In the weeks leading up to Advent, Grace City is taking some time to prepare our hearts through daily persistent prayer for the community around us. Our main prayer for this season is that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for. That He would open up opportunities for us to connect with families and singles in Germantown. That He would add to our number workers for the Kingdom. And that the Gospel would penetrate the hearts of those we connect with everyday.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step1: Set a recurring alarm on your phone (or calculator watch if you’re old school) for a time of day where you have some margin – just a simple 5 or 10 minutes of down time. Maybe in the morning before you start your day, during your lunch break, in the afternoon during nap time or school pickup line, during your drive home from work or before bed – whatever works best for you.
Step 2: Pray. Using the suggested prayer guide, pray persistently each day that God would move in ways we could never take credit for, and pray over the focus for each week that is suggested. Then use the challenge at the end of each week to look for ways to engage!
SUGGESTED PRAYER GUIDE
Week 1
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray that God would burden people from both our sending church and in our community to serve along side us for a season to reach the lost in Germantown. T hen begin having conversations with people you know and ask them to be a part through praying, serving, or joining with us!
Week 2
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray that God would open up opportunities for us to connect with families and singles in Germantown. Then look for those opportunities and act on them!
Week 3
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray that God would use you, and each of us, to share the gospel with the lost in our neighborhoods and community. Pray that God would go before us to prepare their hearts to receive the good news of Jesus. Then look for opportunities to speak the gospel in the lives of your neighbors, family, friends, or people you meet!
Week 4
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray for Riverdale School. Pray for the administration and teachers to lead the students well. Pray for the families represented in the school that God would heal marriages and hurts, that families would come to know Christ, and specifically for any students who are in difficult home situations that God would redeem and restore and protect the hearts of the kids. Then look for ways to serve the administration, teachers, or students as an individual, a family, or as a small group!
Week 5
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray for your specific neighborhood, that God would use you or your family to meet the needs, both physical and spiritual, of your neighbors and point them toward Jesus. Then look for opportunities to show your neighbors the love of Christ through hospitality!
Week 6
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray that God would add to our number those who are being saved. Pray for growth, not for our sake, but for the sake of the Kingdom and the sake of the lives God would call to Himself. Then look for ways to add people to your small group, missional community events, or invite someone to attend a worship gathering on a Sunday!
Week 7 – Thanksgiving Week
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Spend time in a Prayer of Thanksgiving each day. Thank God for what we are seeing Him do and what we can’t yet see Him doing. Thank God for giving us His Son to atone for our sin and to provide us with a relationship with Him. Thank God for your family (even the hard ones), your friendships, and the many ways He has blessed you or your family this year. Then go eat a bunch of food and enjoy time with your family and friends, and search out people you can invite to join you!
Week 8
Pray Persistently: Pray that God would move in ways that we could never take credit for in our church, in our community, and in the lives of those we meet.
Prayer Focus: Pray for the Advent Season, that God would use our church, and churches across the world to share the gospel in their communities during this season. Pray that God would use His church to meet needs across the world, physically and spiritually. Pray for the church across the globe to be light in a dark world and bold in proclaiming the good news that Jesus came to save. Then look for ways to serve your neighbors who are hurting during this season, ways to invite in neighbors who are lonely this season, and ways to love those who don’t yet know the Good News that you rest in this season.