Renewal through Trust
PRAYERS for 2023 FELLOWSHIP DAY
Growing in God's Ways
Prepared by the National Executive of ACW Inc.
Image License: CC0 Public Domain
1 July 2023
Matthew 6:12
(New Matthew Bible)
‘And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.’
From the Lord’s Prayer
Dear Lord, this is so difficult at times. We know that we need a change of heart. May the Holy Spirit guide us towards a more spiritual journey of forgiveness. May we love and care for each other and have compassion for all.
AMEN
'Father Forgive' Reconciliation Memorial at Coventry Cathedral, image by D Bryan
See more on the powerful story of the Reconciliation Ministry of Coventry Cathedral, England, at
https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/reconciliation/reconciliation-ministry
PRAYER
2 July 2023
Psalm 116:12–14
(Berean Standard Bible)
How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
We thank you O Lord for all your goodness to us; for giving yourself that we might have life, for providing for all our needs, for sustaining us with spiritual nourishment so that we might grow in our understanding of your ways. We renew our commitment to you, O Lord. Keep us close to you.
AMEN
This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:O_Praise_Him.jpg
PRAYER
3 July 2023
Luke 2:40
(NIV)
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Lord Jesus, you are our brother, and through your life, death, and resurrection you show us the way. Through your example may we too grow in God’s ways as we open ourselves to His grace.
AMEN
Jesus with the teachers by James Tissot, Public Domain image
PRAYER
4 July 2023
James 2:14–17
(GNT)
My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
PRAYER
Lord God, may my thinking, my feeling and my actions be in harmony with your will.
AMEN
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
5 July 2023
Hosea 14:5–6
(NRSA)
I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
PRAYER
We thank you Lord that you recognise the gift of gardens to nourish us with the dew of the Holy Spirit. We pray for those whose lives are arid and who fail to recognise the help of gardens and your Holy Spirit.
AMEN
Photo by by D Bryan
6 July 2023
Proverbs 7:2–3
(NIV)
Keep my commands and you will live;
Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye,
Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
PRAYER
Father God, we commit ourselves to your ways. Help us to grow in understanding of the teaching in your word and, through your Spirit, help us to put our faith into practice.
AMEN
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
7 July 2023
Judges 13:24
(GNT)
The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him.
PRAYER
Lord, the story of Samson serves as a sobering reminder to us that the blessings You have given to us may be wasted by our own weaknesses and the distractions of the world around us. Remind us always that even in our weakness You can use this for Your glory if we turn back to You.
AMEN
Public Domain painting of Samson
8 July 2023
James 2:1–4
(GNT)
My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.
PRAYER
Give me grace, Lord, to treat everyone I meet as your beloved children.
AMEN
9 July 2023
Philippians 4:6–7
(ESV)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER
Dear Lord we pray that you will guide us out of negativity. Give us a positive attitude to life and the problems that beset us. May we leave our worries on the doorstep as the beauty and wonder of the earth and sky restore our perspective on our lives.
AMEN
Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
10 July 2023
Isaiah 26:3–4
(NIV)
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.
PRAYER
Father God, we live in a world of turmoil where so many are living with rejection, in pain and confusion. Bring peace to all who suffer. May they come to see that you O Lord are the rock of strength on whom they may depend. May we be encouragers by sharing our trust in God.
AMEN
Public Domain photo from Pxhere
11 July 2023
2 Corinthians
9:10 (NIV)
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
PRAYER
Lord, everything that we have, we have received as a gift from you. May we bake bread for all around us from the grain you have so generously provided.
AMEN
Public Domain image
12 July 2023
Mark 7:24–30
(GNT)
Then Jesus left and went away to the territory near the city of Tyre. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. A woman, whose daughter had an evil spirit in her, heard about Jesus and came to him at once and fell at his feet. The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus answered, “Let us first feed the children. It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
“Sir,” she answered, “even the dogs under the table eat the children's leftovers!”
So Jesus said to her, “Because of that answer, go back home, where you will find that the demon has gone out of your daughter!”
She went home and found her child lying on the bed; the demon had indeed gone out of her.
PRAYER
Lord, make me open to see your grace in unlikely places.
AMEN
Painting by Harold Copping, Public Domain image
13 July 2023
Isaiah 40:28b–31
(NRSVA)
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, may we rest on the thermal currents of your love and put our trust in you, so you may raise us up to cope with all the stress of our daily lives.
AMEN
Golden Eagle CC0 Public Domain
14 July 2023
John 16:13
(NIV)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, we thank you for your guidance and encouragement. Continue to work in our hearts and lives.
AMEN
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
15 July 2023
Deuteronomy 24:19 (NIV)
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
PRAYER
Lord our growth in your ways is never for ourselves alone. Help us to remember that from what we have been given others must thrive too, if we are to bring your kingdom into being.
AMEN
'The Gleaners' by Jean-François Millet, Public Domain image
16 July 2023
Proverbs 2:1–8
(GNT)
PRAYER
My child, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do. Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight. Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God. It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding. He provides help and protection for those who are righteous and honest. He protects those who treat others fairly, and guards those who are devoted to him.
Spirit of Wisdom, keep me faithful as a witness to my family and community.
AMEN
CC0 public domain license https://www.piqsels.com/
17 July 2023
Job 23:10–12
(GNT)
PRAYER
Yet God knows every step I take;
if he tests me, he will find me pure.
I follow faithfully the road he chooses,
and never wander to either side.
I always do what God commands;
I follow his will, not my own desires.
Thank you, Lord, for being with me every step of the way.
AMEN
18 July 2023
Romans 12:1–2
(ESV)
PRAYER
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Dear God, we bring to you all that we are. We worship you. Help us to follow your pattern for our lives and discern your will for us.
AMEN
CC0 public domain license https://www.piqsels.com/
20 July 2023
Hebrews
13:20–21 (NIV)
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
PRAYER
Lord, our God, we are your followers. We come to you with confidence knowing that you have equipped us in the past and will now, and in the future, give us all we need to do your will. Thank you, Lord.
AMEN
Jesus the Good Shepherd, Public Domain image
22 July 2023
Psalm 32:8, 11
(NIV)
PRAYER
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go:
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart.
Lord God, help us to wait on you, to listen and follow your leading. We rejoice because of your love and counsel for us.
AMEN
Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash
23 July 2023
Matthew 9:9
(GNT)
Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, “Follow me”.
Matthew got up and followed him.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, your servant Matthew gives me the strength to be willing to stop what I am doing and answer your call. Thank you, Lord, for helping me to recognise your voice and serve you.
AMEN
The Calling of Saint Matthew by James Tissot,
Public Domain image
24 July 2023
PSALM 84:5–7
(NIV)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
PRAYER
Lord God, we thank you that our strength is in you. As we journey with you on the pilgrimage of faith you bless us greatly.
AMEN
Image by David Shankbone, CC BY 2.0
25 July 2023
Psalm 138:8a
(NIV)
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me. Your love, O Lord, endures forever.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord God, that you have a plan for each one of us. Help us to see that plan and have the strength and courage to follow it. Thank you for your great love for each one of us.
AMEN
Image by Lorri Lang from Pixabay
26 July 2023
Luke 2:36–38
(NASB)
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
PRAYER
Anna speaks to the aged and gives all of her strength, and will and power to worship you. Make this my prayer, Lord.
AMEN
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by James Tissot, Public Domain image
27 July 2023
Romans 6:16–17 (NIV)
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, help me to trust you for the plan that you have for my life, and to obey your Word as I endeavour to follow your ways each day.
AMEN
Image by Larisa Koshkina, CC0 Public Domain