Our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting are almost over! To conclude this special season in the life of our church, we are having an all night prayer gathering from 8:00pm Friday, November 17th until 7:15am Saturday, November 18th. Learn more and sign up on the event page for a time to come pray with us.
‘Why has God established prayer?’ asked Pascal. And Pascal’s first answer to his own great question is this: God has established prayer in the moral world in order ‘to communicate to His creatures the dignity of causality.’ That is to say, to give us a touch and a taste of what it is to be a Creator.
Alexander Whyte
Begin with Adoration
This week we are going to continue to let the great hymns of the Church teach us about adoration. After reading the lyrics to this hymn, use it like an Old Testament Psalm, allowing the words to become your own words of adoration and praise.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord,
The Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him,
For He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.Praise to the Lord,
Who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings,
Yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?Praise to the Lord,
Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy
Here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.Praise to the Lord,
O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath,
Come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.Joachim Neander (1680)
Continue with Confession
This week, we will trust the Spirit to use Proverbs 28:13 to prompt our confession. The power of sin is in its “secrecy” where it holds us captive to thoughts like “if someone really knew they would not love me” or “I am the only one with such a wicked heart” or even “I don’t know that God can forgive me again.” Every one of these statements is a lie. Proverbs 28:13 is true:
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
As the Spirit brings any sin to mind, confess it (agree with God that it is sin) and turn from it (repent). Thank God that He forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness on the basis of the finished work of Jesus and the promise of 1 John 1:9.
Now offer words of Thanksgiving
Start by adding one to two things to the list of things you are grateful for that happened in 2017.
Continuing with Psalm 116:12…
What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
Psalm 116:12
We render thanks. Consider the “benefits” of God toward you, and thank him specifically for them. For example, another benefit of God toward us is His loving-kindnesses never cease, His compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22). “God thank you that I cannot exhaust your loving-kindness or compassion…”
Conclude with Supplication & Intercession…
…if prayer is the heart of religion, then petition is the heart of prayer.
Herbert Farmer
Remember, supplication is making our own needs known to God and asking that He meet them. Intercession is making the needs of others known to God, and asking Him to meet them. Both are petitions and are “the heart of prayer.” God invites and delights in our asking.
Let’s begin by praying for those we know who do not yet know Christ.
Secondly, let’s continue to pray for people who may think they are Christians, but who have not personally put their trust in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Now, considering your own needs, is there something you need from God for this day? Ask Him…
We will conclude our time of supplication and intercession by praying for specific prayer requests that our lay leaders are praying for Fellowship. We are making their prayers our corporate prayers…
- May we become a vibrant community of believers who know the gospel, understand, and desire transformation so wholeheartedly that the WORD is propelled onward and outward to others.
- That the Holy Spirit would inspire in us a season of humble confession, repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and renewal that would dramatically impact our hearts and those of this entire community.
- That there will be unity amongst the community of believers here so all will see the love of Christ and be drawn to the gospel, and that we live our lives surrendered joyfully to Him.
- We as a body would be one. We would be known for our love of others and that we confess sin with one another.
