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Faith Lutheran Church Prayer Vigil for a Pastor December 12, 2013 7:00 am—7:00 pm

“My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Matthew 21:13

WHAT A PRAYER VIGIL IS …

It is a personal and private quiet time to be used in prayer and meditation. You are asked to pray for at least 12 minutes—but you may pray longer if you want.

Please pray silently.

You may sit anywhere in the sanctuary, stand, or kneel at the altar, or wherever you are comfortable.

There may be only one individual praying, or there could be several praying at the same time you are.

The atmosphere will be relaxed and casual.

Follow the five steps of prayer.

WHAT A PRAYER VIGIL IS NOT… You will not pray out loud.

You will never be alone on the premises. You may be the only one praying, but there will be prayer hosts just outside the sanctuary.

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9. FORSAKE all things that hinder spiritual growth. When Andrew Murray suggested that “we pray as we live, it’s the life that prays”, he hit upon a vital key to joyful prayer.

Those who would pray well must heed Paul’s directive, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” (Colossians 3:5).

10. FINISH what you start. Rees Howells, a remarkable intercessor from an earlier generation, often said, “You will never be a true intercessor until you are first willing to be a part of the answer to your own prayers.” When God selected the house of Cornelius to first release the Gospel to the gentiles, it was because Corneilus was someone who “gave generously … and prayed to God regularly.” (Acts 10:1-4). Cornelius not only prayed, but he put feet to his prayers.

FOUR STEPS OF PRAYER. Step 1: Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord for who He is by using His special names. Who is the Lord? He is awesome, allpowerful, all-knowing, Beautiful Creator, Redeemer, Almighty, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Step 2: Confess to the Lord.

Tell Jesus you are sorry for your sins.

Step 3: Thank the Lord.

Thank the Lord for all He has done for you.

Step 4: Ask the Lord.

Give prayer requests to God, and listen to what He has to say. During this 12 hours of time, we are focused on the need for a Pastor. Pray that God would send Faith Lutheran Church the Pastor He wants us to have.

“The Prayer of a Righteous man is powerful and effective”.

James 5:16

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“I tell you the Truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

John 16:23

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TAKE TIME FOR: PRAISE AND ADORATION

We recognize God’s power, His majesty, His character , and His nature.

(Psalm 100:145-150 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

THANKSGIVING

Thank God for the love, hope, peace and joy that can only come from knowing the Savior, Jesus Christ.

(Luke 22:39-46)

SUBMISSION

Here we may need to pray for God to reveal His will for us; to show us our direction to do His will, not ours.

(1 John 1:9; Psalm 51)

CONFESSION

To express our desire for forgiveness, confess our weaknesses and ask for renewal of purpose.

(Galatians 6:1-10)

INTERCESSIONS

“If anyone sins, we have one to plead for us with the Father … Jesus Christ, who is righteous on our behalf.

Christ has paid the price and made us acceptable to God. (1 John 2:1)

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4. FOCUS on the Lord rather than on answers to prayer. God told Jeremiah, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you … You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13). The essence of prayer is in the repetition of the word “Me” (God) in this passage. Effective prayer isn't gauged by how many answers we receive, but by how much of God we touch.

5. FOLLOW a meaningful plan of action. When the psalmist said he would “direct” his prayer unto the Lord in the morning (Psalms 5:3), he used the Hebrew word arak, meaning to “set in order” or “arrange”. He had a plan of action, or strategy for his praying.

6. FEED every day on spiritual food. Jesus said, “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jeremiah wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jeremiah 15:16). Read the Word daily so you can pray it back to God. 7. FELLOWSHIP with the Lord in love. The prophet Hosea proclaimed, “Come, let us return to the LORD … let us press on to acknowledge Him” (Hosea 6:1-13).

“Acknowledge” (or “know,” as it is sometimes translated) is from the Old Testament Hebrew word yada. One important definition of yad is “direct, intimate contact.” Intimacy with the Lord is the key to joyful prayer.

8. FORGIVE every wrong done to you. Jesus said , “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him” (Mark 11:25). Elsewhere He admonished, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14). The Lord knew that holding a grudge would make it all but impossible to pray effectively. Indeed, bitter believers rarely pray.

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Steps to a Practical, Joyful, Prayer Life

by Dick Eastman

Jesus said. “Go directly to the Father … using my name … and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:23-24). The psalmist adds, “In God’s presence is the fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

These 10 directives may help you make prayer not only practical, but a joy as well.

1. FIND the best possible time and place for prayer. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said, “When you pray” (suggesting a time devoted to it), “go into your room” (suggesting a place devoted for it). First, set a specific time that is best suited for you to pray. Watchman Nee wrote, “Those who have no set time for prayer, do not pray”. Then, find a good place for prayer—like a spare room, a closet, or even a comfortable chair. Going to the same place each day helps for a habit.

2. FORGET all previous failures in prayer. A lady once confided to me that a terrible problem was hindering her prayer life. “I often fall asleep during prayer,” she said. I replied, “Welcome to the club. I do, too!” Stunned that a teacher of prayer would have that problem, she inquired, “What do you do when you fall asleep during prayer?”

Chuckling, I replied: “I rest in the Lord, what do you do?”

As she laughed, I added “What I do is start praying again when I wake up. The key is—don’t give up!”

3. FIGHT all prayer hindrances fiercely. Paul wrote: “Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy” (Ephesians 6:13). Of course, the greatest hindrance to prayer is not praying at all. James said, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2). Then there’s the hindrance of selfish praying. James continues: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (James 4:3).

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PETITIONS AND REQUESTS Take time to ask God for specific prayer requests for you and all those you know. We at Faith are unite in a prayer request that God would send us the Pastor he wants us to have.

PLEASE PRAY THAT YOU WOULD: 1. Continue to grow spiritually.

2. Act at all times out of love.

3. Uphold one another.

4. Seek to serve, rather than to be served.

5. Have a closer walk with the Lord.

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