PRAYER GUIDES
Our hearts’ desire is to experience God’s transforming presence in our lives and see His shalom come to our city. Pray for Columbus is a diverse network of Christ followers that has been stewarding a citywide prayer calendar, monthly prayer guides, yearly corporate fasts, and citywide prayer and worship gatherings since 2014.
Discipleship
They left everything to follow Jesus. They sacrificed careers, family time, worldly possessions and aspirations. They followed him, believed in him. Then, the impossible happened: their Lord was crucified. Everything they had imagined for the future, gone, just like that.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20, NIV
Freedom
This month, we are praying for freedom in our city. There are many forms of addiction that vie for our affection and attention. From small behaviors, such as being glued to social media, to powerful bondages, such as the opioid epidemic, these idols have kept many in our city from stepping into the wonderful promises God has in store.
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, NIV
All Those in Authority
Paul understood that our leaders need our prayers. From our President to our Pastors and “all those in authority,” Paul connects these prayers to pursuing a peaceful life “in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:2, NIV)
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2, NIV
Reconciliation
When Paul mentions creating one new humanity of the two, he is speaking about Jews and non-Jews coming to Christ. Their ethnic identity as Jews or Gentiles was now informed by their identity in Christ.
“His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.” Ephesians 2:15b-16, NIV
Make Us One
In John 17, Jesus gave us the blueprint for the ultimate gospel marketing campaign: oneness amongst His people. Just as He and the Father are one, Jesus prayed that His followers would all be one “… so that the world may believe.”
“I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” John 17:20-21, NIV
Orphans & Widows
As we enter into the season celebrating the gift of God’s Son, let’s spend some time meditating on the great love of our Father God. Our Father in heaven so loves us that He gave His most precious possession. This indescribable gift far eclipses the most generous earthly offering ever given. Higher than the heavens, the Psalmist exclaims, is God’s steadfast, never-stopping, unfailing love for us (Psalm 108:4).
“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16, NIV
Generosity
During this season of gratitude and giving, let’s lift our gaze to the generosity of our heavenly Father. The Apostle Paul framed God’s generosity to us this way: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, NIV)
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, NIV
Mental Health
Anxiety, depression and all forms of mental oppression and illness are increasing at an alarming rate. These complex issues can stem from chemical imbalance to spiritual opposition. Let's lift up this issue in our city and world this month by praying for God to bring His light and His healing to all those bound in this way.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Psalm 40:1-2
Sanctity of Life
Every purchase we make produces an exchange that reveals an item’s true value. What the buyer pays is the item’s worth. In our world, this looks like a cell phone purchased for $899 or a pair of sunglasses exchanged for $19. The price tag reveals the value in the currency of the economy at hand.
“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” Revelation 5:9, NIV
Students & Youth
As we embark on another school year, let’s be encouraged as intercessors, to pray for revival among the next generation! Let’s see our children as “spiritual champions,” their minds renewed by the Word of God and their leading us into the next and largest revival ever experienced in the world.
“Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.”
Psalm 127:3-4, ESV
The Nations
From Genesis 1:28 to Acts 8:1, migration has always played a part in God’s plan. We live in a time of unprecedented numbers of displaced people, and God continues to work through the migration of people. All of these displaced people have unique stories, and these stories usually tell of immense suffering. The nations are coming to our city, and God’s plan is unfolding through these immigrant neighbors.
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:17-19, NIV
Marriage & Family
It is amazing to pause for a moment and consider the sacredness of being made in God's image! Whether male or female, married or single, we have all been created to reflect God and give Him glory. Unfortunately, the gift of being male or female, the gift of marriage, and the gift of raising children is not properly celebrated in our culture.
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” Genesis 1:27-28, ESV