ABIDE Prayer: God Transforms and Makes New
The purpose of ABIDE is to seek God through prayer, rely on the Spirit as we gather together, and pray with unity and purpose. ABIDE prayers are Scripture-led and Spirit-focused prayers.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
How long would it take to list all the ways Jesus has transformed your life and made it new? Is it possible to put into words the difference He has made in your life? Do you know what’s even more amazing? God promises to continue the good work He began in you and me until the day Christ returns. What a promise! What a Savior. In this week’s ABIDE, we’ll pause and take some time to focus on our God who never changes but promises to transform and make new every part of our lives for eternity.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming into my life, setting me free and making me a new creation in Christ. I am especially grateful for the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in my life in these areas: ___________________. (Take a moment to recall the changes in beliefs, habits, lifestyle and purpose that you have experienced and praise the Lord for them.)
Prayers of that Transform Our Minds
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Prayer: God, I don’t want to be shaped by this world; instead, I desire for You to transform me by changing the way that I think. Please reveal to me any areas of my life where I am conforming to the world’s pattern. Help me choose to daily renew my mind with your Word so that I can discover your plans and purposes for my life.
Prayers of that Transform Our Hearts
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Prayer: God, thank you for giving me a new heart. I realize that many of life’s circumstances can cause our hearts to become hardened and resistant to the Spirit’s ongoing work. I want You to have free reign in my life and I’m willing to surrender control by asking you to bring healing and transformation to any part of my heart that needs it. (Take a moment to invite the Lord to show you the places in your heart that need to be made tender and “willing” again to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.)
Prayers and Praise for Transformed Bodies
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Prayer: I praise you, Father, that I / we will not be bound by the challenges of this earthly body forever. Thank you for the hope we have as believers that one day our broken bodies will be transformed into glorious ones. Until then, Jesus I ask that your same divine power be used now to bring healing and transformation to… _____________. (Fill in the blank with a specific personal need for healing or pray for the healing of others.) See Acts 3 for a beautiful example of Jesus’ power to heal.
Prayers that Transform Our Troubles
“Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
Prayer: Lord, strengthen me by the power of your Holy Spirit to never give up! Thank you for continuing to renew me from the inside out despite the troubles that surround me. I understand that every trial, trouble or affliction I experience this side of heaven brings a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness for eternity. I commit _______________ to you and invite you to redeem this for your glory! (Fill in the blank with any trouble or affliction you or someone you know is experiencing).
Closing Prayer
Father, I rejoice in the truth that You make everything beautiful in its time. Nothing is impossible for you. Thank you for promising that You will continue the sanctifying work in me that began the moment I gave my life to you. Every day, I ask that You create in me a clean, pure heart and renew a right spirit within me. Father, transform me into the image of Jesus as I spend time in Your Word and in prayer. I ask that you reveal your glory both in and through my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
