ABIDE Prayer: Eyes on Jesus
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.
As God’s sons and daughters, we can experience joy, peace and hope during the most troubling of times. We don’t have to allow trials, chaos and spiritual warfare to dictate how we feel or how we live. We can choose to fix our eyes on Jesus and look at life through the lens of the Gospel.
Let’s begin ABIDE by “re-focusing” our eyes on Jesus and the Gospel.
“For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope” (Acts 2:25-26).
Prayers of Rejoicing
Take a moment and think about what the Gospel means to you. How is your life and future different because of the Gospel? What can you rejoice (be glad) about today because of the Gospel?
Prayer: Jesus, I rejoice because_________________________(fill in the blank with whatever you are glad has changed in your life and future because of the Gospel).
Prayers that lead to Freedom
Trials, chaos and spiritual warfare can cause us to feel “trapped.” However, Scripture tells us “My eyes are always on the LORD, for he will pull my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15).
When our eyes are on Jesus, he sets us free (pulls our feet out of the net) so that we can rejoice in Him and experience His joy, peace and hope.
Prayer: Jesus, set me/us free ________________________(fill in the blank with whatever feelings or lies from the enemy or distractions that are causing you to feel trapped).
Prayers to Keep our Eyes on Jesus
“Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Let’s ask Jesus to help us keep our eyes on Him and the Gospel.
Prayer: Spend a few minutes asking Jesus to help you/us keep your eyes on Him. Ask Jesus to help you see your life and the lives of those around you through the Gospel.
Closing Prayer: Jesus, we love you. Thank you for the Gospel. Thank you for giving your life to us at the Cross. You are our joy, our peace, our hope. Open our eyes that we may see you more clearly, our ears that we may hear you more clearly, our hearts to receive you more fully and our hands to receive all that we need. Then, send us out to bring your joy, peace and hope to those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
