Wait Pray Move
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WAIT PRAY MOVE Week of Prayer and Fasting 1 to 7 February 2021 Hatfield Christian Church Slimy pit. You slip and slide and can’t get a footing. You’re down low and you can’t get out. Mud and mire. It squelches between your toes. It gives way beneath your feet. It makes you unsteady and bogs you down. Rock. It’s firm and steady beneath your feet. You can stand tall and secure. It’s immovable. You can take in the view. A NEW YEAR A NEW SONG Psalm 40: 1-3 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. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. A NEW YEAR A NEW SONG “Wait patiently for the Lord.” 2020 was a year of mud requires full engagement as and mire and slimy pits we actively trust God. for many people. While our circumstances may The early disciples also be different to David’s, learnt about waiting on many of us can relate to God. They faced uncertain his experience of feeling times after Jesus’s death stuck, unsteady or finding and resurrection. How did ourselves in a dark place. they respond? They obeyed Psalm 40 shows us how Jesus’ instruction to gather David responded when he and wait on God together in found himself in slippery or prayer (Acts 1:4,14). sinister spaces, and how we can too. This week, as we pray and fast together, we’d like David waited patiently for to create a similar space, the Lord. Counterintuitively, to wait on God. We trust waiting is not passive. It that God will lift us and set 4 our feet upon a rock from this place of watchful and patient prayer. Jesus says that His words are the rock on which we should build our lives (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus’ words sustain us when the storms hit (Romans 14:17). As we allow his words to transform us, our speech changes. We start to sing a ‘new song’ and ‘hymn of praise’, proclaiming God’s goodness and encouraging others to put their trust in Him. 5 On each of the coming seven days, we will focus on a particular foundational truth. Each daily devotional consists of three parts. 01A structure for prayer. Pray through the four sections of the acronym PRAY. Pause take time out to quieten your mind and heart. Reflect on a piece of Scripture. What is God saying? Ask God to help you and our community apply what He says. Yield to His will and way in your life. 6 7 02 03 8 Intercession Set time aside to pray through 02 these prayer pointers each points day individually, as a family and/or community group. Soundtrack A soundtrack of songs 03 relating to the theme for each playlist. day is included to enhance your prayer journey. You can listen to these on your favourite music subscription or via the Hatfield Christian Church playlists, we’ve created for you. A daily video devotional will enhance the written devotionals and will be available every day via our YouTube and Facebook platforms. You might want to consider fasting during this significant week. Fasting is the practice of making room for God by giving up one (or more) of your dependencies, such as food, coffee, streaming (Netflix), social media, ect. 9 Before we begin, reflection...let’s spend some time in What was your experience of 2020? For what are you grateful? Where have you seen the Lord’s goodness? What are your expectations for this coming week? Wait on the Lord for a while… write down what He says to you. 10 Before we begin, reflection...let’s spend some time in Is He challenging you to fast this week? If so, what? Who or what situation would you like to intercede for this week? * All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NIV. 11 MONDAY | 1 FEBRUARY He will deliver you As I enter prayer now, I pause to still my heart and mind and focus on your presence. Pause for a moment. 01Jesus, your name means “God who saves.” You came to live the life I should have lived, and die the death I deserved to die so that I could be saved. You conquered death for me! How much more can I trust You to rescue me amid my current fears and troubles. 12 Reflect PSALM 143 A psalm of David. 1 Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, He crushes me to the ground; He makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. 13 7 Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11 For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. 12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant. PSALM14 143 What stands out to you from this Psalm? Troubled times are inevitable. David often finds himself in turmoil so deep it threatens to overwhelm him. Psalm 143 reveals his prayerful response to intense pressure. Notice how his disposition transforms as he prays. He starts by lamenting his situation, bringing it honestly and earnestly before God. Then, he calls to God for help and ends by remembering God’s goodness and unfailing love. When you face troubled times, remember that you are not without help. Like David, you can hide in God and trust that He will deliver you (Psalm 143:9). What do you feel God is saying to you through this Psalm? PSALM 143 15 Ask Jesus, please remind me to turn to You when I face trouble. You are the God Who Saves. 02 Write down your prayer requests Yield Jesus, thank you that You work all things for the good of those who love You, and who have been called according to your purpose. In this, I trust, and I submit myself to your loving care. 03 16 Prayer 02and intercession Who do you know that is facing a crisis? Pray for redemption and deliverance. Ask God to rescue our nation from the effects of COVID-19, including the resultant economic downturn. Soundtrack 03for the day Listen to these songs today as you meditate on the deliverance of God. The playlist is available via YouTube Music: www.bit.ly/HCC1Feb I will sing BY MARTIN SMITH Deliverance BY GATEWAY WORSHIP Oceans (Where feet may fail) BY HILLSONG UNITED Promises BY MAVERICK CITY MUSIC 17 TUESDAY | 2 FEBRUARY You are never alone As I enter prayer now, I pause to still my heart and mind and focus on your presence. Pause for a moment. 01Lord, as I start this day, I thank You that You are with me. Holy Spirit, my Helper, remind me to be sensitive to your promptings. I devote this time to You. Please have your way. 18 Reflect MATTHEW 1:23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him “Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). JOHN 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever… 19 What stands out to you from these verses? Loneliness can be a puzzling thing. You can be happily married, have children, good friends, and co-workers you enjoy, and yet feel alone. Feeling alone is not related to what is going on around us, but rather to what is going on inside us. Change can stir up feelings of emptiness and reveal our loneliness. Our world erupted with change with the COVID-19 pandemic. While global lockdowns have curbed the coronavirus, they have also exacerbated loneliness. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Often, we try to distract ourselves from our empty and lonely spaces. But Jesus came to fill these voids once and for all. He is Immanuel, God with us. Have you felt lonely this past year? Talk to God about it. Listen. What is He saying to you? 20 Ask Where do you feel empty and in need of comfort? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill and comfort you. Yield May you be strengthened as you pray this prayer by Ann Spangler, Immanuel, I praise You for your faithful love – drawing me near when I was far from You.