“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

This week’s prayer focus: More Than Just a Name!

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  
Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will wrap around the wonderful name of God’s Son, Jesus.  While Shakespeare claimed that a rose by any other name would be just as sweet, God was very purposeful about the name He gave His Son.  In a culture that often rejects, ignores, or mocks the name of Jesus, God’s desire is that we would know Jesus and know that His Name is more than just a name.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you value and honor the name of Jesus.  Pray that you would know Jesus as more than just a name.  Pray that the reality of Jesus in your life would help others to call upon His name and find Him waiting with open arms.  Pray about how you view and use the name of Jesus.  Pray for a greater trust in God as you hold fast to the name of Jesus as the source of life and meaning.  Pray for a spirit of unity among brothers and sisters in Christ as we grow in our love for one another.  Pray each day for the individuals of your congregation and for the body of Christ as a whole.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) 

Please pray each day for God to help you know Jesus more fully and experience Him as more than just a name.

Sunday: Pray for your church staff, the preaching and teaching that takes place, the church leadership, the volunteers that are helping in so many areas, the spiritual and financial health of the congregation, and the work of the missions ministry of the church.  Pray for me (Tom Lemler) and the work of Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday: A Welcoming Name.  Pray that you would both know and share the name of Jesus as a welcoming name.  Pray about how God would have you welcome others into your life.  Pray for a heart that desires children of all ages, including your age, to be welcomed in the name of Jesus.  “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”  Matthew 18:5 (NIV)

Tuesday: A Family Name.  Pray and ask God to help you live with the confidence that comes from being a part of God’s family.  Pray that you would live as a child of God with siblings around the world and throughout all generations who have believed in the name of Jesus.  “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  John 1:12 (NIV)

Wednesday: A Protective Name.  Ask God to help you know and trust the protection that Jesus prayed about you having in His name.  Even more than a physical protection, pray that your relationship with God and with one another would be protected by the name of Jesus.  “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.”  John 17:12 (NIV)

Thursday: A Forgiving Name.  Pray with thanksgiving for a God who has saved you from your sins through the name of His Son, Jesus.  Pray that you would forgive others with the same measure of forgiveness that you have received through the name of Jesus.  “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”  Acts 2:38 (NIV)

Friday: An Exclusive Name.  Pray for the courage to live and proclaim Jesus as the only way for a person to have a relationship with God.  Pray that you would know the open availability of the exclusive name of Jesus that offers salvation to all who would call upon Him.  “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Saturday:  An Exalted Name.  Pray that you would exalt the name of Jesus to the highest place in your life, just as God has exalted it above all others.  Pray that your conversations with others would always lift up the name of Jesus above all other things you talk about.  “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”  Philippians 2:9 (NIV)