SEVENPOWERFULPRAYERSFORYOURCITY

PRAYING FOR OUR CITIES

Do we want to see the land and cities in our region prosper?

We believe our cities will prosper when we pray for them, and this simple booklet of prayers, we hope, may be a place to begin.

In this booklet are seven simple prayers, adapted from the Bible, with one prayer per page. Each page will have a title indicating the focus of the prayer, followed by a relevant scripture, a simple truth about the scripture, and finally, the prayer itself. It is exciting to think that citizens throughout our region will be praying the scriptures for our communities!

There are three ways to use these prayers. First, simply pray one prayer each day for a week, a month, or longer. Each time you pray, you will be sowing seeds that will literally change the future and destiny of the people in your town or city!

Second, pray the suggested prayer to begin. If you feel additional or more substantive prayers coming to you while praying them, feel free to expand upon the prayers. With as many people praying as possible, we would like to build a culture of prayer throughout the whole region.

Third—and to us this is the most exciting—join with others in small groups to pray these and other prayers corporately for your city. If the prayer of one righteous man or woman is powerful and effective, how much more powerful will be the corporate prayers of many righteous men and women in groups all over the city! It is the surest way for our communities to become “cities on a hill,”—shining examples of what a region blessed by God should be!

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GOD WANTS TO BLESSOUR CITY

“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty and your carts overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:9-11

God’s intention and desire is that our land prosper, so that we prosper, so that our community prospers. He desires this because He is a good Father who loves to bless His people!

“Father, we thank you for your grace and goodness. May your face continually shine upon us, so that your ways may be known in our communities.

We praise you, God; and may all the people praise you. Then our land will yield its harvest and you, Lord, will bless us. (Psalm 67:1-4)

Lord, we give you our land, our homes, our labor, and our city. Look with favor on our community, protect our citizens and leaders, and enrich our land so that we may be a blessing to others. We pray that you would be honored and lifted up in our community. Amen.”

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AY 1

WISDOM FOR CITY LEADERS

“By me (Wisdom) kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern and all nobles who rule on earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:15-17

God is a generous giver. And He loves to give. He will give His Wisdom to anyone who humbly asks for it. It is His gift to us so that we may do what is right and just so that we may live successful lives.

Elected officials, if they ask for Wisdom, will in turn govern our communities with enlightened hearts and minds and make sound, fair, and right decisions for all the people in our region.

“Thank you Lord, for all our civil servants. Thank you for their hard work and sacrifice. May you continually bless them. May you generously give to each of them wise and discerning hearts to skillfully govern the people in our city.

Give the mayor, city leaders, staff, and city council Wisdom so that they may solve problems, distinguish between right and wrong, and bring order, stability, and prosperity to our community. Amen.”

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AY 2

WISDOM FOR CITIZENS INYOUR CITY

“Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.” Ecclesiastes 7:19

Leaders and civil servants need Wisdom for leadership and governing, while citizens need Wisdom for home and work. Cities prosper with innovation, hard work, and creative ideas that come from a free people. To possess these virtues, we need Wisdom from God—His divine blueprints for all that we do. One citizen filled with this kind of Wisdom has more power than ten elected officials. A city filled with wise people will surely become a productive, prosperous, and powerful city!

“Lord, we thank you for your Wisdom. As citizens of Heaven, we ask you to fill us with Wisdom and Reve-lation by the power of your Spirit. Enable us to know you better, to know your will and your plans for our lives.

Lord, give us a heart of Wisdom. May your Wisdom produce in us creative ideas, solutions to problems, new technologies and products. May you give us sound counsel and good judgment to help us make good decisions. May you also give us greater knowledge, understanding, and power so that we may live skillfully and give back what is good and excellent to our community. Amen.”

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AY 3

A CITY OF JUSTICE

“By justice a King gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.” Proverbs 29:4

“‘…but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24

Since God “delights” in justice, city leaders should delight in it also. The chief duty of a civil servant is to establish and maintain justice. Justice and fairness for the poor, fair conditions for businesses to prosper and families to flourish, and justice in the courts of law will lead to stability and a thriving community.

“Lord, thank you for our mayor, the city council and leaders at every level in our city. Give them grace to bring truth, justice, and stability to our region. Give them power to do what is right and to rule in fairness. May our community be known for its justice. Let it al-ways prosper from the influence of good men and women. Amen.”

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AY 4

PRAYER FOR THE POOR INOUR CITIES

“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” Proverbs 22:22

“To show partiality is not good…” Proverbs 28:19

Conditions of injustice injure all citizens, but especially those who are poor. We are called to love and care for them according to our abilities. Unequal measures in the courts, schools, and businesses violate the law of love and create hardship for the poor. The same standard for all is God’s heart for everyone in our community.

“Thank you, Lord, that you desire justice for all. Let us be attentive to the cries of the poor. Let us share their burdens and come to their aid. May we treat the poor among us with mutual respect, fairness, and love. Let our love bring them hope, encouragement, and freedom. Let there be equality among us and equal application of the laws. Amen.”

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AY 5

PRAYER FOR PROSPERITY

“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.” Proverbs 11:10

“Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.” Proverbs 11:11

When good people succeed and increase in a community, the entire city is uplifted. Justice, goodness, and hope increase exponentially to the benefit of all citizens. In this way, good and upright people bring honor, glory, and prosperity to their city.

“Father, thank you for empowering your people to preach the good news in our city. Let more people open their hearts to Jesus. May you revive our city with new life. May every person, marriage, family, school, and business in our community enjoy the blessings of God. Let the benefits of your people in-fluence our city. Amen.”

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AY 6

CHURCH UNITY IN OURCOMMUNITY

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! …For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” Ps. 33:1,3

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Eph. 4:3

We see a difference between the people of God in a city and the individual churches in that city. Despite attending different churches, we are one body of be-lievers. God’s heart is for His people to pray, speak, and act “in one accord”—with one voice and one mind through the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, give your people in our community a spirit of unity as we follow you, so that with one heart and mind we may work together for the good of our city and glorify your Name. Give us your humility Lord, and let all barriers, walls, strongholds, and divisions that keep us separated from you and one another come down in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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AY 7

THE LORD LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS.

Therefore, you can make a difference!

As children of God, our prayers make an enormous impact. Prayer is how we can make earth look more like heaven! When just two or more are gathered to-gether, the Lord is present. He is especially eager to do His will and promises to grant whatever we ask in His Name (John 14:14).

God not only cares about your city or region but He also cares for our nation. Our prayers can change the future and destiny of our nation. It’s that simple.

So, PRAY! Pray alone and in groups… and pray often!

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16