24 Hours of Prayer - 2023

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

Identity theft.

Reading those two words strikes fear in hearts and minds. I think we have all heard horror stories of how much damage identity theft can cause an individual or family. In the middle of our recent ordeal with it, I had the thought: How do I know if my identity has been stolen—if I don’t know who I am?

If you are a Christian and you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are a child of God. That IS your identity. In this 15th year of the 24-Hours of Prayer, that’s what we’ll be considering. What does it mean to be a child of God, and how does that fact affect and change your life and how you live?

I cannot say it enough: Thank you for being here. You have been prayed for by others before you ever got here today. And I pray that God will use this time to challenge, encourage, and grow you in your journey as a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

1. Praising and Honoring God

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9

I can be so selfish in my prayer time. But God’s Word changes that. The word “hallowed” in the Lord’s Prayer means “to shrink from.” When we have an accurate view of God—a view that’s found in and supported by Scripture—it’s natural as Christians to want to praise and honor Him, especially when we pray.

Pick one or more of these passages and discover the character and nature of God. And then—praise Him!

Genesis 1; Psalm 37; 1 John 5; Psalm 23; Matthew 6:25-34; Psalm 96; Luke 7:36-50; Psalm 135; Luke 9:28-36; Psalm 89; 1 Chronicles 16:8-36; Psalm 98; Exodus 34

Prompt: “Lord, today Your Word has shown me that You are _______. Thank You for showing me this aspect of Your character. I worship You and praise You simply for who You are.”

2. Make God’s Will Your Priority

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

Christian, we should desire the full and complete will of God in our lives. (Read that again.) I have to tell you—for me, that’s much easier said than done. Why? It might be because I don’t trust God enough to honestly pray those words without adding my conditions.

Genesis 50:15–21; Job 2:9–10; Isaiah 53; Matthew 16:21–23; Philippians 1; 1 Peter 3:13-22

Prompt: “God, my identity is not in my kingdom, but in Your kingdom and Your will. Help me to surrender my time table and plans to You and to desire Your will today, and every day.”

• Lost friends/family

• Our Church Family

• Our Neighbors

• Health Needs

• Job/Finances

• Our Families

• Our State/Nation

• My Temptations

• Pastors/Missionaries

• Church Leaders

• Schools/Teachers

• Persecuted Church

3. God Takes Care of His Own

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11

As a dad, if it’s in my power to bless my children (or grandchildren) with something good, I’ll do it. Can you imagine how much MORE that’s true of our Heavenly Father? And the reason Christ taught us to ask our Heavenly Father to “give us today our daily bread” is because HE, and HE ALONE, is able to give us the best of our daily needs.

Today, what is your most pressing “daily need”? Friend, do not take shortcuts and settle for second best. Trust God. Go to Him and tell Him all about it. His best and His timing are perfect.

Luke 11:5–13; Luke 18:1-6; Jeremiah 29:10-14; Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 39, 40, 50, 54, 63

Prompt: “God, my greatest need right now is _______. My identity is that I’m a child of the King! Please meet this need according to Your will, in Your timing, and for Your glory. Thank you, God!”

4. God Forgives Genuine Repentance

“...and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12

As a follower of Jesus, we should be...truly following Jesus. Is there an area of your life where you are not fully following Jesus Christ and His teachings found in the Bible?

As you pray through these passages, allow the Holy Spirit to point out your sin, then confess it to God. Ask Him to cleanse you on the basis of His mercy and Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.

1 John 1; 1 John 2; Psalms 6, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 38, 41, 51, 71, 77, 86, 90, 100, 103, 130, 139, 142, 143

Prompt: “God, today Your Word and the Holy Spirit have convicted me of the sin of _________. I confess it as sin, and I am sorry for this sin. Please forgive me through your mercy and the blood of Jesus — which cleanses us of all unrighteousness. Amen.”

5. Declare your Dependence on God

“And deliver us from the evil one so that we may not be led into temptation.” Matthew 6:13

So many Christians try to live the Christian life on their own. They struggle, fall, confess, repent… struggle, fall, you get the idea.

Do you realize that as a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, we don’t have to go it alone? One simple—yet profound—way to declare your dependence on God is to ask Him to help you live a sanctified life. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to rest in His power and ask God to empower you to live the Christian life.

Psalm 8, 9, 11, 16, 18, 20, 27, 33, 46, 61, 77, 90, 93, 95, 100, 117; Exodus 15; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Jeremiah 33:1-3; Matthew 6:31-34; Luke 1:25-38; Revelation 4:10-11; Revelation 7:9-12.

Prompt: “God, I am frail and weak. I routinely fall into the same sins and the same temptations. Guard my steps, my thoughts, my desires away from ________ and lead me in the paths of righteousness, for your Name’s sake. Thank you that I am your child. Thank you, God!”

6. Very important: Pass the Baton

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen!” (Matthew 6:13b)

As you pass the “prayer baton” to the next one on the list, pray that the “the power and the glory” of God’s kingdom would be fully and wholly known and realized by them and they God would grow their faith as they seek Him.

Thank you, again, for being part of this year’s 24-Hours of Prayer. I look forward to seeing how God continues to work in our lives as we follow Him.