Five Prayers for the Church

Day 165: Acts 9:26-43

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” - Acts‬ ‭9:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All of us, as Christians, have an obligation to attend, financially support, serve, and pray for a local expression of Jesus’ body (a church). When you pray for your local church, what are you asking God to do?

Too often, our prayers become superficial, asking God to merely make the church grow numerically. But what happens if the church isn’t prepared for a spike in numbers?

The verse above gives us a pretty good pattern of how to pray for our own churches and all those around the world.

1)  Peace - Father, drive disorder and division out of our midst.

2)  Build up - Father, increase the potential of this collection of Your people. Strengthen us.

3)  Walk in the fear of the Lord - Father, help us to worship You exclusively. Help our opinions to not drive what we believe.

4)  Comfort of the Holy Spirit - Father, as we experience the pain and disappointment of this world, speak words of comfort to our souls.

5)  Multiplication - God, when we are ready, open the floodgates and fill our buildings with people who are prepared to align their agendas with Your own.

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

"Though the Churches had peace, yet they were not drunken with delights and earthly joy, but, trusting to God’s help, they were more emboldened to glorify God." - Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. Commentary Upon the Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 1, p. 394)