Prayer Resources

PRACTICALLY - Your prayers really can make a difference - so as you and your household prioritize praying, you will watch and see Jesus answer in beautiful ways!

GOD INVITES US TO PRAY

We have an opportunity to fight a spiritual battle for our neighbors during this time.

• People need the comfort and peace that only Jesus can bring

• The sick need supernatural healing

• The fearful need to experience the peace and love of God

• Those suffering financial loss and job insecurity need to know Jesus as their provider

In the Old Testament we read:

• Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”

• Jeremiah 29:12 God: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Jesus gave us these invitations when we are in need:

• Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

• John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

• Luke 11:3 “Give us each day our daily bread.”

Paul encourages us to pray in troubled times in these ways:

• Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

• Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

You have the most incredible weapon in your hands: prayer. Prayer means you recognize that you’ve been given free access into the presence of the ruler of the universe, and can speak freely to Him like a child would with a loving Father.

REMEMBER: As you pray, you must come with a persistent expectancy:

• Persistence - There is a spiritual battle going on, and so you must be willing to pray and pray and pray again. You won’t beat the enemy for strength, but you can wear him out by your stubborn perseverance in prayer!

• Expectancy - As you come into the presence of God in prayer, do so with great faith that He can do ANYTHING. “But with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) - so let’s pray the most bold, faith-filled, respectfully expectant prayers possible!

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

God has put you in a specific location at this time by design, not by chance. He wants you to partner with Him in bringing more of His kingdom in your street, as you operate as His representative. The foundation for all your activity on your street must be prayer. You can’t make a lasting difference in your own strength - this must be a divinely orchestrated campaign. This means that you and your household become praying people.

Here are four settings where you can be praying:

1. Personal prayer: take time each day to pray for your neighbors.

2. Daily household prayer: As an individual, family, or with those living with us, take time every day to pray around the issues that coronavirus is creating.

3. Prayer and fasting: push away from the table and use that time to pray.

4. Prayer walking: By walking and praying in your street and community, you pray in a different way to when you are at home. As you see people, notice things, sense an atmosphere (good or bad), or have other things drawn to your attention by the Holy Spirit, you can intercede and lift those people and situations before God. If you can’t go for a physical prayer walk then get creative - for example, pull up google maps and pray over your area that way!

Let’s take our stand against the enemy and the havoc he is wreaking. “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

TIPS FOR PRAYER WALKING

How to Pray:

• Go solo or, ideally, in pairs. If it’s not with someone in your household, keep your distance from them!

• Before you go, pray for protection over yourselves - put on the spiritual armor (Ephesians 6).

• Confess sin. Be in a spiritually clean place yourself.

• Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have His mindset as you go.

• Commit this time to the Lord.

• Walk fairly slowly and keep your eyes open!

• When you bump into people, stop praying, be friendly, engage, and see if God is up to something. Don’t forget to be a normal person as you go!

• Very practically, pray either silently (if you are walking alone - or people will think you’re a bit crazy!!), or in a normal conversational tone if walking with someone.

• If mobility is an issue, you can go for a prayer walk in the car! Obviously drive carefully, but perhaps drive a little and pull over to pray for specific places that are on your heart (e.g. go to local schools, business, the council offices, the park, etc).

What to Pray:

• As you go, ask God to reveal things to you for you to pray about.

• Listen to the Spirit. That means there will be moments when no-one is praying out loud.

• Be aware of promptings from the Spirit. As things come to your attention, view them less as distractions and more as something to pray into, even if briefly.

• Pray out the bad stuff, and pray in the good stuff!

• It is powerful to pray Scripture over your street and neighbors. Some people like to go with some specific verses written out/ pulled up on their phone - ask the Lord to give you some texts to pray over your street.

• Pray against sickness and disease, pray for health (physical, spiritual, emotional).

• Pray for the welfare of this community - businesses, jobs, safety, and well being

• Intercede for the economic health of your street, community, and city.

• When you pass homes where you know the names of the inhabitants, pray for them by name. Also pray for any known issues in that household.

• Pray protection over relationships, particularly in this time of stress and being cooped up together in a confined space.

• Pray against the spiritual forces which are actively working against us. Pray in the opposite spirit to what you sense the enemy is trying to do (e.g. health instead of sickness, hope instead of depression, love instead of broken relationships, abundance in place of lack.)

• Declare that God’s Kingdom would come into this place, and that people will sense His good and perfect will for your community and partner with Him (knowingly or not) in bringing that about.

• Pray that the work of the enemy would be bound in the name of Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit would be poured out in this place.

• If you’re not sure what to pray, speak blessings! What would you like someone to pray over your home and household? If you owned a business locally, how would you like the Lord to bless it?

• Allow some things you see to represent broader issues. For instance, if you hear an emergency vehicle, pray for those who work in those fields. If you see graffiti, pray for teens to have healthy creative outlets. Walk past a school and pray for all the families it represents.

SPECIFIC THINGS TO PRAY AT THIS TIME

It can feel a little overwhelming knowing how to pray against coronavirus, and for those you love and are called to reach. To help, here are 7 areas that we are focusing on. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does give you a solid jumping off point!

1. Praise – Spend time worshipping God.

2. End of the Disease – Pray for the end of this pandemic.

3. Faith over Fear – Pray that people will choose faith over fear.

4. Supernatural Healing – Pray for God to heal those who are sick.

5. Economic Vitality – Pray for those who are struggling financially.

6. Those in Healthcare and Government – Pray for healthcare workers and government leaders.

7. Advance for the Kingdom – Pray that God’s purposes would come in this time of pandemic.

NEXT STEPS CHECKLIST

What are your specific next steps? We have created a checklist below, but you might want to adjust it to make it fit for your context. The main thing is - GET PRAYING!!

“But in your hearts revere 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)

• Write out a Bible text that inspires you to pray, and place it somewhere visible

• Plan a time and place to pray personally.

• Plan a time and place for pray as a household.

• How are you going to pray and fast during this season?

• Plan a time and strategy to walk and pray your street.

• Are there other topics you’d like to add to the list of 7 areas to pray into?

• Make it personal - who is on your prayer list from your street?