UNITED CHALLENGE (10/25 - 11/4)
Four Area Prayers: HEART - HOME - HARVEST - HORIZONS
Over the next eleven days I want to challenge you to a daily prayer exercise that I believe will bring hope and healing to divided hearts, homes, and nations. Are you up for the UNITED CHALLENGE? I think you are!
I began our current series, UNITED, by declaring that when the Church (God’s people) move towards answering the prayer of Jesus found in John 17, UNITY becomes our goal, GLORY invades our circumstances and LOVE is revealed. A revealed loved that expresses a love for one another, a love for God, and most importantly the greatest revelation of LOVE, Jesus!
In the UNITED CHALLENGE, we are asking that you would daily pray for your heart, your homes, your harvest (Church and her witness), and your horizons (our Government, Nation, and Globe). You can pick the time that works best for you, but I always say, if you boldly start your day with prayer, you’ll see your prayers answered while you are awake!
Every day, up to the election and especially the day after, take time to read the following passages and pray the simple prayer provided. And then give yourself a few moments of space to know what might be on the heart of God for you, your home, your harvest, and your horizons.
A daily habit of unified prayer could become a movement of healing, which would answer the prayer of John 17. Unity is the goal but being United is the work.
Courageously praying with you,
Pastor Fraser and JoAnne
Daily Passage to Read:
John 17:20-23 New Revised Standard Version
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:20-23 Passion Translation
“And I ask not only for these disciples but also for all those who will one day believe in me through their message. I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me.”
DAILY PRAYERS
“Let all that you do be done in love.” - 1 Corinthians 16:14
Dear Lord, Help me to remember that my heart is better when it seeks after you. So teach me how to align and adjust my sight, my day and my life to that purpose. In this season when I am surrounded by differences of opinions, division and discouragement, I choose for my heart to be where you are in order to gain confidence, wisdom and courage. I realize so much of me still resides in my heart and I need your grace, opinion and love to fill me to overflowing. I know that before I can seek unity with others, I need to daily commit to unity with you. So, today, I declare that my heart, mind and life is yours. I choose today to be one with you in mind and Spirit. Amen.
READ PSALM 27:4-5, 13-14Dear Lord, Help me to begin by being thankful for one another in my household. Help me to see each family member through the eyes of grace and love found in Jesus. I believe my gratitude and your love will be the foundation of our unity. In this moment when our homes can be divided on so many issues or opinions, help me to listen better, discern more, pray fervently and trust your timing to speak. When you call me to be silent, help my patience, and when you call me to speak up, cover my words in grace along with truth. Jesus, I have no greater desire than to see my home be a place of peace, so make me an agent of Your Shalom. Seasons change, along with our opinions, but Your love is everlasting, and our bloodline is forever connected. Quicken our hearts to forgive, and to pray for those on the other side of disagreements. Biblical Unity does not mean uniformity, but it does mean love, hope, joy, peace, grace and truth. Amen.
READ NUMBERS 6:24-26Dear Lord, I pray for CCF, churches, workplaces, schools, and my community. I know that we are called to be a community of followers of Jesus and also called into our community as examples of Jesus. Lord, you have called me to love You and Others. Lord, you have called me to make disciples and to always be ready to serve others in Love. In the face of so many cultural and social polarizations, You have called us to unite through the witness of loving one another even towards those who resist unity. I ask today that you would use me to love your Bride, the Body of Christ, so that in my small part I can create a credible witness to love those in my community. I realize that I cannot possibly have unity in the church or my community unless Holy Spirit has His way with me right now. I am reminded that you said the Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. In unity I pray to be counted among the few. Amen.
READ MATTHEW 9:35-38Dear Lord, Today, I declare that you will fill us with a Spirit of power, love and grace to pursue unity from our house to the White House. In this moment, I ask that you help us set aside our differences and seek the higher calling of making Jesus famous. Jesus, you have seen the rise and fall of nations, the coming and goings of those in positions of power/influence and both sides of every story. Therefore, position me in the heavenlies so that I may gain your perspective in how to navigate the ever-increasing tension towards our Government, Nation and Globe. God, you have a great purpose for your people in such a time as this, so I choose to align with your purposes. I pray for wisdom, hope and truth to prevail over our land and those called to lead.Compassionate and Gracious God, all tribes and tongues will one day acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Alongside this, we know the truth proclaimed in Your Word that we are all created in Your image. Too easily we allow division based on culture, language, political preference or race. Let me focus on our shared status as Your creation and unite together over what we have in common and not fracture over how we differ. Amen.
READ 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 & ISAIAH 60:2-3CLOSING PRAYER (JOHN 17:20-23)
Today I choose Unity as my attitude and being United as my purposed intention.
Thank you, Jesus, that you are for me, not yet done with me and that you fight for me still today. Amen.
Verses about Our Unity in Christ:
John 17:23
“I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Colossians 3:14-15
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
Romans 12:16
“Live in harmony with one another.”
Ephesians 4:3-6
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Psalm 133:1
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity!”
Matthew 18:19-20
“Again, I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
Galatians 3:26-28
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
John 13:35
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”