21 Days- Daily Prayer Focus
An Invitiation To Intentional Prayer
each January & August
Day 1: Pray for revival, transformation and spiritual deepening to come to Lowell First Church and to every church in the Merrimack Valley. Pray for those who do not yet know Christ, that they be delivered from sin and find peace in Christ. Pray for churches to be awakened and responsive to the presence and leading of God. Locally, we are driven by the mission statement, “Together We Are Becoming A Community Of Faithful, Missional Disciples.” As we remember this reason for our gatherings, may it remind us how valuable each of our fellow Christians are in this partnered-work for God’s Kingdom. May it result in new lives in Christ as well as spiritual growth among all God’s children. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 2: Pray for God’s vision for Lowell First Church as we move into Christ’s future. Pray God would open more doors into the community. And that we would be faithful enough to respond by going through those doors. And should it be brand new territory, pray for wisdom and direction for any new ministries that the Holy Spirit might be stirring in us. Considering one of our strongest current ministries, pray that the influence of our preschool, Merrimack Valley Christian Day School, will continue to grow as we uniquely minister to families in our community. We desire to be filled to capacity! Pray for all the staff, teachers and children who reflect and receive our love each day through our school. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 3: Pray for our surrounding schools- other preschools, our grade schools, middle schools, high schools, as well as our local & regional colleges. Pray for the safety and protection of our students, teachers, and administrators. Pray for the campuses to be covered with the peace of the Lord. May our students be salt and light- bold in their faith and a loving presence in their expression of our church mission in everyday life. Pray for the fruit of God’s Spirit to be upon them in all they seek to accomplish. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 4: Pray for the City of Lowell. Consider the need for a church like ours to bless and not curse our church’s central community. Pray for it to grow in healthy ways. While new boosts to the local economy are appreciated, especially be in prayer that the health of this community blesses all the citizens of this community, especially those often marginalized. As such, we pray for: equal access to good jobs; encouragement to be active citizens; safe housing, neighborhoods and homes; regular sources of food; sufficient clothing; access to medical and mental health resources; and quality education (with every student desiring to make it high-quality). And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 5: Pray for our local, state, and national government. Our influence from the Commonwealth, across America and throughout the world is significant. May we not only find our leadership inspired to work towards economic growth, global safety and freedom for all, but may we pray for their protection as human beings. In a celebrity-culture, we bemoan leadership that forgets about humanity- when our first call is to remember theirs. And, then because of the trust placed in them, we pray for them in regards to their work flowing out of their own healthy lives (one not isolated from the margins, but one informed by life together with such sisters and brothers), that they would lead with wisdom, integrity and the goodness of life (that which disciples of Christ believe is sourced in the person and peace of God- even if another human has not yet made that connection). And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 6: Pray for God to bless our homes with peace and joy. Our prayer is that each home is not just a place for disbursement into the world (as if it was just a place to eat and sleep), it is also the place where persons are collected in lives of worship. The choice becomes ours whether we will worship disconnectedness, with our attention focused on devices, tv shows and internet searches, or whether it will be the place where God calls, partnership is started, and praises are raised that the restorative power of God’s grace and mercy makes the world a better place. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 7: Pray for our pastors. Pray that God would bless them with peace, joy, protection, health, and strength. Our prayer is for God to grant our pastoral staff provisions for living, peace and fulfillment in seeking God’s Will, as well as wisdom and guidance as they seek to serve the Lord among and with us. May the Holy Spirit guide them in their passion for the church and grant them partners from this parish for all that the Holy Spirit wishes to accomplish in this surrounding community. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 8: Pray for REFINE, our youth ministry at Lowell First Church. Pray for our youth director and all those who volunteer and serve our teens and seek to reach the teenagers in our community. As you can remember them, pray for each of our teenagers by name. Pray for them to be both protected from the movements of the evil one, as well as effective in victorious living in Christ. May our youth group be a light and safe harbor, with patience and wisdom, in all services, activities, and the collective pursuit of God. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 9: Pray for our collective worship celebrations. Remembering that worship is a 24/7 opportunity, recall in prayer how important then our collective times of worship are. Pray for our worship coordinator, musicians, singers, technicians, greeters, ushers, servers, and all those who intentionally offer themselves in service and participation on Sunday mornings. Our prayer is for God to be recognized and heard, that God’s loving presence would transform us as we seek to offer our love and lives in return. We pray that the Holy Spirit would move us in powerful ways during our services and out from our services as we seek to worship all week long. In full surrender to God- of everything we have, are and wish to be- May God sanctify us that we may be taken, blessed, broken and given for Christ’s work in and through us by God’s Spirit. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 10: Pray for the missions department of LFC. While they have been charged with encouraging a connection between us locally with the work of God globally, missions is the responsibility and opportunity for Kingdom service for the entire church. As we consider our role, pray for all the missionaries we support. Pray people who made faith promises will be faithful to give. Pray God will give us a greater vision, burden and passion for missions and enable us to have a record year in missions giving this year. Pray we do our part in fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Think big, and pray that God would remind us how much bigger yet God’s love for all is. While we do not know when the Lord will return, we do know we have today- let us prayerfully live as though this is the day that the Lord made for us to make sure no one is left not knowing Christ’s love! And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 11: Pray for the development of active ministries to the adults at LFC (women; men; singles; senior adults; special-abled adults; recovery programs; support programs; etc). Pray God will draw people to lead these ministries and bless these ministries with growth, vision, integrity, endurance and passion. Pray they will be blessed with a fresh anointing of God. Pray new people will attend and lives will be changed by the power of God. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 12: Pray for our “house churches.” Pray God will bless these ministries with an even deeper sense of becoming Christian Community among us. Pray we will have wisdom and leadership in developing new groups to minister to the ever changing needs of our people. Pray for a fresh anointing and commitment on the lives of those who lead. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 13: Pray LFC would become “A Church Without Walls.” Pray every person would embrace a life that is lived beyond themselves. Pray that we each would consider our ministry footprint as an opportunity to change the world with Christ’s goodness. As such, pray we would see record participation in Spirit-inspired ‘acts of kindness’. Pray that Lowell and the Merrimack Valley area would be beautifully different because of LFC. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 14: Pray for those who are here in the U.S as well as around the world who are victims of social injustice. Pray we would make room in our busy and isolated lives for God to empower us to help solve these problems. Pray for peace. Pray human trafficking would stop. Pray orphans would be adopted. Pray refugees would find a home. Pray that world hunger would be brought to an end. Pray that there would be a cure for diseases, both known and unknown. Pray that we would see all humans as God’s creation. Pray that all Christians would be moved to compassion, mercy and the pursuit of justice only as they are being-filled with the fruit of God’s in-filling and in-dwelling Spirit. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 15: Pray for our Christian Education ministries like Sunday School. Pray our children will know nothing except what it means to live life as a Christian, that each of them will personally receive Jesus as their Savior at an early age, and that they will begin a lifelong pursuit of sharing the love they have known with the world around them. As you can remember them, pray for each of our children by name. Pray that our children’s ministry (as well as each child’s personal ministry) will grow and prosper as the blessing of God rests upon their service and our collective activities, events and classes each week. That all would grow, pray for our adults (teachers and helpers as well as our parents, grandparents and other guardians) to learn more and more about God’s Word themselves. For the best way to train our children to go the way of holiness is to go that way ourselves! In simple and small ways, pray God blesses all our volunteers with a passion and a burden for our children, and for the children to be burdened with a passion to tell others about Christ. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 16: Pray for the sick. As you can remember them, pray for each of our Faith Family not feeling well by name (we do not need to know their ailments to intercede for them. Trust your gut- discernment may bring someone to mind. Don’t get consumed with worrying about them, but if the Lord brings them to mind, it may be that even for a passing moment they needed their Faith Family to pray for them- even if they didn’t or ever do know about it). Quite intentionally pray for healing for those long-suffering from a disease or illness (as we may easily forget how difficult it is to still be dealing with the issue)- the source of which may be mental health issues and/or an addiction. Pray that God would heal, comfort, equip for coping, and provide helpers along the way for those struggling. Just as intentionally, we pray for the medical professionals and families that care for those who are in need. Use this as an opportunity to pray for: significant advances in medicine, effective legislature for food and drug products; balances between sustainable insurance and informed medical authority; as well as the discovery for medical professionals that the source of their wisdom is the mind of God. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 17: Pray for our first responders - police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses and chaplains in the Lowell and Merrimack Valley area. Pray for all of our women and men in uniform. Pray for their safety and protection and for their families. We pray for wisdom and discernment as they consider and face each situation and challenge. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 18: Pray for our church finances and giving. If we believe that all of the resources to do what God has called us to do are within the pockets of all that call LFC home, then pray that God makes us all cheerful givers. As God has given so freely to us, may we give all we have to God. As a tithe of a certain percentage (often 10% of our gross income) reflects a prayerful pursuit of God’s Will for those resources God has blessed us with, pray that personal and passionate conversations with God are happening now and always among our people as to God’s Will in our future giving. And then considering those funds which the Lord has us keep for our use in our homes, our prayer is for each one of us to be good stewards in our homes and at Lowell First Church. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 19: Pray for our Church Board and various leadership committees. Pray our leaders would be blessed with wisdom as they assist our pastoral and office staff in leading LFC. Pray all the monthly meetings would be blessed with unity and peace. Pray they would have vision and faith to move forward in God’s plan for our church. Pray each one of them would have a great hunger for the presence of God in their life. Pray that their leadership flows then from that diet and walk with God. Pray for safety and protection over them and their families. Pray for others to sense a call to lead and serve, that our church will never be without many helping hands and hearts. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 20: Pray all who attend LFC would find themselves aware of the Lord’s presence in their lives. May no person among us find themselves a spectator. May no person find themselves looking in from outside the House of God. May everyone find themselves main characters in the Story of God among God’s people! May each of us give each day and each day’s work and play for the purposes of the Lord- that the Kingdom of God may come here on earth as it is in heaven- in us and through us all! And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Day 21: Pray God would bless all of creation. That we would all be representative of our Creator in our care of creation, but that we also be tender in our care of each other as fellow creatures. Spirituality is not merely one aspect of life- it includes all aspects. As such, the physical, emotional and mental needs of our fellow human beings ought to be lifted in prayer. And collectively, our prayer is that there be a global spiritual revival that transforms everything for life as we know it. Very simply, we pray for the church to arise and be the church that we have been called to be. As those who declare, “Together We Are Becoming A Community Of Faithful, Missional Disciples: Leading With A Shared Vision Of Following Christ; Living For God’s Mission In Everyday Life; Becoming All God Designed Us To Be”- may we pray that human structures, organizations and governments display the good, right and just freedoms of God and that throughout the world God’s blessings flow. And our collective “amen” today is to praise God for how these prayers have already been answered.
Adapted from a resource provided by the Life Church.
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