the people to haven't yet come to know and trust in you.

We pray for our church, that you would help us to run Big Fridays and Share Life Sundays in a way that encourages people to come to know and love you. We pray for our conversations, that they would be seasoned with salt and full of grace. We pray for our friendships, that they would show people the love of Jesus. 

Give people of all ages a chance to know and love you for the first time. Grow in us hearts after your own heart, passionate to see people saved.

In Jesus powerful name,
Amen