PrayUK December Bulletin 2008
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Dear Friends,
The story of the shepherds who saw angels will be remembered and told by many this Christmas. The angels were accompanied by a mighty sense of the glory of The Lord, which shone all around them (Luke 2:9). This happened to announce that The King of the whole of creation had been born on the earth in order to bring salvation to the world. As we worshipped this month, during our time of preparation for the December bulletin, several of us felt, independently, something of the glory and the light of The Lord shining around us. The glory of The Lord that the shepherds saw on that first Christmas was an indication of the presence of The King and saviour, the anointed Messiah come among His people to bring hope to the world. We had, in that small glimpse of God’s Glory, a sense of Him at work in His church, this Christmas time, to show hope to a world that is desperately in need of it. We felt the longing of The Lord for the church to be shining His light and Glory before men and a strong sense that God was preparing His people for a new revelation of His light and glory into the dark places.
We felt also, as we have before, that we need to be praying for God’s people to be put into strategic places to be sources of His light, just as God has put Joseph’s, Daniel’s, Esther’s etc in place throughout history “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Pray for an open heart to the stirrings of God’s Holy Spirit in the church as He draws people into a new level of righteousness, holiness and obedience to Him. Pray that we will not despise or reject God’s word and that we will not quench the Holy Spirit. God’s word needs to be declared and His righteousness seen in and through His church, then those that walk in darkness will be able to see Gods great light and glory. Men and women will see that, in Jesus, there is hope even in the midst of chaos and despair and many will turn to Him. That, surely, is God’s best purpose for our nation.
Thank you for praying along side us during this past year. May we wish you all a very joyful Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Our love and blessings,
The Pray UK Team
PrayUK December Bulletin Notes
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
| Day 1 |
“prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” (Phil 2:15) – Pray for us, the church, to reflect more of God’s light in what we do this Christmas. Pray that, despite many pressures from the world, we would stand strong in God, knowing His way of escape from temptation and not give satan a foothold in our lives. Pray for the fellowship of believers that you meet with. |
| Day 2 |
“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:19 -21) - Pray that we will be open to all that The Spirit is saying to the churches in these days. Pray for gifts of discernment to know that which is good and that which is not. Pray for people who will faithfully declare the word of God out of a heart of love. |
| Day 3 |
“How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:3) – Pray for God’s Justice and righteousness to be demonstrated by the church. Pray also for righteous and just policies in your local area. Pray for Christians who will shine the light of Jesus to be raised up in places of authority, locally and nationally. |
| Day 4 |
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS” (Matt 11:29) – Pray for God’s people to cease striving, give over to God what we are carrying in our own strength and take upon ourselves the individual yoke that He has designed for each of us. Pray for a peace and rest upon God’s people that will be infectious and will attract many people to Jesus. Pray for at least one person to be attracted to God through the peace that is in your own heart. |
| Day 5 |
“God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4) – Pray that there would be a clear distinction between what is light and what is darkness, what is good and what is bad, what is of God’s kingdom and what is of the world’s kingdom. Pray that Christians would have discernment and will declare the truth of God’s word in His love. Pray for those in government who will stand up for the light of God’s word. |
| Day 6 |
“They taught in Judah , having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.” (2 Chr 17:9) – Pray for a new love for the word of God amongst His people. Pray for those who declare God’s word publicly to speak words of truth in love, in a way that will produce faith in those that hear. Pray for those who are worn out and discouraged to know a new strength as they wait upon The Lord. |
| Day 7 |
“For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14) – Pray for many to see God’s glory this Christmas and to recognise The Lord. Pray particularly for someone you know. Pray for those who are sick, suffering, homeless, lonely or in some great need to have a special touch from God that will bring them closer to Him. Pray for those who are ministering God’s love in practical ways. |
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NB: Please repeat prayer points for the rest of the month). |
Prayer: We praise you, God of glory and might, that you came to earth to reveal yourself to mankind. We thank you Lord that you died for us, carrying the punishment for our sin in your body on the cross and that you rose again defeating the power of death and sin, enabling us to have relationship with you here on the earth and eternally in heaven. We thank you that your light is shining in the darkness and we pray that many will see your light and come into your kingdom this Christmas – Amen.
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