A Week of Prayer, and Setting New Goals

Monday: Fallen people    

Scriptures: 1 John chapter 1:5 to 2:2, especially ch. 1 verses 8-9

As we begin this week of prayer, let’s spend some time praying prayers of confession, acknowledging our half-heartedness or rebellion, our wrong-doing or weakness. Ask God to forgive your own sins. Ask God to forgive us as a church for our collective faults and failings. You could use this prayer:

We come seeking God in mighty earthquakes.
We come listening for God in resounding thunder.
We come expecting God in sweeping victories.
Yet God is found in a baby's touch.
Yet God speaks in silence.
Yet God is found in the least of these.
Save us, O God, from our aimless wandering.
Save us, O God, from our idols.
Save us, O God, from our self-induced chaos.
Hear the good news of God's love for us;
not in the earthquake, not in the storms, not in the mighty deeds
but in the silence, in the gentle touch, in the quiet rain
God says, again,
"You are my Beloved. I love you."

We live in a fallen world. Think of the villages and towns in which we live. Where do we see this fallenness most clearly in our communities at present? Write down your thoughts. If you’re meeting in a group, talk about this together.

Focus on a particular village or town, or street that is particularly on your heart. Ask God how you can show his mercy and grace there.

Pray for the other churches that serve the village or town where you live.