Devoting Ourselves to Prayer

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2)

Father, as I come before You today, I’m so very aware of my own prayerlessness. I think and worry about so much, but pray about so little in comparison. Forgive me, Lord. By the work of the Holy Spirit within me, teach me to pray and to do so continually. (Be still before the Lord. Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.)

I ask also, Lord, for my church community. May my brothers and sisters in Christ be full of joy as they wait on You in the midst of trials that they are experiencing, and may they be faithful in prayer. (Pray for those in your community of faith who are in difficult circumstances. Ask God to strengthen their faith.)

Remove from our lives all things that hinder our prayers, unbelief, sin that we have not turned from, unforgiveness and, may we respond to every prompting of the Holy Spirit that we might be unfettered and pray with all of our hearts. Father, I ask that fervency in prayer and intercession be released on us that we might become a true “house of prayer for all nations.”

Replace prayerlessness within our fellowship with a passionate longing to see Your Church revived. May prayer become the fuel of the Holy Spirit among us.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that we at (name of church community) would become those who always pray and never give up. May we be found faithful when You come, Lord Jesus! May we be those that You call upon by the Spirit to watch on the wall for Your Church, for cities and even nations!

I ask that You stir our hearts with an urgency to pray and give us full-of-faith, God-sized dreams and requests. Teach us to pray Your heart. Teach us to pray Your Word. May the men of our congregation lead their families on their knees in prayer. May the women of our fellowship humble themselves before You and be self-controlled so that they can pray with greater boldness. Raise up intercessors among the youth of our faith community. Grab hold of their hearts, I pray, and fill them with great faith. May our hearts and minds be set on the things of Your kingdom. Teach us to pray, Lord! From youngest to oldest, teach us to pray!

Do these things I ask so that we, Your Church, might come alive by the Spirit and be allowed the privilege of participating in the harvest that is coming. Even this day, O God, call Your people to humility, to turn from sin, to seek Your face. Wake us up from our slumber, O God, for surely time is short!

In the name of Him who lives to intercede for me, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Luke 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12; James 1:6-8; Matthew 6:14-15, 5:23; Psalm 66:18; 1 Peter 3:7; Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17; Luke 18:1-8; Isaiah 62:6-7; 1 Peter 4:7; Hebrews 11:13-16; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Romans 13:11-12; Hebrews 7:25

–Ty King. Taken from Pray the Word for Your Church (PrayerShop Publishing).

To read about a church that was changed as its people prayed through this resource, read “The Holy Spirit Ignites a Church.”