Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.


James 5:16 (ESV)

The National Day of Prayer is a day set aside specifically for taking time throughout the day to pray for the needs of our country.  Below are seven centers of influence in our nation taken from the National Day of Prayer Website.  Take a few moments to pray through each area.  As you pray, focus on what God is communicating through His scripture.

Family

What to Pray:

  • Wisdom in choosing a spouse; to be equally yoked together in faith.
  • Grant us humility, and with that humility bring stability and peace to families.
  • Give husbands and wives the grace to consider each other before self.
  • Endurance for single parents or grandparents stepping in as parents.
  • Comfort for families moving forward through grief.
  • Strengthen families who also serve as caretakers for medically fragile family members.
  • Give empty-nest parents comfort in transition and the vision to grasp their new role as full-time intercessors for adult kids.
  • Harmony in blended families.
  • Create a means of escape and healing from harmful family dynamics.

John 1:12-13

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

1 John 3:1

Church

What to Pray:

  • God, use Your Church as a beacon of light and joy to a world that is searching for answers.
  • Jesus, give your pastors keen wisdom and insight that is in tune with your Spirit so they would never lose sight of the mission of Your Church.
  • Lord, open hearts in the church to care for people outside the church, to be praying for them and to become visibly and tangibly concerned and helping them in needs and struggles.
  • Bring a focus for exalting You above all else, to pastors, church staff, volunteers and lay leaders.
  • Stir the Holy Spirit among the body to actively participate in discipling one another in Scripture.
  • Father, burden the Church with urgency to share the Gospel with passion and the power of the Spirit.
  • Remind us to eagerly look for ways to use our time, talents, and treasures to build up the Body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-5 & 10

Hebrews 10:21-25

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Acts 2:42

Colossians 1:18

Business & WorkPlace

What to Pray:

  • May each business leader be of great character: of integrity, humbleness of spirit and heart, honest in speech and actions, empathetic and vulnerable.
  • Lord, raise up a workforce that is filled with a spirit of excellence and unity in all they do
  • Dispel any false belief that a person’s value comes from a job title—let the truth ring out that a person is valuable because they are image bearers of You, their Creator
  • Pour out a spirit of generosity onto the mountain of Business like never before
  • May the gifts of the work of their hands be a great blessing to each family and community
  • Father, open the hearts of business leaders to be soul-searching, to cast out any greed, selfish ambition and idols and lay them on the altar of repentance
  • Give shift leaders the hearts to be genuinely concerned with the overall wellbeing of their workers

Genesis 2:15

Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

Colossians 3:23-24

Psalm 90:17

Proverbs 12:14

Education

What to Pray:

  • Father, Stir the hearts of parents to take an active role in the academic, spiritual, and emotional formation of their children.
  • God, guide school boards to be wise in choosing curriculums that uphold the truth of the Word.
  • Move the hearts of funding leaders to prioritize the needs teachers and students have for classroom materials.
  • Give Christian parents a missionary mindset to minister to teachers in their children’s lives.
  • Lord, draw near to teachers in the classroom and teach them to rely on the Holy Spirit throughout the day rather than their own strength.
  • Set young people free from the hopelessness, despair, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and substance abuse.
  • Bless teachers with an outpouring of grace and endurance of such magnitude it overflows onto their students, their schools, and their communities.
  • Turn the hearts of students to see their worth and value in their Creator and Savior, rather than test scores, athletic performance or social media following.
  • Pour out discernment on older students and their parents to know what path You have for them transitioning into adulthood.

Mark 10:14

Colossians 1:9-10

Proverbs 22:6

Colossians 1:28

Titus 2:7-8

Military

What to Pray:

  • Pray for the leaders to make wise and righteous decisions based on Biblical principles rather than personal career gains.

  • Lord, help all military personnel see You working in their daily lives, that You are with them, whether they are in the field, at home, or abroad.

  • Remove stigmas for seeking medical attention for mental and physical needs.

  • God, hold the families of service members close, and may they look to You for the strength and peace that only You can give.

  • Comfort the spouses who are separated due to military jobs—keep these marriages strong.

  • Lord, keep the hearts of the military from being desensitized to violence, while keeping them strengthened through battles. Only You can provide such a balance.

  • Move service members to seek the Lord and family for comfort, rather than overuse of substances.

Zechariah 4:6

Psalm 91:4-5

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Ephesians 6:11-13

Psalm 138:7

Government

What to Pray:

  • Provide leaders with wise and godly counselors who will provide honest wisdom and encouragement.
  • Well up humility in the hearts of leaders to make apologies or adjustments when these things are necessary.
  • Lord, pour out a spirit of cooperation between elected leaders.
  • Break down the barriers that are built up by selfish ambition for personal power.
  • Safeguard the marriages and families of elected leaders who spend large portions of time away from home.
  • God, give leaders clarity to know what issues are most important to dedicate their time toward.
  • Soften the hearts of leaders to hear and understand the needs of the communities they serve.
  • Bring a spirit of harmony and righteousness among the staff members who work to support each elected leader.
  • Protect leaders from falling into temptations of bribes, unfaithfulness or straying from what they know is right. Lord, protect them from the plots of evil to stand for what You have established.

Romans 13:1-2

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Isaiah 56:1

2 Chronicles 19:6-7

2 Chronicles 19:9

Arts, Media & Entertainment

What To Pray:

  • Lord, encourage the believers who are called to use their creative gifts to glorify You and cultivate a culture of concern for one another.

  • Teach us to use the news as prayer prompts and ideas for how to serve our local community.

  • Pour out wisdom for people who bring funding to entertainment media to fund things that are wholesome and speak the truth of God.

  • Send creativity for artists to create thought-provoking works of art and entertainment that point towards Your redemptive plan for humanity.

  • fill the hearts of artists who can fill stadiums with adoring fans but still feel alone—You are the only one who can make them whole.

  • Guide news professionals to seek truth and gather evidence, to present the issues of the day clearly and honestly.

  • Strengthen the Christians in these spheres to boldly stand for Biblical truth in the writer’s rooms, board meetings and creative processes.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

2 Timothy 4:8

Jeremiah 31:13

Exodus 31:2-5

Ephesians 5:1-5