Prayer Challenge – Fort Collins Bible Church

The Prayer Challenge

Prayer is natural for the believer. It is like breathing out, or a child that cries out for his mother. Simply put, a healthy believer will pray. There is no wrong time to pray, and certainly no prescribed forms for prayer. We can pray using our own words or using the words of another. We can pray extemporaneously or pray with a script. This seven-day plan is designed to challenge you to spend some focused time with the Lord. Each day follows a similar structure:

Opening Verse

Time of Confession

A Psalm of Praise

A Brief Scripture Reading

Direction for Prayer

Closing Verse

May this experience bless you and lead you deeper into your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some suggestions:

Pray Kneeling – if you can. Our bodies are part of who the Lord made us to be, and thus whatever position the body takes can have great spiritual impact. Kneeling is a way to show outwardly what we know to be the case spiritually that we are totally humble before God and reliant upon Him.

Pray Aloud – If it is possible to pray and read these prayers aloud the impact will be noticed. We have a personal, internal faith, but it is not ONLY internal and private. Praying aloud is a powerful way to remember that God hears, and our relationship with Him is the core of our reality.

Pray Together – If you can find time to use this resource with your family, with a friend, or with a group you will find the time richly rewarding. This is the heart of Christian Fellowship – when we gather around and worship Jesus Christ together.

Please note that all scripture is taken from the New King James Version and the confession prayer is quoted from The Book of Common Prayer.

Day 1

Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a
copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Having been confirmed in fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 63

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
²So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

³Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

⁶When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
⁷Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
⁸My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

⁹But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
¹⁰They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Amen.

Now, a reading from The Book of Ephesians. Chapter 1 Verses 3-14:

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

⁷In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ¹¹In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹²that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

¹³In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we think of our family, those whom God has given us by natural familial bonds. Take some time to pray for the needs of your family Members…

²⁰Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹to Him beglory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

Amen.

Day 2

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of
God. Ephesians 2:19

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 100

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, ^[^a^]all you lands!
²Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and ^[^b^]not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Amen.

Now, a reading from the Book of John. Chapter 15, verses 1-8

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He ^[^a^]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you^[^b^] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we think of our local churches. Take these moments to pray for your church and church leaders, those persons who we know in the church and the corporate needs of the body…

Amen.

Day 3

O give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make
known his deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 98

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
²The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the ^[^a^]nations.
³He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁴Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
⁵Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
⁶With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

⁷Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
⁹ before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Amen.

Now, a reading from the book of Philippians chapter 2, verses 1-11:

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ²fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we remember that are commanded to pray for civil governors and those in authority over us. Take time now to pray for the leaders of your local federal government and your political leaders…

Amen.

Day 4

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence
before him. Habakkuk 2:20

As we come to God in prayer it is most appropriate to confess our sins please take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 66

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
²Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
³Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
⁴All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

⁵Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
⁶He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
⁷He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
⁹Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to ^[^a^]be moved.
¹⁰For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
¹¹You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
¹²You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to ^[^b^]rich fulfillment.

¹³I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my ^[^c^]vows,
¹⁴Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
¹⁵I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

¹⁶Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
¹⁷I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
¹⁹But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!

Amen.

Now, a reading from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13-18.

¹³But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we take time to pray for missionaries and world missions. Take the following moments to pray for the missionaries you know and support, by name and by need. Pray for those who are taking the gospel to the farthest reaches of the earth, and for the Lord to raise laborers for the Harvest until He returns for us…

Amen.

Day 5

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such the
Father seeks to worship him. John 4:23

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Amen.

Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
²Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
⁵Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
⁹ He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

¹²As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
¹⁴ For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
¹⁶ For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
¹⁹ The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
²⁰ Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
²¹Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

²²Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Now, a reading from 1 John chapter 2, verses 15-29:

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we pray for those who serve and protect. For soldiers, for police officers, for firefighters, and public servants. Take this time to pray for those who risk their safety, health, rest, and lives for the protection and care of others…

Amen.

Day 6

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy, “I dwell in the high and holy place and
also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to
revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the
contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
²He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Amen.

Now, a reading from the book of Romans chapter 8, verses 31-39.

³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we pray for the lost in our lives. Those friends, neighbors and family members who do not know Christ and His saving work on the Cross. Take a moment and pray for those in your home, neighborhood, and workplace who don’t know Jesus by grace through faith. Pray for opportunity, courage, and wisdom to share Christ with them.

Amen.

Day 7

I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may
reach to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49:6b

Take a moment to confess your sins to God

Prayer:

Having been confirmed in Fellowship with the Lord we pray this Psalm of Praise:

Psalm 139

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
²You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
³You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
⁵You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
⁹If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
¹²Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

¹³For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
¹⁸If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
²⁰For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
²¹Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
²²I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
²⁴And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Amen.

Now, a reading from the Book of Revelation Chapter 22, verses 12-21

¹²“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

¹⁴Blessed are those who do is commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

¹⁸For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Word. Amen.

Prayer Prompt:

On this day we think of those who suffer with sickness, disease, hunger, and unhealth. Whether because of issues of economics, of age, of politics, or of health we pray for their comfort and wellbeing. Take a moment and pray for those whom you know who are currently suffering.

Amen.