Thursday Evening Prayer Watch (6:00PM to Midnight)
Please choose one hour during the evening that you will commit to pray.
The hour I have chosen is_____________________________________.
You may pray alone or with others. You may pray at home or wherever you
are. There will be people praying at the church from 6:00PM to Midnight if
you would like to join them for all or part of this time.
The following is a Prayer Guide that you may choose to use (or you may
pray as God leads you).
Begin with quiet preparation:
“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7)
Read the following Scripture and commit to personally WATCHING with
Christ for this hour.
Mark 14:32-43
New Living Translation (NLT)
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here
while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he
became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed
with grief to the point of death. Stay here and KEEP WATCH with me.”
He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were
possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he
cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering
away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon,
are you asleep? Couldn’t you WATCH with me even one hour? Keep WATCH
AND PRAY, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is
willing, but the body is weak.”
Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. When he
returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their
eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep.
Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into
the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
The Scriptures tell us in Luke 2:1-2 that Jesus’ disciples came to Him and
asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gives the
“model” prayer that we will use this evening. Let’s begin:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Jesus taught His disciples to call God our Father. It is this intimate
Father/child relationship that makes prayer possible. As children of God, we
come to His throne with expectation and unafraid because we are accepted
in His beloved Son.
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Reflect (think about) for a moment upon Hebrews 4:16 which invites
us:
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will
receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it
most.”
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Reflect for a moment on the great love of the Father and the sacrifice
of His Son, Jesus, which makes it possible for us to be called His
children:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only
Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have
eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his
children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this
world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t
know him.” (1 John 3:1)
Hallowed be Thy name
Worship! To honor and adore God is our highest privilege. To “hallow” means
to set apart. When we hallow God’s name, we set it apart from every other
name. We remember (Isaiah 44:8) “Is there any God besides me? No, there
is no other Rock…”
The word “worship” means to declare God’s value or worth (“worth-ship”).
We worship as we praise Him (acknowledge who God is and what He is like—
His attributes) and as we offer thanks (remembering the things He has
done).
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Declare how valuable God is to you personally.
Declare who God is and what He is like (God, You are____________).
Thank Him, remembering things that he has done for you personally.
Acknowledge (say out loud) that there is no other God.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven
God’s kingdom and will are already perfectly accomplished in heaven. God
invites us to watch and participate as His kingdom advances throughout the
earth. Our prayer is that God’s kingdom on earth will be perfectly
accomplished just as it already is in heaven.
God teaches us that His glory and kingdom must have first place in our
prayers and lives. As God’s children, we long for His righteous reign
throughout the earth. We begin by asking that His reign would begin in our
own lives.
(For yourself)
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Agree with God that you want to see “His kingdom come, His will be
done” in your own life just as it is in heaven.
Ask that God would truly reign in your own heart and that anything
that would hinder God’s rule in your life would be removed.
Ask that God would give you a fresh hunger for His Word and for
prayer through which He speaks and makes us sensitive to His will for
us.
Tell God if you are willing to listen for His directions. What would you
be willing to do for Him? (Do anything? Go anywhere? Give anything?)
(For your family)
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Agree with God that you want to see “His kingdom come, His will be
done” in your family as it is in heaven.
Ask that God would truly reign in the hearts of each family member
and that anything that would hinder God’s rule would be removed.
Ask that God would give each person a fresh hunger for His Word and
for prayer and that His Word would be established as the standard for
your home.
Is God speaking to you about anything that you could change in your
family?
(For Crossroads)
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Agree with God that we, as a church body, want to see “His kingdom
come, His will be done” in Crossroads just as it is done in heaven.
Ask that God will truly reign in our hearts and that anything that would
hinder us as a church from being unified in purpose would be
removed.
Ask that God would give us a fresh hunger for His Word and for
prayer, both as individuals and collectively as a church body.
Ask that God would give us clear direction and provision as we
accomplish the mission and vision that He has given us.
Pray for our Easter service (500 people!) and the other events
(Crosswalk, Easter Egg Hunt/Scavenger Hunt, Spring Carnival), that
each event will be the right opportunity for people who do not yet
know God to be introduced to Him in a way that they can understand.
Have you made a commitment to join Crossroads in that mission?
Acknowledge your commitment to the mission and vision of
Crossroads. (You can commit to the mission/vision even if you are not
a member.)
Ask if there is any way that God wants to use you to help in
accomplishing our mission and vision. (Do anything? Go anywhere?
Serve? Give? Pray?)
(Throughout the earth)
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Agree with God that “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the
world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).
Ask that God would be rightfully and reverently acknowledged as the
One True God, the Creator, the Righteous Judge, and the only Savior
of the world. (Think about what each of these mean to you.)
Ask that God’s kingdom will continue to advance until “the whole earth
will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Habakkuk
2:14). Ask that anything that would hinder the establishment of God’s
kingdom on earth would be removed.
Ask that God would create desire among all people on earth to seek
Him especially through His Word (the Bible) and that they would
recognize that it is true and reliable, because it is the Word of the
Faithful God (not men) who does not lie.
Ask that God would prepare and release those that He will send out
into the world to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Is there any part of the world (home, neighborhood, workplace, near
or far away) that you sense that God desires to involve you? If God
speaks to you specifically about an area or a group of people or even
one person, you may go back over this section and pray specifically
(for example: The USA belongs to the Lord and everything and
everyone in it…My child, belongs to the Lord. I ask that You, God
would be rightfully and reverently acknowledged as the One True God
in our nation…in her life, etc.)
Have you thought about who you should invite to the Easter service at
Crossroads or any of the upcoming events? Pray for that person and
for the right opportunity to invite them.
Declare out loud “Come Kingdom of God, Be Done Will of God on earth
as it is in heaven!”
Give us this day our daily bread
We are dependent upon God for all our needs, both spiritual and material.
God promises us “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and
all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Daily bread, in Bible times, referred to daily necessities. Although this is
speaking of necessities, we may ask for anything and we can trust Him to
know what will benefit us. God’s will is exactly what we would ask for if we
could see everything that He sees. We can trust Him to see for us. Nothing is
too great for His power and nothing is too small for His love. You may share
the most intimate details of your life with Him.
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Pray about the personal, intimate details of your life. Ask for what you
need.
Pray for the needs of people around you (for example, sickness,
financial needs, depression, loneliness, grief, etc.)
Pray for specific people or about specific needs at Crossroads (such as
Pastor Aaron, the Elders, the Staff, the Leadership, our ministries and
the people who serve in them, the people who are touched/or will be
touched by our ministries, those who are seeking God, marriages and
families, the building and grounds, the ability to build a Worship
Center, our witness to our neighborhood, the upcoming events, the
Upward Soccer Program beginning this fall, the Belize and Russia
Mission teams, for servants, for financial provision, for the
effectiveness of our ministry).
Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
As we speak with our loving Father and read His Word, we realize that He
expects us to be gracious to others. We must confess all sin, including our
unforgiveness toward others. Unconfessed sin hinders our communication
with God. There is a song (At the Cross) that says it this way:
I know a place, a wonderful place
Where accused and condemned find mercy and grace
Where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us
Are nailed there with Him—there at the cross.
1 John 1:6-10
New Living Translation (NLT)
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in
spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the
light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
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If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in
the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not
sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in
our hearts.”
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Agree with God that sin is serious. The forgiveness of our sin is only
possible because of Christ’s death on the cross. (Think about this)
Acknowledge all known sin to God and ask for forgiveness.
Is there anyone that has offended you and you have not forgiven?
Thank God for providing the sacrifice of His Son so that forgiveness is
possible. Thank Him specifically that your sins are forgiven.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
The Lord has promised to protect His children in the hour of temptation. 1
Corinthians 10:13 says, “…there is no temptation taken us but such as is
common to all; but God is faithful, who will not permit us to be tempted
above that which we are able, but will, with the temptation also make a way
of escape, that we may be able to bear it.”
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Pray for wisdom to see His way of escape when temptation comes.
Pray for God’s protection (around yourself, your family, Crossroads,
etc.) from evil and the evil one (Satan) who desires our destruction.
For Thine is the Kingdom
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Acknowledge that God has control over all matters and we can trust
our deepest needs to Him.
And the power
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Acknowledge that God has power to accomplish all that we ask, for He
is able to do above that which we are able to think or ask.
And the glory, forever
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I worship You as the Almighty God, the Giver of every good and
perfect gift.
AMEN
So be it!