“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” Acts 1:14 (NLT)
CHALLENGE
I encourage everyone to take note of a special event or activity taking place within the church community and to pray for the event and for those attending the event. Also, I encourage everyone to get involved in a small group where unity in prayer with other brothers and sisters in Christ can take place regularly!
PREPARATION
- Praise God for who He is
- Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
- Allow His Spirit to draw you near
- Listen as He speaks to you
REQUESTS
- Pray for an event and the leaders delivering the messages.
- Pray for the safety of those attending events.
- Pray for spiritual growth and development of the attendees.
THANKSGIVING
- Thank God for hearing you.
- Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will.
OPTIONAL READINGS
- 2 Corinthians 1:11
LIFE STORY
“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer….”. This reminds me of a weekend several years ago where Debbie and I chaperoned the Westheights Jr. Highs to the annual retreat in Collingwood. Having attended retreats in my youth, I was aware of the spiritual challenges presented to the participants. Prior to leaving, we provided a list of participants to several people in the church and asked them to pray for the group.
During the Retreat, the 300 youth in attendance were often united in prayer in large or small groups. We were united in prayer as well from those praying for safety and spiritual enlightening for the youth. It was comforting to know that the entire retreat and our own youth were being prayed for by those here at home as well. I truly believe that the youth grew spiritually that weekend and will always remember retreats like this.
I recall feeling so tired from the lack of sleep when it was time to return home. The other challenge in our path was a snowstorm that had most of the north-south roads just south of Collingwood closed. We continued until we found an open road and arrived home safely. It was so comforting to know that people were praying for our safety. God gave me the help I needed to stay alert for the drive home.
We were so thankful for the prayers of the congregation. Our God is a big God and He hears our prayers. Even though we were several hours apart, we were united in prayer that weekend with so many people.
Contributed by: Randy Buhrow