Locations
We invite you to join us on a 7-day virtual prayer walk of our neighborhoods and beyond. During this season, the call to pray urges us to join together and lift our voices to the Lord and we seek to respond!
You’ll find a few different components to this “prayer walk.” On this page, you’ll find a general overview of how we can intentionally focus our prayers together over the next 7 days. Following that will be a day by day prayer “walk,” leading us along the journey together.
And finally, there are some supplemental fasting resources for those who choose to incorporate a fasting element into their prayer walk. If you choose to incorporate the spiritual discipline of fasting into your daily rhythm, you can fast from things other than food. If you choose to fast from food, Lifepoint recommends you do this in conjunction with your doctor’s advice.
Neighbors: Who is my neighbor? Anyone who is in need. Recommended reading: Luke 10:25-37. Pray for God to open my eyes to anyone who is in need in my neighborhood (i.e., the elderly, single-parents, next-door neighbor, etc.) and look for simple ways to serve them and offer encouragement. Pray that God would also provide an opportunity for you to share the gospel with friends and neighbors who may not know Christ.
Nations: Pray for international, national, state & local leaders. Recommended reading: Daniel 2:20-23. Pray for wisdom for all leaders, authorities, and decision-makers who are charged with the responsibility to direct us through the current crisis. Ask God to use this crisis to humble all leaders so they refocus their efforts on the good of humanity, and forget about self-promotion. Pray for believers around the world who are navigating how to serve and show Jesus to their neighbors in new circumstances. Pray for open hearts for those who do not know Jesus.
Next Generations: Pray for the ability to teach your children and/or grandchildren invaluable life-lessons about the current National Emergency. Recommended reading: Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 11:18-21. Possible opportunities to teach your child life-lessons may include resource-sharing, trusting that despite current circumstances God is in control, being patient and kind to others who are stressed, etc.
In addition to the above, pray for the doctors, nurses, and first responders who put their lives on the line to provide care at the following locations across our campuses. Recommended reading and specific prayer for them: Psalm 91.
Area Health Care Workers
Columbus - St. Ann’s, Mt. Carmel, OSU Wexner Med Center, Grant, Riverside, Nationwide Children’s and others.
Delaware - Grady Memorial Hospital
Mt. Vernon - Knox Community Hospital
Neighbors: Today, “walk” through your neighborhood. If the weather is nice, and if it is safe, perhaps take a physical walk as well. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to anyone living directly around you who is in need (i.e., the elderly, single-parents, next-door neighbor, etc.) and look for simple ways to serve them and offer encouragement in the name of Jesus.
Nations: Pray for international, national, state & local leaders. Recommended reading: Daniel 2:20-23. Pray for wisdom for all leaders, authorities, and decision-makers who are charged with the responsibility to direct us through the current crisis. Ask God to use this crisis to humble all leaders so they refocus their efforts on the good of humanity, and forget about self-promotion.
Next Generations: Pray for the ability to teach your children and/or grandchildren invaluable life-lessons about the current National Emergency. Recommended reading: Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 11:18-21. Possible opportunities to teach your child life-lessons may include resource-sharing, trusting that despite current circumstances God is in control, being patient and kind to others who are stressed, etc.
Neighbors: Today, we “walk” through a part of our city that is being deeply affected by the Coronavirus. Specifically, lift up the elderly and those who work among them. Pray for those who enter into sacrificial service to them – home healthcare workers, nursing home faculty, and the nurses and doctors who are working long hours to serve this population as they are affected. Pray for wisdom and strength in the very difficult decisions that often need to be made. Pray for those who are approaching the end of life who do not believe, and ask that they would come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Pray for grieving families who find themselves having to grieve in isolation.
Nations: Pray for our Lifepoint family who live abroad. We currently have long term goers in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Europe. All families are quarantined (for some this began before the United States quarantine). Pray that the Lord would sustain them in love and hope during this time of further isolation. Pray that they would remain connected with relationships that have been built in their neighborhoods and cities. Pray that community centers and schools reopen soon and that friends would be open to hearing the hope-filled message of the Gospel.
Next Generations: Pray for high school seniors who are not able to experience the last part of their senior year alongside their friends, classmates, and teammates. Pray that the Lord would be a present comfort and that they would find Him to be very real during this disappointing season.
Neighbors: Today, we begin to “walk” through our Central Ohio medical system. Lift up the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, lab technicians, pharmacists, administrative staff, and janitorial staff members at:
· Riverside Methodist Hospital
· St Anne’s Hospital
· Grant Medical Center
· Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Pray for wisdom, peace, and endurance for those seeking to serve the sick. Pray for their families who also need endurance and strength and courage in this season. Pray for faculty in the hospitals that are believers. Pray that they would carry with them the Gospel message of hope to their co-workers and patients, even in their own exhaustion. Pray that the Lord would awaken them to His very real presence.
Nations: Pray for the millions of people who will be participating in the season of Ramadan which begins Thursday, April 23rd. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time when Muslims around the world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion. It is a time when Muslims seek greater truth and understanding. Pray that the Lord would give Muslims seeking truth dreams and visions (as He often does in the Muslim community) that lead them to Jesus. Pray that they would be open to hearing about Jesus, that they would seek out conversations with believers, and that they would have their eyes opened. Pray for believers who are living in Muslim contexts, for increased boldness and connectivity (especially in this time of disconnection). Much of our Lifepoint family who lives abroad are living alongside those who will be participating in Ramadan.
Next Generations: Pray for those in the next generation who may be experiencing greater anxiety during this time. Pray that the Lord would give parents eyes to see that their child is struggling and the grace and patience required to be a safe presence for their child. Pray that the Lord would use this time to teach the next generation about His faithfulness. Pray that the Spirit would encourage the next generation to spend time with the Lord in prayer and learning from the Scriptures.
Neighbors: Today, we continue our “walk” through our Central Ohio medical system. Lift up the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, lab technicians, pharmacists, administrative staff, and janitorial staff members at:
· Knox Community Hospital
· Grady Memorial Hospital
· Dublin Methodist Hospital
· OSU Medical Center
Pray for wisdom, peace, and endurance for those seeking to serve the sick. Pray for their families who also need endurance and strength and courage in this season. Pray for faculty in the hospitals who are believers. Pray that they would carry with them the Gospel message of Hope to their co-workers and patients, even in their own exhaustion. Pray that the Lord would awaken them to His very real presence.
Nations: Pray for our partners across North America, some of whom are in the most affected areas of North America (NYC). Pray for God to soften hearts to hear and see the Gospel’s message of hope as they are faced with the reality of mortality on this earth and as their sense of security and control is stripped away. Pray that these churches would show their cities what a true community of Christ-followers looks like and invite many to join. Ask the Lord to shape them to share the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ. Lift up their leadership, ask for them to be sustained and guided by the Holy Spirit.
· The Bridge Church (Brooklyn)
· Multiply Church (Calgary, Canada)
· Journey Point Church (Denver)
Next Generations: Pray for community to be strengthened among the next generation. Pray that our student leaders would be encouraged toward keeping students connected and that the Lord would use this season to strengthen real and authentic community among the student generation.
Neighbors: Today, we continue our “walk” through our Central Ohio medical system. Lift up the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, lab technicians, pharmacists, administrative staff, and janitorial staff members at:
· Mt Carmel East
· Mt Carmel West
· Mt Carmel Grove City
Pray for wisdom, peace, and endurance for those seeking to serve the sick. Pray for their families who also need endurance and strength and courage in this season. Pray for faculty in the hospitals who are believers. Pray that they would carry with them the Gospel message of Hope to their co-workers and patients, even in their own exhaustion. Pray that the Lord would awaken them to His very real presence.
Nations: Pray for global partners around the world who are now trying to be salt and light in the midst of this crisis. Pray that they would be bold in their faith, sharing a message of hope that is for ALL. Pray that God would sustain them and offer them spiritual strength for the time at hand. Pray for the church in:
· Chile
· Cuba
· Peru
· Uganda
· Malawi
Next Generations: Pray our young people who are struggling with confusion and disappointment. Specifically, lift up three young people from Lifepoint who have said “yes” to life abroad for the sake of the Gospel. One young lady, who was commissioned and sent, had her semester abroad cut in half before she was sent back to the United States due to the Coronavirus and lockdowns. The other two young folks were in the process of preparing to GO for the duration of their summer. All three spent considerable time praying, sacrificing, raising funds, and preparing. Ask that the Lord would allow them to understand the bigger story that is being written. Pray that they would have the courage to take their disappointments directly to the Father and allow Him to enter into that space with them.
Neighbors: Today, continue the “walk” through our neighborhoods and lift up those we know who are grieving tangible loss and uncertainty in the wake of a closed economy. Pray for a peace that surpasses understanding. Pray that needs would not be kept hidden and that those who have plenty would be quick to help with those needs. Pray that the physical needs of the present would open eyes to a deeper spiritual need within us all. Pray that we all grow in our dependence on the Lord and walk this season in step with the Holy Spirit.
Nations: Pray for the Kakira CarePoint in Uganda, and the families who are connected to it. Pray for the 210 children who are a part of the program. Uganda is currently under a Stay-At-Home order and the CarePoint is unable to run its regular programming. However, the CarePoint staff continues to serve the families by dropping off food portions to homes and is working with local leadership to train community members in preventative hygiene measures. At this time, we have not been notified of any COVID-19 cases within the CarePoint community. Pray that the families, who are already quite vulnerable, are comforted by the Lord’s presence and that He is the provider of all that they need. Pray that their community comes together to care for one another and their bond is strengthened as a result.
Next Generations: Pray for grace and patience for parents who are working from home alongside younger children who are trying to learn from home. Pray that God would use this time to strengthen healthy bonds in families that would continue to grow after the pandemic is over. Pray that milestones are still celebrated (although differently), that moments are captured, and that parents can model to their children what it looks like to trust during difficult circumstances.
Neighbors: Today, pray that God would draw those who are questioning their faith toward Himself. Pray for those who are wavering, struggling, and grappling with questions about God that they may not feel safe to ask. Pray that they would not struggle alone and that those they reach out to would provide a safe space to help them seek answers to difficult questions. Pray that people would be positioned to meet with God in a new and fresh way. Pray that the Lord would realign our faith with His truth.
Pray for what will come as this pandemic season ends. Pray that we would all be open to learning what God is showing and teaching us during this time. Seek His voice today for your life. What does He want you to let go of? What does He want you to gain? What does He want to shape in you? Will you invite Him in to do the work?
Nations: Pray that governments that have been hostile to the Gospel would be humbled through this crisis and that hearts that were hardened would be softened.
Pray that the earth will sing a new song and that song will be of praise for Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Pray Psalm 96 to Him today.
Next Generations: Pray that during this season, God would call the younger generation into a fuller dedication to following the Lord. Pray that some would be called into vocational ministry as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and church leaders.
Pray that the next generation, who will one day be leading in the world, would indeed be changed and transformed through these present-day circumstances. Pray that God will use the next generation to further His Kingdom in a way that will bring greater honor and glory to the name of Jesus.
By Dr. Steven Bennett
What is fasting? Is it simply starving oneself in Jesus’ name? Are we attempting to swap food
for favor with God when we enter into a time of fasting? Or is it more than that? In order to understand and practice the dynamics of fasting and prayer, there are two aspects of this discipline that should be understood. There are both spiritual and physical dimensions to it. We will look at each of these aspects separately.
WHY SHOULD I FAST?
1. Jesus expected us to fast. “When” not if. Matthew 6:16
2. The times require it. Matthew 9:15 (after the bridegroom is gone)
3. To minister to the Lord. Acts 13:2 (ability to focus on Him)
4. To please the Lord. Zechariah 7:5 (He enjoys your focused attention)
THE FOCUS OF FASTING SHOULD NOT BE ON THE LACK OF FOOD.
Fasting from food can be done for a variety of purposes, either physical or spiritual. So abstaining from food alone doesn't constitute a Christian fast. Instead, a Christian fast is accompanied by a special focus on prayer during the fast, often substituting the time you'd spend eating with prayer.
FASTING PROVIDES A REAL‐LIFE ILLUSTRATION OF DEPENDENCY.
Although modern man thrives on the idea of being independent, beholden to no one, fasting helps you put the facts in the proper perspective. It's easy to believe in your independence with a full stomach, but when you start to feel hunger pains in your belly after missing a meal or two, you awaken to your body's dependency on food to survive. Fasting reveals a physical reliance on food that points to the ultimate dependency — the fact that you're dependent on God for things far more important than food.
FASTING FOSTERS CONCENTRATION ON GOD AND HIS WILL.
Oswald Chambers once said that fasting means "concentration," because when you're fasting, you have a heightened sense of attentiveness. Food or any physical sensation can satisfy, fill you up, and dull your senses and spiritual ears. In contrast, a hungry stomach makes you more aware and alert to what God is trying to say to you.
FASTING OFFERS A WAY TO IMPOSE SELF‐CONTROL IN YOUR LIFE.
It gives you a "splash in the face" to awaken you to the need for the personal strength of will that you need to grow spiritually. When you restrain yourself physically, you'll find it easier to apply this same self-discipline in your spiritual life.
One last thing — everyone can participate. Not everyone may be able to fast from food (pregnant women and diabetics for example), but everyone can give up something in order to focus on God (e.g. turning off all forms of media for 24 hours could also be an effective way of joining the fast)
