Personal Prayer
Rejoice with the prophet Isaiah, who wrote, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10). Thank God for producing such joy in your life. Confess any lack of Christian joy. Commit yourself to bearing the fruit of joy through the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Ask God to fill you with an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Pet. 1:8).
For Your Family and Friends
Pray for joy to fill your home. Ask God to root out anything that will rob your family of enjoying each other.
For the Church
Are your church leaders joyful persons? Pray that they will be so in their family life and work in the church. Pray especially that your pastor(s) will be “overtaken” with gladness and joy (Isa. 35:10).
For the Kingdom
Sin causes much gloom and sadness to blanket our world. Ask God to spare the church in every country from such sorrow. Pray that the church’s joy will shine like a beacon light to those who are oppressed and joyless.
For People to Know Jesus
Pray for your own expression of joy in the Lord. Do unbelievers recognize it in you? Do they know the source of your joy? Ask God to make your joy genuinely contagious.