WORSHIP
God’s Character: We want to begin our prayer time by focusing on God and worshipping Him for who He is and what He does. This week, as we pray about RESTORATION, take time to focus on who God is as our REDEEMER.
- Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. -Psalm 103:2-5
- He comforts all who mourn, and provides for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. -Isaiah 61:2-3
- Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. -Isaiah 35:5-6
During the song, take time to connect with God’s heart-who He is and what He does and focus on His presence with you.
Song: Graves Into Gardens
THANKSGIVING
Take time to thank God for the ways He has brought restoration in your own life-
- Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. -Psalm 51:7-12
- The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3
CONFESSION/REPENTANCE
We want to take time to confess personal sins we have committed. We can also pray a prayer of corporate confession on behalf of a people/community (see Daniel 9).
Take time to confess any areas of sin God brings to mind (personal or corporate) around the idea of restoration and ask Him to give us clean hands and pure hearts (Psalm 24).
- Father, forgive us when we have sought to bring division instead of unity, and destruction instead of healing. Forgive us when we’ve used our words to tear others down instead of building one another up in love. Help us to cooperate with the work of restoration you are doing in the lives of those around us.
INTERCESSION
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:11-12
As a church, our vision is to see our community transformed by God. There are seven institutions that have major influence in a community and can be used by God to bless the community when functioning as He intended. These institutions, or “walls” as we call them, are listed below with some prayer points for each. Take time to pray for any areas of brokenness you see in each of these places- that God would bring restoration and use them to bless our community.
- Business: Pray business owners would see themselves as stewards vs owners and surrender their business to God. The love of money would not take root in their hearts. They would be a blessing to their employees/clients.
- Church: Pray for God’s name to be made holy through the words and actions of the Church and it would be a place of salvation, healing and restoration. Pray for unity and diversity in our gatherings. And for grace, wisdom and righteousness for the pastors and leaders.
- Culture/arts: Artist, journalist, song-writers, actors- would be anointed for their work and have creative ideas that reveal God’s beauty and goodness. Stages and platforms would be used as lights in the world to share Good News
- Education: School Boards and Administrators would make just and righteous decisions that would help children in every demographic thrive. Teachers would be anointed to do their jobs. God would use this institution to break cycles of poverty in our city and to promote righteousness
- Family: Pray for marriages that are struggling – for trust to be rebuilt; they would have grace to forgive; and deliverance from strongholds. Parent/child relationships – children would honor/obey parents and parents wouldn’t provoke children to anger/exasperate them. Kids in foster care – to be placed in best environment for them to thrive.
- Health/Science: Grace, strength and times of refreshing for all of the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly caring for others. Pray for wisdom for medical breakthroughs/cures. The gift of healing and working of miracles for medical workers and that these miracles would draw people to Jesus.
- Government: Pray the City Council would make just and righteous decisions and our Mayor (Steve Tumlin) would be led by the Spirit and know how to work out his salvation through his role. Employees would be anointed to do their job and work with integrity and bring about righteousness and justice. God would use this institution to break cycles of poverty in our city and to promote righteousness
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