Beginning this week in ABIDE, we will be using 40 Days of Prayer to guide us as we pray. We will use one prayer each week from 40 Days of Prayer over the next 40 weeks. Our ABIDE prayers will not be the exact prayers in 40 Days of Prayer but the focus and Scripture will follow 40 Days of Prayer.
The following is the link to “40 Days of Prayer” if you would like access to it: https://empoweredhomes.org/resource/40-days-of-prayer/
Opening Prayer
Let’s begin ABIDE by taking a moment to quiet our hearts and minds before God. Simply take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You may want to pray a “breath prayer” as you inhale and exhale, such as, “Jesus, you have set me free.”
Note: If you are leading a small group through ABIDE, pray the first prayer below over those you are leading. If you are praying ABIDE alone, use the second prayer.
Small Group Prayer: Lord, we give our hearts and lives to you. We surrender all that is within us to you. We love you and we need you. Spirit, fill us and lead us as we pray. We consecrate this time of prayer to you. Remove any distractions and help us focus on you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Personal Prayer: Lord, I give my heart to you. I surrender every area of my life to you. I choose to trust you with my whole heart and with everything in my life. You are my good, good Father who loves me. Thank you that you are faithful, all-knowing and all-powerful. Remove any distractions from me and help me focus on you. Holy Spirit, fill me and help me discern your voice as I pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving
The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1)
As God’s sons and daughters, we have been rescued. Jesus came for us. Jesus is our good news! We have a Savior, a Healer, a Deliver who has set us free through His death and resurrection at the Cross.
Isaiah 61:1 gives us much reason to celebrate. As you consider what Isaiah 61:1 means to you and your life, bring prayers of praise and thanksgiving to Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I/we praise you and thank you for _______________________________.
Prayers for Your Heart
Prayer is about our relationship with God. God’s plan is for us to walk in close relationship with Him, and we do that through prayer. Isaiah 61:1 tells us that Jesus came to save us, heal us and deliver us.
Have you considered asking Jesus in prayer to heal your heart and set you free? We all have places in our hearts and areas of our lives that need healing and freedom. For this week’s ABIDE, let’s ask Jesus to heal us and set us free from anything that is keeping us from pursing a deeper relationship with Him through prayer.
Prayer: Pray silently if in a small group (silently or aloud if you are praying alone) and ask Jesus to heal your heart and set you free from anything that is keeping you from pursuing Him, seeking Him with your whole heart, through prayer. Ask Jesus to give you a desire to pray and seek Him with your whole heart.
Prayer for Others Hearts
As you/we read Isaiah 61:1, ask the Spirit to bring people to mind and pray for their hearts to be open to Jesus and what He freely offers to us, His Gospel of salvation, healing and freedom.
The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1)
Prayer: Jesus, I/we pray for ___________________________ and ask you to help them open their hearts to you and what you offer to him/her. I pray for _______________________ to be healed and set free from anything that is not of you or from you. In Jesus’ Name.
Closing Prayer
Jesus, thank you for setting me free. Thank you for pursuing me and giving your life for me so that I could be rescued from darkness and free to walk with you in this life and for all eternity. May this be the prayer of my heart: “I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire; to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4) In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
