On Monday, January 4th, 21 days of prayer and fasting begins, as we set the 1st part of the year to seek God wholeheartedly and all He has in store for us in the New Year.
DAILY PRAYER GUIDE FOR 21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING
We have received a great calling, to make disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:19), to be Christ’s ambassadors, ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). How do our prayers echo the prayers of those who heard this commission from Jesus (Acts 4:23-31)? They prayed for the impossible and for the supernatural, that his glory would be revealed for the purpose of bringing others to faith in Jesus. And they prayed for the removal of obstacles that would keep the church from doing what he had called them to do.
Lord, teach us how to pray.
We ask for you to teach our hearts to love the people of this city as you love them. We ask to shake us out of our self-absorption, to give our first attention and our greatest energies toward the things that are on your heart. We pray that we as the church would awaken and arise to lead and serve our communities. We pray for a release of your Holy Spirit to equip us and guide us in how we live and make decisions. We lean into your holiness and goodness, abandoning selfish desires, fears, and doubts. We choose to honor our relationships, preferring others (Ephesians 5:21), walking through life with people who are also on a journey to becoming more and more Christ-like. We need you, and we choose to walk in your power and the gifts of your spirit.
As we humble ourselves to fast and pray, we acknowledge you as first in our lives and thank you for all you have given us. We praise you from our position of dependence, for you have given us life and breath and everything else. We pray into the gifts that you have given us through your Spirit, that with wisdom we would know how to serve the world and demonstrate your passionate love for mankind. These are the things God has given us, the fruit of the Christian walk that you want to develop in us, and we believe that as we pray into these things they will enrich our lives, draw others to Jesus, and bring glory to God.
Day 1: January 4 - Love
Ephesians 3:17-18
We draw near to you to grow in our love for you, and we pray that we would each have a personal revelation of the love of the Father. We pray that your love would transform how we view ourselves and that it would teach us about ourselves and give us boldness. We pray that love would hold us close during seasons when we are hurting, that it would passionately pursue us when we are tempted to abandon our faith or our community or the things God has called us to, and that love would draw people who are far away from you into your family.
Day 2: January 5 - Joy
Nehemiah 8:10
We acknowledge a hurting world, often bitter and angry, often cynical and fearful. But we choose joy, genuine joy that calls out the goodness in everything you’ve given us and celebrates it. We ask that our joy would be a light on a hill that cannot be hidden, a source of warmth and refuge for people around us, that joy would be contagious and it would call people to you. The joy of the Lord is our strength, so we pray that people in our families and neighborhoods are strengthened by our joy.
Day 3: January 6 - Peace
Philippians 4:6-7, John 14:1, Psalm 23
We exchange our worries and our troubles for your peace, because you are greater than anything facing us. We pray for harmony in our church, among our families and friendships, our pastors and leaders. We pray for fear and anxiety to yield to the truth that you are with us. And we pray with faith for others in our lives and throughout the world who are experiencing true hardship, grief, loneliness, and lack that by some miracle you would rescue them and give them peace that passes understanding in the trial.
Day 4: January 7 - Patience
James 5:11
Everyone of us is shouldering a burden and fighting a battle. As your people, we set your cross before us as an example of endurance and patience, trusting in your timing instead of leaning on our own understanding. We ask for your strength to sustain us, that we would not sin in our weakness or accept substitutes for your best. We ask that we would be empowered to extend the patience you have had with us to others. We pray for your wisdom in seeing people’s needs, that we would be able to carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Stronger together, we commit to helping each other stand up under our circumstances.
Day 5: January 8 -Kindness
Hebrews 13:1-3, Romans 12:9-13
Compassion drives intercession. We pray that we would recognize opportunities to show kindness, not just niceness or politeness, but the transformative power of being the hands and feet of Jesus in our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. We pray that every person that enters our church services would experience home and be cared for, no matter where they are coming from.
Day 6: January 9 - Goodness
Philippians 4:6-8
You are good. Help us to put our daily concerns in perspective and to dwell on the good. Help us to understand the suffering in our world without making apologies for you. Because you are good and sending your son was an expression of goodwill to mankind. Help us to live moral, healthy lives that also benefit those around us and improve our environment.
Day 7: January 10 - Faithfulness
James 1:22
In this new year, we dedicate ourselves anew to studying your word and listening for your voice with diligence and devotion. We pray that we would be faithful with the words God has given us, putting them into practice and sharing them in our testimony, so that there will be overflows of thanksgiving to God.
Click here for the full 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Guide. Fasting is an opportunity to open your eyes to see what to pray for, to be open to intercede. Here are some additional resources about fasting.
Bible Reading Plan for 21 Days of Fasting from You Version
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Participant Guide, Gate City Vineyard
Fasting: Types of fasts and basics, Church of the Highlands
Food List for the Daniel Fast, Lakewood Church
Quick Tips for Fasting, Jentezen Franklin