The prayers this week are written by Nina Brazier.
July 4 – Father, on this Independence Day for the United States – we ask for Your saving grace, Spirit’s power, and Gospel to impact every sphere of American life. Save the USA, and guide the nation in corporate repentance where needed, in a national strategy which supports all in need or who feel excluded from society, and sees the healing of the divide in large swathes of the American society.
Our Father in heaven – You are the Father of the fatherless, creator of all things. You are the perfect representation of a Father, a role model to parents. You are forgiving yet teach us about who You are and what we can become in Christ – patient yet working to see us grow – just and yet You love unconditionally in and through Christ.
Your forgiveness never waivers when we ask for it; Your love does not have to be earned, and it is powerful in its impact in and through us in the lives of others, and knows no end. May we learn from You, raising and nurturing our own children with love and compassion, discipline and sound teaching – just as You do with us.
You understand those who are troubled and come alongside those who are lost. Help us to love and minister in the power of Your Spirit so we can walk after Jesus, and be Christ-like. We thank You, Father, that there is no action nor circumstance that can separate us from Your love in and through the Lord Jesus. Thank You for being the perfect Father.
Psalm 139 says; “You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.”
You know our thoughts before we think them, and our words before we say them; yet You continue to love us in Jesus, and are working in us to set us apart for Your service and glory, to redeem us, and change our thinking so it becomes renewed in Your word, and the way we speak so it is Christ-honouring and life-giving. Hallelujah! Amen.
July 5 – For those without a father – Father, I bring all the broken hearted before You, those who knew their dad, have loved and lost them. Also all those who have a fractured or broken relationship with their father, and those who have never known an earthly father who are dealing with abandonment.
Their pain is real, and it is deep, so I pray that You will heal their hearts and replace grief with Your love and healing power. Let them know the true love of a father again – as You draw them into the knowledge and experience of Your Fatherhood.
May they know true meaning and acceptance through Christ, and feel like sons and daughters once again. Where it is possible, I pray for reconciliation and forgiveness in these difficult relationships. In Jesus’ name. Amen
July 6 – For parents – Father, bless those new parents to young children who are eager to do right for their children, balancing the demands of family life, juggling work and tiredness, and a desire to raise their children in Christ. Uphold them, Lord, give them patience and wisdom, fill up their cups to overflowing.
May they focus as much on giving their children Your word and a passion for Jesus, as they do on giving them a good start in this world. Help them to create family altars in their homes which are the basis for praying together, for teaching and admonishing their children in Your ways.
I pray for the single parents who are providing the role of both father and mother. Fulfil their needs, Lord, and restore their energy so they can continue to provide for their family. Let their children grow with love and respect for all their parent has done for them.
I pray for marriages – Lord, strengthen them as couples so that their marriages are truly rooted in Christ. Be at the centre of Godly marriages, help them to work through conflict, to love despite it all, to uphold trust and be strong role models to all.
For those who are raising children – may their example inspire their children to also believe in and follow Jesus as His disciples. Amen
July 7 – Those parents with empty arms – Father, we pray for those parents with empty arms, who have experienced the excruciating pain of losing a child. Be by their side, Lord, be their anchor through their grief. Fill them with Your love in Jesus.
We thank You for those parents who have no children of their own but who input so much into other children and young people. Those who parent many, imparting wisdom, sharing their love and guiding the children with wisdom and godly discernment. May they know what a blessing they are, and inspire others who will continue this for future generations.
For those with no desire to have any children of their own and who don’t really consider children in their day by day lives – may their lives reveal Your love as they begin to engage with children in their wider families or social circles. Equip them to pray for a move of Your Spirit in many children’s lives in their communities.
For those battling infertility, desperate to become parents. Remind them of Sarah who was blessed with a child in Your timing; make them a Sarah, Lord, who was able to carry a child. Give them continued patience and peace in this situation. Give them a testimony to tell of Your great blessing.
For those who would have loved to have children, but never had that blessing. Heal any residual pain or emptiness they may feel as a result. Grant them to have many spiritual children in Christ, to be spiritual fathers and mothers to those You place around them.
May all have the joy of being godly role models to many others – examples of servant-hearted discipleship and disciple-making in every setting You place them. Thank You for each person in our church, in person and online, no matter what category, above, they sit under. In Jesus’ name. Amen
July 8 – A prayer for families – Father, I pray for the families in our nation. We pray for our nation to be healed and delivered from the neglect, abuse, or misleading of our children. Instead, we pray for protection over each and every one. For every child to feel safe and loved. For parents to be wise and compassionate. Save our children.
I pray for each family to be surrounded by a village of people invested in them, invested in their success who are there to support them, and to point them to Christ. Be with those who don’t have that, Jesus. For those who feel isolation, who are overwhelmed – strengthen and uphold them.
Father, we know You are the God who brings peace in and through Christ; we pray for Your protection and favour over families in this nation. Guide them and be gracious towards them. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen
July 9 – A prayer of thanksgiving – Father, we thank You for the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Thank You for the peace and wisdom Your spirit brings, for the wisdom of Your word and the discernment it gives to help us both know Your direction and when we go off piste.
I pray for ears that hear Your Word, even when our own path appears to be easier or more attractive – I want to go Your way, God. Help me to stay steadfast to Christ.
I thank You for each day which is a blessing, for the opportunities it brings, for the people who cross our path. Let us be beacons of Your love and light to them, let them experience Your presence through us, and Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses and sharers of the Gospel about Jesus and His saving grace and keeping power. Amen
July 10 – Worship – Father, worship is such a blessing, a way for us to enter and experience Your amazing presence, to dwell in it and share how thankful and in awe of You in Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, we are.
Thank You for the opportunity to worship corporately as a body of Christ, but also alone in our own time and setting. Thank You for music, for the lyrics and melodies that help us to give thanks and praise.
Lord, help us to stay authentic in our worship. To not get caught up in perfection and the theatrics (lighting, sound) that can all become a distraction from connecting with Your heart. Let us come back to the heart of worship – worship in Spirit and truth; Holy Spirit, lead us into worship that is simple and pure. Let it be a blessing to You, Lord Jesus.
I pray for those coming into church membership today – bless them richly. May they know Your favour, guidance and power at work in and through them as they are members of our church. Bless the little one who is to be dedicated today. Bless the parents, and lead then forward in a way that enables them to raise their child in Your love and knowledge. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
