40 Days of Prayer

Day 1: January 9, 2023

The Gospel of Mark carries the tone of urgency from his first words. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God… make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” (Mark 1:1,3)

DO YOU FEEL THE URGENCY?

Our community needs a healthy, vibrant, growing church; the lost people around us need a compassionate, Spirit-led, Great Commission church; and our fellow church members need the warmth, love, hope, and nurture of a faithfully Christ-centered, sacrificial fellowship. It’s time to make ready the way of the Lord; to make His paths straight!

Read Mark 1. Underline how many times the word “immediately” (NASB; ESV), or “at once” or “without delay” (NIV), or “straightway” (KJV), appears. Shouldn’t this urgency compel us and our church to embrace the God’s plan and process sooner rather than later?

PRAY…Father, I realize the complete fulfillment of your plan of Your church depends on my willingness to “make ready Your way” now. Jesus, this is Your church, I surrender it to You; and I invite you to change me in every way necessary to make Your church a healthy, vibrant, Kingdom-focused people fully living YOUR WAY! Jesus, I “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Now is Your time, Jesus! Have Your way!! Use me as Your instrument. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Day 2: January 10, 2023

Read Luke 10:38-42.

PRECONCEIVED IDEAS

My preconceived idea of what an ideal life would be - Smokey Mountain back-drop, lush farmland, white-frame, two-story house with an old fashioned wooden barn. Dreams. Ideas. Not necessarily God’s.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

It seems each generation has their own ideas about what the church should do, how it should behave, what songs to sing, and what church buildings should look like, to name just a few areas of strong opinion. Are we willing to surrender our own ideas to see our church flourish once again in gospel growth, community impact, and Kingdom advance? Or are we worried and bothered about the potential that things as we have always known them might change if we embrace God’s purpose and plan.

Martha loved Jesus and eagerly welcomed Him into their home, but she wasn’t too happy with her sister Mary. Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet while Martha was distracted with all the household responsibilities. She demanded that Jesus do something about it, but Jesus’ response tells us a lot about the things that cause us to be worried and bothered. Unfortunately, those things are usually the wrong priorities. Jesus is the priority; making much of Him is the objective of vibrant churches.

PRAY…Lord Jesus, I confess that I am often worried and bothered about nonessential things instead of keeping my attention fixed on You. Build a new perspective in my heart and mind that longs for spiritual life in our church regardless of what songs we sing, the type of chairs we sit in, or the kind of building we have. Please do whatever it takes to breathe life into us again for the glory of Your Name alone. I ask it in Your strong Name, Amen.

Day 3: January 11, 2023

Read Mark 4:35-41.

“And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (Mark 4:40).

FEAR OR FAITH?

Going on a journey with Jesus is not a guarantee for a trouble-free, uneventful adventure. Just ask His disciples. He invited them to cross the Sea of Galilee, and they gladly headed to the privacy of the other shore. Before long, however, Jesus’ kind invitation turned into a nightmare of a storm. Where was Jesus? Asleep. He understood where they were going and how they would fare on the journey. The disciples didn’t, so they panicked. When their fear-filled pleas woke Him, Jesus stilled the sea and cautioned the men never to doubt what God is doing even in a storm. The journey for God to fulfill the His purpose at Hickory Grove will bring some stormy moments of fear. Will we gladly trust Jesus when things seem upside down or inside out? Will we choose fear or faith

PRAY… Sovereign God, I know in my head that you have created all things and in You all things hold together (Col. 1:16-17). Still there are so many things that I do not know or understand, so I am pleading with You, our Great, Magnificent, All-Powerful God, to calm my fears as we seek Your restoring work in our fellowship. Keep my heart and mind at peace in Jesus, in whose Name I pray, Amen

Day 4: January 12, 2023

Mark’s gospel account is not the only place in the New Testament wherein a sense of urgency is portrayed. John’s gospel records words of urgency directly from Jesus’ mouth. “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Read John 9:1-12. Jesus healed the man who had been born blind to display the works of God through the man’s life. List three things here that will display the works of God in our community if our church pursues, and experiences, God’s plan & purpose:

1) ________________________________________

2) ________________________________________

3) ________________________________________

THE UNKNOWNS

Did you notice the things that were unknown by the participants in John’s account of the blind man’s healing? His disciples didn’t know why the man had been born blind. No one knew how clay could bring sight to blind eyes. The blind man’s neighbors did not know how the blind man came to have sight. The blind man did not know where Jesus had gone after Jesus had healed him.

Every situation has unknown factors. Generally, we don’t like having unknown factors because we like to have everything under our control. But in the work of pursuing Christ and his plan we will encounter unexpected unknowns for which we could not plan. What will we do with them? Will we be willing, just like the participants in the blind man’s healing, to trust every detail to Jesus? Are we ready to entrust all the unknown factors in the plan and process of our church to His sovereign rule?

PRAY… Lord Jesus, I must admit that the whole business of pursuing your plan can be somewhat frightening. There are many unknowns. Yet, it is also exciting to think about the lives that will be changed and the influence we can have once again in our community for the sake of the Gospel! Still, Lord, I am sure there will be things about this process that will be uncomfortable for

me personally; things that will be out of my control. I want to say with all my heart today that -- I trust You! You spoke everything into existence! You are the substance by which all things are held together! I believe You will gloriously handle all the unknowns that come into play in the complete renewal of our church. I trust You to do it! In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Day 5: January 13, 2023

Read Psalm 111.

A PRAYER OF PRAISE…

Now, join the Psalmist in praising and thanking God for His goodness, His works, His righteousness, His gifts, His power, His redemption, and His covenant. Write words of praise below:

Lord, I praise you for your...________________________________

______________________________________________________

A PLACE FOR PRAISE

Hickory Grove is in its 150th year! We can remember when there was a sense of excitement among our fellow church members; a time when the place of worship was filled with the praises of God’s people. That is God’s intent for the gathering place of His people. That is what Jesus expected to find when He entered the Temple in the first century. “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’… have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself?’” (Matthew 21:13, 16). Prayer. Praise. In His house. Among His people. Can it begin again with us?

PRAY… Father, I can remember when we gathered with people on our church campus with excitement about You, Your goodness, grace, mercy and love. I remember when we filled our gathering place with praise to Your Holy Name. O God, restore those days among us through Your miraculous work in our church. I believe it is urgent that You act now to restore us to Your purpose. We are desperate for You; change us for the sake of Your eternal and glorious PRAISE! Let Your praise fill our hearts and our gathering place once again.

Day 6: January 14, 2023

“If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of mine and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32).

CONTINUE IN MY WORD

Perhaps the most important dimension of a church fulfilling its purpose is the restoration of God’s people to a profound confidence in God’s Word. Jesus’ promises surrounding His Word are numerous. In John 8:31-32, He promises that faithfully giving heed to His Word on a continuing basis proves we are His followers. In John 15:7, He promises that abiding in His Word and allowing that Word to transformatively abide in us opens the doorway of prayer and allows us to bear much fruit for His glory. In John 14:23, He promises that those who keep His Word will be loved by His Heavenly Father and will eventually make their home with God. In John 8:51, He promises that those who keep His word will never see death! His Word is timeless and unfailing; it is fully dependable and trustworthy. Throughout the renewal process you will need to daily profess your confidence in, and dependence upon, His Word. “Do not lean on your own understanding, [but] in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5b-6). “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

PRAY… Father, I confess that I have not always delighted in, nor trusted in Your Word. I turn from my faltering faith and ask Your forgiveness for my lack of confidence in Your Word; forgive my failure to believe that Your Word is settled in heaven forever. Today I am asking You to restore my full confidence in Your Word and that You will use Your Word to guide me, and our church family, through every phase as we seek to fulfill your purpose for each of us. I ask this in the Name that is above every other name, Amen

Day 7: January 15, 2023

There can be plenty of accusations. These, and many other misguided, yet painful, accusations may very well be a part of a church’s efforts toward renewal and pursuing God’s purpose. Despite the opposition, stay the course because part of the process is the cleansing of hearts and motives among those who resist the process. Sometimes there are church leaders who have lost their faith perspective and have forgotten whose church it is after all – if it is a church, then it belongs to Jesus. And He has the right to change whatever He wants to change in the restoration process.

INSIDE OUT

Jesus challenged the Pharisees on more than one occasion to be careful about putting on a religious front when, in fact, their hearts were yet unclean in motive or attitude. “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). Not only must we make sure our attitudes and actions are pure before the Lord in this revitalization effort, but we must also pray for our brothers and sisters who are demonstrating something less than pure motives and attitudes in their reaction to God’s work of revitalization.

PRAY… Jesus, thank you for loving and dyeing for our church. I know the process will not be easy, but with You all things are possible, and we are trusting in Your ever-present help throughout the process. Please cleanse my heart, and the hearts of all our church members of any evil, conspiring, or uncooperative spirit in the renewal process so that You alone can gain glory and Your church be reclaimed for Your great purpose. I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Day 8: January 16, 2023

Read John 17:13-21.

Use whatever resources you have at your disposal (commentaries, Bible app, Bible commentaries, etc.) to examine John 17:17, and particularly the word “sanctify” as it appears in that verse. Write what you discover.

SANCTIFY

In your research on the word “sanctify” you should have come across information that says “sanctify” means to “set apart for special use.” The word comes from the Greek word from which we get the word for “holy” or “holiness.” It is an action initiated and carried out by God Himself in the lives of His people. And in the case of Jesus’ prayer request in John 17:17, it is a work God performs through His Word in the hearts and minds of His people. We are set apart unto God, out of this world, and beyond the reason and logic that drives humanity, through the work God does in us as we give ourselves to His Word. He “sanctifies” us in the truth, which is His Word. No tool in our process will be more valuable than God’s Word. Keep it close. Read, study, meditate on, and memorize it daily.

PRAY… Father, in keeping with Jesus’ own prayer on behalf of His disciples present with Him, as well as for all those who would believe in Jesus because of the testimony of those first disciples, I plead with You for Your sanctifying work in my own heart and life as I give myself daily to Your Word. Let Your Word dwell richly within me, and within our church family, that we will be sanctified in Your truth, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in our hearts for all that You are doing among us. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Day 9: January 17, 2023

Read John 17:13-21.

SANCTIFY

Day 9: January 17, 2023

Jesus is both the essence of life and the Giver of life. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). This life that Jesus gives is not just fire insurance against an eternity in hell, but it is the very substance of life in the present. He knows better than anyone else exactly what our church needs in order to be a life-giving force in our community.

FROM WORD TO LIFE

Read John 5:24. Fill in the blanks below:

“…He who hears My word, and ___________________ Him who sent Me, has ________________ life...”

“…[He] does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into _________________.”

When we believe God’s Word we avoid judgment, pass out of death’s claws, and receive LIFE! This is true for eternity and for today! You and our church, as you believe God’s Word, His promises, and assurances, will begin to experience NEW LIFE in Christ!

PRAY… Lord Jesus, help me cling to Your Word as the very substance of life for me today and throughout eternity. Thank you for giving us Your Word; I want to thirst for it like the Psalmist, as the deer pants for the water brook, so let my soul thirst for You and Your Word. Use Your Word in me to build my faith and to help re-shape our church into an effective instrument for the Gospel in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, I ask in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Day 10: January 18, 2023

Read Luke 6:46-49.

Which person in Luke 6:46-49 are you most like right now, today?

____ The person building a house on a rock-solid foundation because you do whatever Jesus says.

____ The person building a house with no foundation because you are ignoring Jesus’ instructions.

RETURNING TO THE WORD

Fulfilling God’s purpose for a church is about a group of Christ-followers surrendering all of their own pre-conceived ideas about what their church should look like and how it should behave, and returning to the Author of their faith, upon whom the church is founded. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). We started this section of prayers by renewing our confidence in God’s Word. Not just for the sake of our church’s purpose and plan, but ultimately for God’s own glory and for our personal and corporate good. Let’s close out this section by asking God to transform our minds according to His Word so that we might prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God concerning our church.

PRAY… Lord, I love Your Word; I praise You for providing such a wonderful road map for life and living. You are my hiding place and my shield; from now on I wait for Your Word. I place my own thoughts and ideas in submission to Your Word. Sustain me according to Your Word, that I may live the life You designed for me, and in so doing be a part of a renewed church family set upon the very same purpose. Uphold me by Your Word; strengthen my resolve to seek Your Word before the counsel of others, and then compel all of us together to obey whatever You say. We love You and Your Word. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.

Day 11: January 19, 2023

“Every church seeking God’s plan and purpose (especially in a revitalization effort) can assume at some point in the ups and downs of their existence that they lost sight of the Biblical model and structure of authority and must begin to recover it if any other patterns of dysfunction can be addressed to ensure a healthy direction for the future. Authority matters. Who is in charge in our church? Jesus is the bridegroom of His bride. He is in charge. He is the one to whom the church must submit if it is to have life and experience the unity that only He can bring, for it came at the cost of His own life (Ephesians 2:11-15).

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

When Peter correctly answered Jesus’ probing question about His identity, Jesus not only affirmed Peter’s answer, but went further to explain what it meant for Him to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus went on to say that “…I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus is in charge. “He is the one to whom the church must submit if it is to have life and experience the unity that only He can bring…”. If someone held a gun to your head demanding to know who was in charge of our church, what would you answer?” If it is anyone other than Jesus Christ then some serious repentance, prayer, and reorientation needs to happen.

PRAY... Read Matthew 16:13-20. Jesus, I acknowledge and submit to Your authority, and Your authority alone, over Your church. I am not the authority in our church, nor is any other person the authority. Please forgive me for any time that I have attempted to exercise my own authority in Your church, as though it belonged to me and not to You. Please restore a deep sense of humility among all the leaders in our church, and a glad desire to submit to Your authority alone. I agree with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” and thereby You have full authority to reign in Your church. I surrender and submit myself to You, King of all kings, and Lord of all lords! Amen!

Day 12: January 20, 2023

Read John 9:35-41.

On Day Four we read the earlier part of John 9 in which we learn about Jesus healing the man born blind. In today’s passage Jesus is having a conversation with some religious leaders about the blind man and his healing, not willing themselves to believe that Jesus had sufficient power to do such a miracle. Because of their stubborn hearts and unwillingness to believe, Jesus referred to the religious leaders as “blind” themselves.

List here the two greatest barriers you can identify that will need to be overcome in order for our church to fulfill God’s plan and purpose:

1) _________________________________________________________

2) _________________________________________________________

BELIEVE

The Pharisees in John 9 were insistent that Jesus could not have the power to heal blind eyes. Only God could do such a miracle. So, they questioned the formerly blind man twice; they questioned his parents. Yet they could not disprove that Jesus had done something unexplainable to them. Don’t you want Jesus to do something unexplainable in our church? Don’t you long to see Him restore Gospel fervency and evangelistic effectiveness in our church family? Jesus is the One who can do it! Not a committee; not the members of our congregation. Only Jesus! Do you believe? Do you think He can solve, demolish, and overwhelm the barriers you listed above? Do you believe?

PRAY… Lord Jesus, we have evaluated our situation many times, even prayed over it. Honestly, our prayers have often been without true faith that You could actually do anything about our plight. But today, I renounce my own “blindness;” I turn away from my “blindness;” I embrace Your mighty power. You can do anything! I believe! You can walk on water, bring water from a rock, part a river, and even a sea! You can raise the dead, and You can breathe life into dry bones! Jesus, I cry out to You, with the rest of my church family, pleading for Your miraculous intervention in our church. You are able! I believe. You can overcome every barrier that stands against us, and I surrender my own defeatist perspective to your conquering grace! Jesus, come and do what only You can do in our church. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Day 15: January 23, 2023

“Who is this man?” is a question that occurred on several different occasions during Jesus’ ministry. Some of Simon the Pharisee’s friends asked this question when Jesus forgave the sins of the woman who anointed his feet with expensive perfume (Luke 7:49). Herod the tetrarch asked this question upon hearing about Jesus’ ministry (Luke 9:9). His own disciples asked this question after seeing Jesus calm a storm with just His words (Matthew 8:27). On each occasion Jesus had done something unimaginable; He solved an impossible situation; He prevailed where no ordinary human could possibly prevail.

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Read Luke 2:15-20 and 2:41-51.

The Bible says that even ________________ treasured the events, people, and surprise occurrences surrounding Jesus’ birth and later His conversations with learned teachers in the Temple. In a similar way to those who asked, “Who is this man?” Mary pondered everything about this miraculous Son promised by an angel and given to her by God! He is God incarnate! God in the flesh, Risen Savior, ever interceding at the right hand of God the Father on behalf of His children. That means His exaltation is for the glory of God and the good of His people. He is your God! Powerful in every way to restore and renew all things for His glory!

PRAY… Jesus, please forgive my doubts about our church and the purpose that You have for it. It is so hard for me to see how you can bring change and revival, but I am convinced again today, by Your Word, that You are Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth; the One who walks among the stars and calls each one by name. The God of salvation and mercy. Nothing is too hard for You! Please restore my faith in Your strength, wisdom, and power. And grant me faith to believe that nothing is impossible for You! I ask this in the Name above all other names, Amen!