Keep the fire burning by praying in line with God’s mission in the world. Check out the 12 ‘Prayer stations’ that formed part of the Ignite 2013 Prayer Room below to help inform your prayers.
Praising God
Sacred Song
When our hearts are filled with the wonder of who God is, and with love for Him, a natural response is for us to worship Him. One beautiful way of doing so is through song. Did you know that the Psalms in the Bible are actually songs?
Read Psalm 33 and let your heart praise God as you do.
A Walk to Remember
Have you ever gone for a walk simply for the pleasure of enjoying the beautiful world that God has created? Probably you have, and yet each different place has a new set of wonders to be discovered.
Take a walk outside, paying attention to all your senses, and praise God for all the sights, smells, textures, sounds and (if you’re brave) tastes that He has created as you encounter each one.
For the Love of God
Here is a space dedicated to the adoration of God. Consider the qualities and characteristics of God that make us want to praise and worship Him.
Write letters on the squares of paper to create a word or phrase that describes something about God. Add your word or phrase to those on the wall. Feel free to read those that others have written.
Pause to contemplate who God is, and to give Him praise.
Me & God
Soul Searching
Consider the words of Jesus:
“This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Is there an area of your life that you would feel ashamed of if it were exposed? Perhaps there is more than one area? Maybe in your thoughts, attitudes or motives? A lack of love for God? A hardness of heart towards others?
Jeremiah 17 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure, perhaps there are things you have been justifying to yourself or others – pretending they’re not as bad as one might think.
This is a time for reflection and personal confession. Ask God to show you any area in your life in which you are sinning. Light a candle as a symbol of inviting God to shine His light into your heart and expose anything that is in darkness.
Take a moment to repent for sin – use Psalm 51 as provided if you find it helpful.
After you have confessed, read the words of Romans 8 as a reminder of God’s grace to us.
A Time to Remember
There are so many things that God has done for us and given us, yet often we get caught up in the busyness of life and don’t take the time to thank Him.
Take a sheet of paper and then turn the hour glass over. For the 3 minutes that the grains run through, write down everything you can think of to thank God for (If you’re on a roll, you don’t have to stop when the timer runs out).
Look at your list and spend a little time in thanksgiving.
Would you like to thank God by offering back to Him all that He has given you? If so, put your list of things that you are grateful for into the gift box.
Direction
The IGNITE conference is all about integral mission – the challenge is again that we will speak of and live out our faith in Jesus Christ in an undivided way in every aspect of life.
How has God designed you? Where has He placed you? What opportunities has He given you? How has He equipped you? Who has He surrounded you with? Take some time to consider the answers to these questions.
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Rom 11:36
God made you for Him.
He made you for His delight, for His service, for His love, for His work, for His worship and to represent Him while you live on earth. Ask Him for guidance for the future: how you might commit to serving Him with your whole life. Write down your commitment and stick it on the signpost.
Society & Culture
Current Affairs Prayers
So much that we read in the news these days can lead us to despair – but it doesn’t need to, it could also lead us into prayer.
Choose an article from those displayed to read and pray about. When you have finished, think of one word that could summarise your prayer and write that word over the article with the highlighter provided.
Artfully Christian
With the world turning into a global village it has never been easier to connect with people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Postmodernism has also led to a greater use of the Arts to express beliefs in contemporary culture. So, if we want to engage people for Christ, what better way to do so than through using the Arts? It cuts across all layers of society, different ages, races, and cultures and often different religions too. Also, social networking now allows us to see and share the artistic gifts of others. What a great tool to use to communicate the gospel!
Watch the video clip of Tee Mafokate using his talents to give glory to God.
Thank God for the different gifts and talents he has given us that we can use to engage our cultures and society. Thank Him for any artistic skills that you may have, or for those you know with artistic abilities that you can appreciate and invite others to experience too. Ask Him how you can use the Arts to communicate the gospel with those you know.
Hidden Treasure
What are the things you most value? Special relationships? Your education? What about a particular talent? Intelligence? A favourite possession? A dream of the future? People liking or respecting you? A comfortable life? A good reputation?
Often the amount of time or money we invest in something/someone shows us where our values really are. Where or with who do you spend most of your time and money? These are the things that are likely to be our idols – the things we give more attention to than God and His priorities. They are easiest to recognise when we refuse to give them up, or by how we react when they are threatened or lost.
Spend a moment thinking this through: what things have you placed the greatest value in?
Write them down on the paper provided.
Pray, confessing the things you have given a higher place than God has in your life. Ask him to help you trade your earthly riches for His heavenly treasure. Afterwards, place your paper into the treasure chest as a symbol of handing it over to God.
Treasure: a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered.
Reaching Out
Truth & Love
God’s amazing grace can be vividly seen in the tremendous growth of Christianity in Iran – an extremely hostile territory.
The truth regarding Islam is becoming repulsive.
“Men and women, out of emptiness of their current situation spiritually, are turning to faith in Jesus Christ despite the literally deadly risks in doing so,” A Christian worker said. “That’s only attributable to the work of the Holy Spirit.”
The truth of the gospel is attractive.
Also, at work is a common personality trait of the Iranian people. “Iranians are very outgoing and want to speak about their faith,” a ministry worker said. “If you tell them that a Christian should share, the Iranian Christian shares.”
The love of God’s people, sharing God’s truth with their communities, is transformative.
An estimated 200 Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) were living in Iran 40 years ago, according to Open Doors. Now, the number of MBBs is estimated to be 370,000.
If you were to measure that in grains of rice, there would have been 4g of rice 40 years ago, and 7½kg today!
Take a handful of rice and thank God for His work of seeking and saving so many, rescuing them from darkness and despair!
Bittersweet
Take a moment to consider:
How often do you socialise with people just like you? Other Christians? People of the same culture, social class or background?
Jesus spent much of his time eating and drinking with social outcasts, prostitutes and sinners, do you do the same? Jesus also challenged the Pharisees to abandon their false religions and recognise their need for grace, how easy do you find it to love the self-righteous people around you? Are you one of them?
Smell the coffee. Does is remind you of the deliciousness of time spent loving the lost – remembering you were lost too, or the bitterness of missed opportunities?
Pray in thanksgiving or repentance.
Think of people you know: friends, outcasts or Pharisees, who you can pray for by name, and ask God for opportunities to speak and show His love to them.
Hostile Territory
Open Doors: An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation.
The World Watch List (WWL) is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst.
The top 10 are displayed on these posters. Number 6 is the Maldives – beautiful tropical islands, but spiritually as dark as night. This is the only country in the world which requires all citizens to be Muslim.
Have a taste of lemonade as you pray for these countries, remembering both the sourness of their living under hostility and threat, as well as the sweetness of God’s grace and love for them.