40 Days of Prayer - Week 3
Day 15 - June 11
Day 16 - June 12
Day 17 - June 13
Day 18 - June 14
Day 19 - June 15
Day 20 - June 16
Day 21 - June 17
Day 15 - June 11
Confession
1 John 1:8-9
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Prayer Points
• Holy Spirit, convict us of our sin
• Holy Spirit, lead us into repentance
• Holy Spirit, convict us of our communal sins
• O triune God, may your forgiveness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
Kneeling in penitence I make my prayer,
Owning my weaknesses and my despair;
Failure I cannot hide,
Broken my selfish pride,
Pardon thou dost provide,
Pardon declare.
Nothing can I achieve, nothing attain;
He that without thee builds, labours in vain;
Shatter my own design,
Shaping a plan divine,
Come to this heart of mine,
Saviour, again.
Though few the gifts I have that thou canst use,
Make they demands on me; I’ll not refuse;
Take all there is of me,
Take what I hope to be;
Thy way at last I see,
Thy way I choose.
(SASB 600)
Prayer
O God our heavenly Father, we humbly bow at your throne of grace. In our time we hear little of sin from our pulpits and world. We wonder what has changed. When we examine our lives and the world around us, we so readily see the sin that leads us away from you and has become a destructive agent in this world. We come, we confess our personal wrongs and the communal wrongs of our world. Bring healing and, most importantly, bring your salvation. We know that you are faithful and just and will forgive our confessed sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. Help us, dear God, to move on from forgiveness in your power, creating in your strength communities that are just and know the love of Jesus. Amen.
Day 16 - June 12
Delegates
Ephesians 6:18-20
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that wheneverI speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Prayer Points
• Fill to overflowing the INSPIRE Conference and Congress
• May there be a spirit of expectation
• May many in attendance awaken and seek a life-transforming relationship with Jesus
• May the delegates grow in their leadership, considering new methods as they go back to the mission field
• May the delegates travelling from other countries to INSPIRE travel safely
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
Give us a day of wonders,
Jehovah, bare thine arm;
Pour out thy Holy Spirit,
Make known thy healing balm;
Give blessings without number,
Supply us from thy store;
Dear Saviour, richly bless us,
Baptize us more and more.
Lord, hear us while we pray!
Lord, hear us while we pray!
Now thy Spirit give, let the dying live,
And bless us here today.
(SASB 334)
Prayer
Give us a day of wonders, pour out your holy Spirit and richly bless those who gather for the INSPIRE Conference and Congress. O Lord, we have prayed “How long?” How long do we have to go without meeting together? How long have we wished to gather as your Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda to be refreshed and renewed by worshipping you in Spirit and in truth? The time is now ripe for a fresh infusion of your Spirit in your Salvation Army. INSPIRE us to be your people. INSPIRE us to be the Army that you created us to be, an Army that saves souls, makes saints and serves suffering humanity. We anticipate your greatness will be in these events and pray even now, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Day 17 - June 13
Creative Mission
John 20:21
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Prayer Points
• Fit us for your mission
• Position us for growth
• Grow our gratitude for being part of God’s mission in the world
• Holy boldness to invite others into an encounter with the living God
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
God’s soldier marches as to war,
A soldier on an alien shore,
A soldier true, a soldier who
Will keep the highest aims in view.
God’s soldier goes where sin is found;
Where evil reigns, his battleground;
A cunning foe to overthrow
And strike for truth a telling blow.
We’re going to fill, fill, fill the world with glory;
We’re going to smile, smile, smile and not frown;
We’re going to sing, sing, sing the gospel story;
We’re going to turn the world upside down.
(SASB 954)
Prayer
Our gracious heavenly Father, we are ready to enter into the race that you have marked out for us. We know, heavenly Father, that the world is needing us, but how can we go if we do not love you with our whole being and love our neighbours as ourselves? May we be fit for your mission and positioned for growth. Lord, we thank you for the expansive history of your Salvation Army and how your people engaged in creative missions. Today is a new day and we ask you to inspire us with new thinking, for new expressions of your mission in the world. May we hold on to what is working and may we explore new methods to fulfil your calling of gospel liberation in this, your creation. Amen.
Day 18 - June 14
Commissioner Floyd Tidd
Hebrews 13:17-18
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honourably in every way.
Prayer Points
• Commissioner Floyd Tidd’s preparation
• Commissioner Floyd Tidd’s health
• Commissioner Floyd Tidd’s territorial leadership
• Commissioner Floyd Tidd’s INSPIRED messages to the people of Canada and Bermuda
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
Praise God for the harvest of conflict and love
For leaders and peoples who struggle and serve
To banish oppression, earth’s plenty increase
And gather God’s harvest of justice and peace.
(SASB 54)
Prayer
You instruct us in your Word, O Lord, to pray for the people in positions of leadership. At your feet we fall and we pray for Commissioner Floyd Tidd, the shepherd of your people in the Canada and Bermuda Territory. Thank you for fitting him for your mission. We await what you, O Lord, have prepared to share with us through your servant at this INPIRE Conference and Congress. May Commissioner Tidd boldly open your Word and through the Spirit convict us to be the people that you have called us, your Salvationists, to be. May your words, spoken by Commissioner Tidd, reverberate far beyond the confines of Massey Hall and the Westin Harbour Castle Convention Centre. In all things may your name be glorified. And all God’s people said, Amen.
Day 19 - June 15
Love of Jesus
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Prayer Points
• To receive the love of Jesus
• To embody the love of Jesus
• To share the love of Jesus
• To build communities that are just and know the love of Jesus
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
Like to a lamb who from the fold has strayed
Far on the mountain, of the dark afraid,
Seeking a shelter from the night’s alarm,
Longing for comfort of the shepherd’s arm,
So Jesus found me on sin’s mountain drear,
Gathered me close and banished all my fear.
In the love of Jesus there is all I need,
While I follow closely where my Lord may lead;
By his grace forgiven, in his presence blest,
In the love of Jesus,
In the love of Jesus is perfect rest.
(SASB 259)
Prayer
We just love the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus there is all we need and all we have to give. We have heard the Beatles of long ago sing “all you need is love,” and we believe them. However, what is the love that they are singing about? Real love is the love that you, God, expressed by sending your own Son, Jesus, to earth, to live, to teach and to give his life as a ransom for many. You so loved us that Jesus died, so that we can live. Jesus’ love is the light of all humankind. We want this love, we need this love and we are called to share this love. Help us go forth to bless and serve the Lord, spreading the love of Jesus wherever we may go. Amen.
Day 20 - June 16
Exploring Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Prayer Points
• Spiritual discernment at identifying our Spirit-given gifts
• Spiritual help in developing these gifts
• The importance of utilizing our gifts in the spheres of our influence
• Encouraging others to fully engage with their own spiritual gifts
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
We thank you, Holy Spirit, for gifts of many kinds,
New life and love and power
That changes hearts and minds;
We praise you for the comfort and strength
You bring each day,
As one who stands beside us and helps us as we pray.
(SASB 48)
Prayer
We thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirt, for life and the beauty that we see all around us. Nevertheless, we are conscious that this world is not as you intended it. Sin and brokenness have entered this world and distorted its beauty and made it a place of disorder, instead of the place of peace that you created it to be. Even in this place of discord, your grace is breaking in, allowing us to see glimpses of your true creative plan. We are honoured that you have enlisted your people in your plans of restoration and recreation. As we discern our spiritual gifts and allow your Holy Spirit to awaken and develop these gifts, your people, whom you have called by your name, are becoming means of grace in this world. What a supreme privilege it is to exercise the spiritual gifts that you have given us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Day 21 - June 17
Comfort
Revelation 21:4
[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Prayer Points
• Blessed are those who mourn
• Make us aware of places we can offer comfort
• Help us to practise holy listening
• May we be open to comfort from God and others
Praying The Song Book of The Salvation Army
I’ve found a friend in Jesus,
He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The lily of the valley, in him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow he’s my comfort,
In trouble he’s my stay,
He tells me every care on him to roll.
He’s the lily of the valley,
The bright and morning star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
(SASB 868)
Prayer
Comfort, comfort your people, O God. You gave these words to your prophet long ago to tell your people Israel that light was coming into the world and that the darkness could not overcome it. We believe that your will for this world is liberating life and joyfulness. So often we are aware the world comes so short of this ideal and we see many instances where terror, scarcity, racism, hardship and mourning are the rule and not the exception. We ask you to use us as your Salvation Army, fit for mission to enter these underworlds of darkness, where people seldom hear your name and speak out your life-giving comforting gospel. As COVID has taught us, “your church has left the building.” Let us be your church in the world comforting your people. Amen.
