Pray that God's people don't take a vacation from God
Most people will take a break, in some way, this summer. Some will go camping, many will go to the lake, or they might visit out-of-town relatives or friends. Probably most will take a week (or perhaps more) of vacation. However, while Jesus told His disciples to, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while“ (Mark 6:31), He did not invite them to find rest apart from Him. While we all desire and need time away, let’s pray that we don’t do that at the expense of drawing apart from the living God.
May our time away be refreshing in spirit, soul, and body. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:1–3NLT
May we use the opportunities God gives us to share Jesus. “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” John 4:3
May we make sure and bathe all that we do in prayer. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1
May we use some of the “free time” to read an inspiring book. “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15–17NLT
May God’s people be faithful to tithe whether they are attending church on a given day or not. “But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18
Pray for Christians to abide in Jesus
Pray for every member of Bellevue, for Christians you know, and for other believers that are a part of His Body.
Jesus commanded, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is gloried by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:4–8 (emphasis added)
We are, in many ways, adjusting to a new normal. COVID-19 interrupted our lives. About the time that was settling down, inflation, high gas prices, and the war in Ukraine shook the nation and the world. When change at an escalated level happens in our lives, it is easy to drift, to get so busy trying to keep up, trying to figure out what is next, that you don’t “keep the main thing, the main thing.” Apart from an intimate relationship with Jesus, we will do nothing and accomplish nothing.
Pray believers will abide in the Word of God.
- To read, study, and feed our souls on it daily
- To live our lives based on the truth of the Word of God, not on what we see or feel
- To focus on the promises of the Word of God, not the impact of inflation
Pray believers will live in a spirit of prayer.
- To begin our days in prayer
- To pray the Word of God back to God
- To turn every challenging opportunity into a time to call upon the Lord
Pray believers will bear much fruit.
- To begin our day in an intimate relationship with Jesus
- To share Jesus with people
- To live lives characterized by “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23)
Pray for God to bless the economy
The impact of inflation, supply-side issues, and the war in Ukraine have been felt across the state and the nation.
“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 112:1–3, emphasis added).
- Pray employers and employees will both be brought to a fresh awareness that God is our Source.
- Pray those who have looked to money and what it falsely promises (security, satisfaction, and significance) will be brought to repentance.
- Pray God will supernaturally bless those who are looking to Him for His provision.
- Pray the “Red Sea” (where God’s people were trapped between the Egyptian soldiers and the Red Sea with seemingly no way out) of financial moments people have experienced would not be wasted but would be turned into testimonies of praise.
Pray for Memphis
Rather than simply reading the words of Bro. Steve’s Prayer for Memphis, please take time to verbally pray for our city using this prayer as a guide.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Memphis. Thank You for strategically locating our city in the middle of this nation, so we can be a catalyst for revival and spiritual awakening. Please pour out Your Spirit on Memphis,Shelby County, the Mid-South, and beyond. Help every Christian and every Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, Gospel-preaching church to Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples. Demolish every demonic stronghold of pride, violence, racism, poverty, crime, sexual immorality, drug abuse, sickness,religious formalism, fanaticism, legalism, liberalism, and traditionalism. Replace them with love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control, blessing, mercy, grace, hope, healing, liberty, and freedom. Destroy the stronghold of religion in Memphis that has a form of godliness but denies the power thereof. Give us churches that believe in the Bible and preach salvation only in Jesus Christ. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in Memphis on Earth as it is in Heaven. Bring pastors, lay leaders, and congregations together as we pray for this city. Bless our governmental leaders, schools, and economy. Please send good jobs to Memphis. Keep casinos, strip clubs, and occultic activity out of Memphis. Do a work of revival in Memphis that can only be explained by Your presence and power and do it all for Your glory. Call Your people to fervent, united, visible, extraordinary prayer. May the latter glory of Your Kingdom in Memphis be greater than the former, and please grant Memphis Your peace. Do exceeding and abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think. In Jesus’ name, Amen!