DAY 6 and DAY 7 of Universal Week of Prayer - 7th and 8th January 2022
Word-wide week of Prayer, FRIDAY 7th JANUARY 2022
OPENING
HYMN CH252
1. Faith of
our fathers! Living still
In spite of dungeon, fire,
and sword,
O how our hearts beat high
with you
When e'er we hear that
glorious word!
Faith of our fathers, holy
faith!
We will be true to thee
till death.
2. Faith of our fathers! We will strive
To win all nations unto thee,
And through the truth that
comes from God
Mankind shall then be
truly free:
We will be true to thee
till death.
3. Faith of our fathers! We will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as
love knows how
By kindly words and
virtuous life:
Faith of our fathers, holy
faith!
We will be true to thee till death. Amen
TOPIC: REBUILDING THE BROKEN WALLS/GATES
TEXT: NEH. 1:1- 4
The Church and many Nations are in very precarious,
deplorable, and vulnerable situations, as the ancient walls built by the
labours of our fathers have been broken down, with her gates burnt down
with fire, Today, walls that once provided protection against the enemy's
schemes are fast crumbling all around us—in our families, our churches, and our society at large. The walls of human morality have fallen.
The standards of righteousness and
justice have fallen. The walls of peace are crumbling all around us, the security situation in our
nation calls for the timely intervention of the
Almighty, as the walls of our spiritual and military defense have also been weakened by exploitation
and evil association.
A city's walls keep her enemies from advancing into the
people's territory. They protect the people
inside from harm. They offer protection
and a clear border that all can see. But when those walls are breached or broken down; when the stone is torn from stone so
that mere rubble remains, the city
and its inhabitants are left vulnerable to every wind that blows and every attack of the enemy.
Today, more than ever, God is seeking men and women who,
like Nehemiah, will rise up with a voice of lamentation and lift a cry to
God and then make themselves available to repair these damages before it is too late. In the midst of
oppositions and criticisms from Sanballat and Tobiah (Neh. 2:19, 4:1-3),
Nehemiah and his men kept building because they had a mind to work, and
so they did with their whole heart (Neh. 2:20; 4:6,15-18,21-23).
Sometimes, God, Himself tears down our walls because of our sins (Isaiah 5:4-5). As Paul puts it, He delivers us to Satan for the
destruction of our flesh in the hope
that we will repent (1 Cor. 5:5). The surest way to restore the wall is through sincere and complete
repentance, both at individual and
corporate levels. God becomes our wall and Our Defense when we seek Him individually and as corporately as a people (Church/Nation). When we do this repentantly and
humbly, God heals the breach. (2
Chronicles 7:14)
We can further build the wall with prayer for one another. Prayer built
much
of Nehemiah's wall. (Gal.6:l-2). As an example to us, Jesus tells Peter,
"Indeed, Satan has asked for you . . . but I have prayed for you, that your faith should not
fail" (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus prays for us also in John 17:20-24! Fervent
intercessory prayer erects this wall. "The effective, fervent prayer
of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16), A synergy occurs when we
work together to restore the walls, repair the breaches and re-establish
the relationship with our Master that we have lost. With great
rejoicing, Nehemiah even asks God to bless "the people, the gates and the
wall" (Nehemiah 12:27-43). Should we do any less with our spiritual wall
today? Let us pray!
Word-wide week of Prayer, FRIDAY 7th JANUARY 2022
WE THANK GOD:
• For His mercies that endure
forever over us as a people and over
His Church
• For not giving up completely on His Church,
because there shall be revival again, her dry
bones shall rise again
• For His unwavering commitment
to restoring His Church and healing
our land
WE CONFESS:
•
Our
pride, wickedness, immoral and idolatrous practices, Lord have mercy on us
•
Our
turning away and pursuing worldliness and materialism
•
Our
following from a distance, thereby giving the Devil a chance/space even in the Church
WE PRAY:
•
For a
timely intervention of the Almighty in the affairs of the Church and our Nation
•
Let the
burden for the rebuilding of our walls rest on the hearts of faithful men and women
•
Lord
raise people like Zerubbabel to rebuild Your Temple, like Nehemiah to rebuild the walls and like Ezra to rebuild your
people
•
Revive
us again Oh Lord that your people may rejoice in you.
• Restore the Gates of Holiness, Consecration, Discipline, and Commitment back to Your Church
DAY 6 and DAY 7 of Universal Week of Prayer - 7th and 8th January 2022
Word-wide week of Prayer, SATURDAY 8th JANUARY 2022
TOPIC: REAWAKENING THE GATE-KEEPERS
TEXT: (Isaiah 62:1,6-7, Matt 13:25, Nehemiah 7:1-3)
Gates provide passage(s) for entrance and exit. Solutions pass through the gates. Problems pass through the gates. Friends pass through the gates. Also, enemies pass through the gates. A gatekeeper should be aware and most times control the comings and goings at his or her designated post. When the gatekeepers are asleep, incapacitated, or incompetent, valuables become endangered. We usually protect spaces that contain valuable things! Beyond the regular guards at our gates, there are people who do similar duties spiritually and figuratively.
Spiritual leaders, prayer warriors, church elders/group leaders, parents, senior siblings, school administrators/prefects, and even civil authorities, may all function as gate-keepers. Perhaps, those who are concerned with spiritual gate-keeping deserve more mention. They keep watch over God's heritage-the church and all her different arms, as watchmen, especially in this season of lukewarmness, backsliding, and anything-goes-Christianity. Zion is the spiritual name of the church and we await the reawakening of her gatekeepers; which will result in effective intercessions, for the outpouring of the spirit of holiness and righteousness (Isaiah 62: 1 ).
In the face of the general spiritual famine in the body of Christ, many intercessors are hungering and praying for the revival which will turn things around. However, it is strategic for us to specifically pray for the reawakening of the gatekeepers, who occupy vantage positions in the church. In the history of God's dealings with mankind, there have always been periods of backsliding and lethargy which prompt intercessors to cry out for revival (Habakkuk 3:2). If we would experience a season of great reawakening in our time, our supplications should be consistent prayers of importunity (Isaiah 62:6-7, Luke 11:8). Do you know that those slumbering fellows who were snoring away while the enemy sowed the wrong seed (Matthew 13:25), were not ordinary people? But for spiritual sleeping sickness, they were strategically positioned gate-keepers, who could have stopped the evil sower. Let us pray for every dozing gatekeeper to be woken up!
Indeed, the 21st-century church is dealing with enemy forces on too many battlefronts. Apart from the important matter of reawakening the gatekeepers, it is equally important that those whose job it is to choose them choose wisely. We should learn from Nehemiah who was very careful in appointing gatekeepers (Nehemiah 7:1-3). Let us pray for a drastic reduction of mistakes and human 'errors made in choosing gatekeepers like priests/pastors, group/organization leaders, life partners, and other very important people. Nehemiah considered Hanani, and Hananiah godly and faithful men, who were qualified to take charge of the gates of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 7:2 ).
When such people are put in positions of responsibility, the ripple effect is that they would also engage others of like minds, as coworkers. Handling the security of the gate of Jerusalem was not a small job. Therefore, Hanani and Hananiah could not have managed every detail of their gatekeeping assignment alone. They must have gotten people of similar inclinations involved. While we continue to pray for the recruitment process in general, we should also pray for our children, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are due for marriage, to find godly and faithful spouses. The society ultimately benefits, when there are reawakened gatekeepers in the family and the church.
Word-wide week of Prayer, SATURDAY 8th JANUARY 2022
WE CONFESS
•
We
confess the backsliding, Lukewarmness and dryness in your Church.
•
We
confess that we have been sleeping on duty.
•
We
confess our ungodliness, unfaithfulness, and 'prayerlessness'
WE PRAY
•
We pray
for the reawakening of the gatekeepers.
•
We pray
for a mighty revival to break out in the church.
• We pray for the healing of the land as the church recovers her saltiness (Matt 5:13).
CLOSING HYMN: A & M 3531. 1 could not
do without thee
0 Saviour of
the lost,
Whose precious blood redeemed me
At such tremendous cost:
Thy righteousness, thy
pardon
Thy precious Blood, must
be
My only hope and comfort
My glory and my plea.
2. 1 could not do without thee
1 cannot stand alone,
I have no strength or
goodness
No wisdom of my own;
But thou, beloved Saviour,
Art all in all to me.
And weakness will be power
If leaning hard on thee.
3. 1 could not do without
thee
0 Jesus. Saviour dear;
E'en when my eyes are holden
I know that thou art near:
How dreary and how lonely
This changeful life would be
Without the sweet communion
The secret rest, with thee
4. I could not do without
thee,
For years are fleeting fast.
And soon in solemn [oneness
The river must be passed;
But thou wilt never leave me,
And. though the waves roll high
1 know thou wilt be near me.
And whisper,'it is I.'