Thy Kingdom Come: Sunday 31st May, Pentecost

“The God of all grace”

Today we’re using Acts 2 to shape our prayers.

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”"
(Acts 2:11–12)

Pray for God’s help as you read Acts 2.

• What explanation does Peter give for the events of Pentecost (see especially verses 31-36)? How is the Spirit’s coming linked with the resurrection?

• What are we to conclude about who Jesus is, what he’s doing now and what he will do? What does that mean people should do?

• How does the fledgling church live in response (v42-47)?  What do these characteristics look like today?

• Believers in Christ share in the same Spirit and have the same message. How does this reality encourage you today?

Please also pray … for those in our communities who have no contact with Christians:

• That they would become friends with a believer and see the difference Christ makes to them.

• That they would hear about the grace of God and for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in them to bring them to faith.

Thy Kingdom Come: Saturday 30th May

… for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.  Amen.”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.  Amen.” Pray for God’s help as you read Romans 11:33-36.

• What reasons to praise God are given here?

• How is God different to us?

• Pray through each line of the Lord’s Prayer slowly to our Father.

You may also like to use the following prayer and make it your own:

Sovereign God,
Your cause, not our own, engages our hearts, and we appeal to you to set up your kingdom in every place where Satan reigns.
Glorify yourself and we will rejoice, for to bring honour to your name is all we desire.
We love you because you are God, and long that others should know it, feel it, and rejoice in it.
O that all people might love and praise you!  That you might have all glory from the whole world! Let sinners be brought to you for your great name! 
To our own understanding, everything respecting the conversion of others is as dark as midnight, but you can accomplish great things; the cause is your own, and it is to your glory that people will be saved.
Lord, use us as you will, do with us what you will; but, O, promote your cause! Let your kingdom come, let your purposes be advanced in this world!
Bring people in great numbers to Jesus!  Let us see that glorious day, and give us hearts to pray for the salvation of souls; let us be willing to die to that end, and while we live let us work for you with all our strength, using our time wisely in this work, both in health and weakness.
It is your cause and your kingdom we long for, not our own, so Father, answer this request! We ask it in Jesus’ name.
Amen.  (from Valley of Vision)

Thy Kingdom Come: Friday 29th May

“… lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil …” Pray for God’s help as you read Ephesians 6:10-20.

• Where does the church’s strength and defence come from? (See also Ephesians 1:18-23)

• What actually are we called to do?

• How do we stand firm in practice?  How does Paul plan to stand firm (verses 18-20)?

Pray for God’s help to stand firm in faith, ethically, and in witness.

Please also pray … for our individual witness:

• Pray for those you live near, work with, relax with, or regularly see in life (shop workers, delivery people, etc.), for family members and friends.

• Pray our prayerfulness: that we would completely depend on God as we life for Christ.

• Pray for God to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5)

Thy Kingdom Come: Thursday 28th May

… as we forgive those who sin against us …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… as we forgive those who sin against us …” Pray for God’s help as you read Matthew 18:21-35. 

• Compare what the servant asks for and what he gets (verses 26-27).  How should this affect the servant?  What effect does it have? What is motivating the servant in verse 28?

• How do you think the master should respond in verse 32-34?

• When are we unforgiving to others? Why do we find forgiveness so hard? Does the parable help us see forgiveness rightly?

Pray for forgiveness from God for our unforgiving attitudes.  Pray for our hearts to be changed by an understanding of God’s forgiving grace to us.

Please also pray … for our church to grow to maturity:

• For our church to be speaking the truth to each other in love so that we grow to become the mature body of Christ our Head (Eph 4:15)

• For all our relationships to help us grow together in love and maturity.

• For us to be a welcoming community that reaches out to those around us with the word of life.

Thy Kingdom Come: Wednesday 27th May

“… forgive us our sins …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… forgive us our sins …” Pray for God’s help as you read Psalm 32.

• What is unexpected about where blessing is found? Where do we usually think real blessing is?

• How does the Psalmist describe the weight of sin? Think about a time when you have been deeply aware of your failings. Pray that we would be humbly aware of our sin and be swift to confess.

• What is the Psalmist’s advice for those who are aware of their sin (v6-11)?  Which parts of this would you most like to grow in?

Confess your sin to the Lord. The sins you are aware of, the sins you have hidden, and the sins you’re not aware of.

Praise God for the blessing of forgiveness: that sin is totally covered.  Pray that we would know the release of sins forgiven.

Pray for others you know to become aware of their sin against the Lord, and to turn to him for forgiveness.

• Please also pray … for our Lighthouse Sunday School & Sparklers (in Gobowen), Café in the church, Little Badgers & Praise in the Pub (in Selattyn) and all the families in contact with the churches:

• Pray that children and young people will receive Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, be rooted and built up in him, be strengthened in the faith, and overflow with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6,7)

• For the leaders to be encouraged in their work, and to labour with joy and faithfulness.

Thy Kingdom Come: Tuesday 26th May

“… give us today our daily bread …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… give us today our daily bread …” Pray for God’s help as you read Psalm 121.

• Where do we look for help and support in trouble?

• The ‘high places’ or ‘mountains’ (verse 1) are about the danger of idolatry.  High places were shrines for false gods and as the psalmist looks to them, he reminds himself that the Lord is his help. How is the One True God described? How does this emphasise he is able to supply all we need (unlike the lifeless idols)?

• Where do people in our culture look to give them what they need in and from life?  What are you tempted to look to for security and satisfaction, rather than from God[SN1] ?

• If you’re amazed that God would show this care over you, remember we can only pray this prayer in Christ — think of how this psalm is reflected in Jesus’ temptation, ministry and death.  Read Romans 8:31-32.

• Pray for yourself and others you know, that in temptation, we would say “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

Give thanks for God’s provision of life, food, spiritual blessings and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray that we would be generous with what we have been given as we draw people to see the wonder of our God.

Please also pray for … people to lift their eyes to our Lord at this time:

• Those isolated or struggling

• For the ill and those caring for them

• For those suffering with their mental health

• For any who are anxious or fearful

• For all those whose hopes and plans for this world are changed

Thy Kingdom Come: Monday 25th May

“… your will be done, on earth as in heaven …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… your will be done, on earth as in heaven …”

Pray for God’s help as you read Psalm 33.

• Verses 1-9: How is God’s will revealed? How is it described? Why does it cause us to praise him?

• Verses 10-19: What are the results of either fighting or following his will?

Confess the ways that we fail to follow the Lord’s will in our lives.  You may find Psalm 32 helps with words to use.

• In verses 20-22, the Psalmist invites us to join with him in putting his hope in God. Pray the psalm that today we would joyfully walk in his ways as we hope in him.

Please also pray … for

• OM working around the world and the staff based at the Quinta

• Stephen Hatch at St John’s School in Tanzania.

Thy Kingdom Come: Sunday 24th May

“The God of all grace”

Today we’re using 1 Peter 4-5 to shape our prayers.

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:10–11)

Pray for God’s help as you read 1 Peter 4:12–5:13.  We’ll be looking at this in church this morning.

• How does the church keep going?  What are our resources and motivations?

Thank God for his enduring grace to keep his people going.

Pray for someone from church, that they would stand firm, persevere and be filled with joy.

• Please also pray … for our national leaders

• For leaders of the nations to govern with wisdom, integrity and justice.

• For wisdom and guidance in the current circumstances.

• For the Church of England to clearly hold out the gospel to this nation.

• For our PCC, wardens and leaders to lead diligently, wisely and faithfully with joy and thankfulness in Christ.  For the provision of workers, raising of leaders, management of finances and the maintenance of buildings so that the gospel work can continue.

Thy Kingdom Come: Saturday 23rd May

“… your kingdom come …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… your kingdom come …” Pray for God’s help as you read Acts 17:24-31.

• What is the extent and power of God’s rule (verses 24-26)?

• How does God want people to respond to his rule (verses 27-31)?

Thank God for those he has placed living near you or whom you meet regularly.

Pray for opportunities to show them Jesus, his resurrection and his coming.

• Please also pray for … for our mission and evangelism:

• For opportunities to speak to people about Jesus.

• For the all our activities as a church, that as people hear of Him, many would turn in repentance and faith.

Thy Kingdom Come: Friday 22nd May

“… hallowed be your name …”

Continuing our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, we’re considering “… hallowed be your name …” Pray for God’s help as you read Revelation 4.

• John is writing down the spiritual reality in heaven.  Why is God worthy of praise?

• One common use of the word ‘hallowed’ today is about sports pitches: hallowed turfs and grounds.  In the Lord’s Prayer we’re asking for God to be glorified. What might it look like for you to glorify God in the tasks, challenges and relationships he has given you today?

• Pray through the people might see or encounter today that God would help you to glorify him and be a blessing to them.

• Pray that God would open people’s eyes to see his glory in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6)

Please also pray for … those in local mission seeking to glorify God, such as:

• Oswestry Foodbank helping those in need locally and many others supporting the vulnerable.

• Christians working in all sorts of settings including healthcare, schools etc.

Thy Kingdom Come: Thursday 21st May — Ascension Day

“Our Father in heaven…”

Today we’re beginning our series based on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. Today is “Our Father in heaven…” Pray for God’s help as you read Galatians 4:3-7. 

• What would our status be without Jesus?

• What has God done for us?  What is our new status?

• How does this encourage you to pray?

Thank God for welcoming us into his family by including us in his son, Jesus.

Confess that in sin we needed his rescue.

Pray for a deeper delight in our adopted sonship-in-Jesus as we cry Abba through him to our Father by the Spirit of Sonship.

• Please also pray for… our prayer life as a church

• Today we remember that Jesus ascended to heaven so that he can pray for us and we can pray with confidence to our Father through him.

• “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14–16)

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ
to have ascended into the heavens,
so we in heart and mind may also ascend and with him continually dwell;
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Thy Kingdom Come

As we come to the climax of our Easter Season it feels a long time since we met in person.  Christ and his resurrection are still wonderfully true and give us a hope and a future despite the trials and struggles of this world.

At this time I am reminded of our limitedness. We don’t know how long this will last, we cannot control the virus as much as we would like, nor remove the grief for those whose loved ones have died. We need to pray.

We need to pray for the current crisis, and also we realise how much we needed to pray all along. We long for God’s work in our church, community, nation and world. At this time we are all the more aware of our dependence on him.

The eleven days between Ascension and Pentecost (21st-31st May) are set aside as a global partnership of prayer for God’s mission called “Thy Kingdom Come.”

• DAILY PRAYER. Below is a prayer diary to download and you are invited to join with us all as we pray together. The prayer diary will be posted daily here if you’d rather view on a browser. You could bookmark (on a computer) or save a link to your home screen (on mobile devices) for quick access.

• LIVE SERVICE TODAY. I will lead a short service of scripture and prayer on the evening of Ascension Day (Thursday 21st) at 7pm.

If you would like to be sent a link to join us on the zoom service, please get in touch.