Three Days of Prayer Begins Tuesday, January 5!
Social Media Hashtag: #LCMC3DOP | Share Your Story: Click Here
Prayer is a holy habit of our Christian faith that can position us before the Lord to be with Him, to listen to Him, and to experience His work of aligning our minds and our hearts with His mind and His heart. Intentionally setting aside time for prayer can help us still our hearts as we turn off all our devices and tune out the white noise that constantly surrounds us. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, ESV).
Prayer was a holy habit practiced by Jesus Himself (see Mark 1:35, ESV). LCMC’s Three Days of Prayer on January 5-7, 2021 is an opportunity for us to follow the Lord’s example and to come together as one across the association with a shared purpose: to pray.
Each congregation or person can structure these days of prayer however seems best. In the past, some congregations put together a prayer vigil—a person signing up to pray in 30-minute intervals for example—for all three days or a few hours each day. Others have offered a prayer service at a set hour on each of the three days. Others have encouraged their people simply to pray at work, home, or school—wherever they are and whatever they are doing. During this time of COVID-19, we encourage you to do whatever works best and whatever is safest for your congregation.
No matter how you structure this time of prayer, let’s come together as an association of congregations across the U.S. and around the world to pray. As Mark Vander Tuig has said many times: “I believe that the church will never rise up until we first get down on our knees.”
Following are some suggested points of emphasis for each of the three days of prayer. These are not the only things to be prayed for of course, but they can be points of daily emphasis that bring us all together as one in prayer. God bless your time during our Three Days of Prayer.
Day 1 – Lord, Reveal Yourself to Us
Have you ever had someone say, “Complete this sentence,” and then give you a partial sentence to finish as ideas and thoughts come to mind? Today, we pray by finishing this sentence, “Lord, reveal Yourself to me, to us, as…” I invite you to repeat this partial sentence, then patiently sit with the Lord and allow thoughts to come to mind that will complete it for you, for your family and friends, for your congregation, or for us as an association. Then, turn those thoughts into prayers to the Lord.
Jesus said, “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Luke 10:22, NLT). And the Apostle Paul wrote: “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11, NLT).
Let’s pray for God to reveal Himself and the truth of His Word to us in whatever way we need Him to. Let’s pray that He would reveal Himself to us and increase our understanding and experience of who He is. Let’s pray that He would reveal Himself to us and provide us with discernment and wisdom regarding decisions we are faced with. Let’s pray that He would reveal Himself to us that He might continue to sustain us in the unique and challenging season of life and ministry we have found ourselves in since March of last year.
“Lord, we pray, reveal yourself to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Day 2 – Lord, Bring Home the Lost and the Prodigals
We know that our Lord Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10, ESV). And we know that our Heavenly Father is a father who joyfully welcomes home the prodigals. Today, let’s pray that God will bring us together as one across our association so that millions might be drawn by Him to faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Let’s also pray that the Lord might bring home the prodigals who have walked away from a life of faith in the Him. Lord, bring home our spouses, bring home our sons and daughters and grandchildren. Lord, bring home our friends and neighbors. Let’s pray that God might set them free from any woundedness or deception that has driven them away from their relationship with Him. Let’s pray that they might experience God’s love and acceptance and affirmation as His beloved daughters and sons.
“Lord, give us Your heart for the lost and the prodigals. Create in us a boldness to love them and serve them and to share our God-stories with them as opportunities arise. Open our eyes to be aware of everyday encounters in which we can minister Your love and Your power to those in need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
Day 3 – Lord, Grant us Your Favor for Your Purposes
Today, we pray for the favor of God to be upon us as individuals, congregations, and as an association for His purposes in and through our lives. God’s favor was upon Joseph (Genesis 39). It was upon Esther (Esther 2; 5). It was upon Mary (Luke 1:30). And of course, it was upon Jesus Himself (Luke 2:52).
Favor is the attraction of God that releases an influence through us so that other people are inclined to like, to trust, and to cooperate with us in the assignment God has given us (Esther 2:9). The favor of the Lord can come upon us for the purpose of an assignment He has given us. It is not something we generate; it is something God places upon us. The favor of God can take us from the place we’re in, to a place of influence and effectiveness for His purposes; not our purposes. We see this in the lives of Joseph and Esther.
Let’s pray that the favor of God may be upon us as we seek to carry out the mission of the gospel wherever in the world the Lord has placed us. Let’s pray, “Lord, do whatever You need to do in me so You can do whatever You want to do through me.” Let’s pray these things so that millions might be impacted by God’s love and God’s power through the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence.
Get Connected:
If you're on social media, be sure to "Like" and "Follow" our Facebook Page to follow along with us during each of the three days. Don't forget to tag your Three Days of Prayer posts using the hashtag #LCMC3DOP so others can see them!
Share Your Story:
The LCMC staff is inviting all who take part in Three Days of Prayer to share their stories, testimonies, and photos from this year's event by clicking here. All responses received by the deadline date (Friday, January 15) will be considered for publication on our website and/or in an upcoming issue of our quarterly print newsletter, BY THE WORD.
Author
Mike brings 40 plus years of leadership and ministry experience, having served in Lutheran congregations in Nebraska (Christ Lutheran Church) and South Dakota (Trinity Lutheran Church) as a youth pastor, worship leader, associate pastor, and senior pastor. He also served as President for The Master’s Institute Seminary for ten years and most recently, as Director for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Mike is passionate about helping leaders and congregations create an atmosphere that is a safe place for developing healthy leaders and disciples in the church, and equipping God’s people for lives of effective witness and ministry in the world. He is the author of the book, Being a Safe Place for the Dangerous Kind, in which he articulates the essential connection between solid theology and healthy practice in mission and ministry.
Mike enjoys sports of all kinds, having served as a high school basketball and baseball coach while serving Trinity Lutheran Church in Rapid City, South Dakota. He and his wife of forty-two years, Debi, enjoy reading, hiking, and swimming, and Mike enjoys the occasional golf outing. They have five adult children – Andrew Michael, Joseph Ross, Rachel Christine, Stephen Daniel and Benjamin John, and three grandsons – Michael, Isaac, and Lucas. Mike and Debi live in Gilbert, Arizona with their three-year old white Labrador, Maggie Mae.
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