Invitation to 40 Days of Prayer

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 2). Christians throughout church history have designated the 40 days of Lent as a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. During Lent, some people fast from food, drink, or media in order to focus on Christ more intentionally for the 40 days.

My encouragement to you this year is that we don’t just fast from something, but we fill our 40 days with an intentional time of prayer—in order to be filled with the Spirit and be filled with the knowledge of Jesus. During Lent this year (Wed, March 2-Thu, April 14) we plan to have 40 days of prayer. And I invite you to join me and others in this wonderful opportunity of spiritual renewal.

I would like to share why we pray, how we plan to pray together, and how you can participate in 40 Days of Prayer.

Here are the four reasons why we pray and why we pray together:

1. Prayer is a gift.

We have been gifted with the wonderful relationship with our heavenly Father through Christ our Lord. We pray, not just because we must; we pray because we want to. We want to experience God and grow in our relationship with him. When we come to hear him and when we come to speak to him, our Father delights in us. And we also delight in him. What a great joy and privilege it is for us to pray!

2. Prayer is an expression of our faith and dependence.

We live by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave himself up for us. In praying with faith, we are acknowledging that we need our Lord and depend on him for our daily life and ministry.

3. Praying together empowers the church for the mission of God.

We cannot do ministries or missions without the Spirit of God. Without being empowered by the Spirit through prayer there is no ministry or mission that brings glory to God or does good to people. Prayer precedes missions. That’s how the early church did it; that’s how all churches throughout history did it. Prayer fuels the church with God’s power for the movement of mission for the nations.

4. Praying together in the Spirit unites the church.

When the early church devoted themselves to prayer with one mind, the Spirit-filled them with God’s empowering presence and united them. And our unity brings pleasure and glory to God. Our unity builds one another up. When we live and serve together in harmony with one another, God is glorified and we are edified in him.

Prayer is a wonderful gift of God we have received in Jesus Christ. Let’s receive that gift with gratitude and use it to cultivate a deeper relationship with our God during this season of Lent. Praying together is a wonderful gift of God we have received together as a church. Let us come together in unity to bring glory to God and to bless one another.

Now here is how we plan to do 40 Days of Prayer together:

1. Starting Ash Wednesday (March 2), we will meet via zoom from 7 to 7:30 AM during weekdays and 8 to 9 AM on Saturdays. Each day we will read together with the day’s portion of our Bible Reading Plan. And then a leader for the day will facilitate the prayer time.

2. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we will have prayer topics prepared by the day’s prayer leader who will guide our prayer time. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, we will be more flexible by giving an open space for people to meditate on the word on their own and as the Spirit gives each person a word of encouragement or conviction, he/she can share the word with others and pray. On Saturdays after a large group prayer time, we will break out into small groups to pray for one another.

Here is how you can participate in 40 Days of Prayer.

Depending on your desire and schedule, you can participate in 40 Days of Prayer in different ways:

1. You can commit to participating for the whole 40 Days.

It will do your soul good and your participation will bless and encourage others. Even if you may miss a day or two here and there, do not worry. You can always restart the next day.

2. You can commit to participating partially.

You may want to commit to the first 10 days and/or the last 10 days. You may want to commit three days a week or every Monday or every Saturday. However you choose to commit, it will be wise to set your mind and carve out your schedule to commit to it throughout the 40 days.

3. You can commit on your own, or you can commit together with others—whether it be your spouse or with your friend, or with your Life Group.

Doing it together is always better than doing it alone. It keeps you accountable and encouraged you to keep on keeping on with prayers. I encourage you to consider having a partner or a group of friends who can encourage you “strive together with them in their prayer to God.”

Paul in Romans 15:30 appeals to the church “by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to strive together” with him "in their prayer to God.” I appeal to you and encourage you that you will strive together with me and fellow brothers and sisters of New Hope in our prayer to God during the season of Lent. In our praying together God will be glorified, others will be edified, and we will all be filled with the Spirit.