3 things to pray for Trinity at Four in 2023

1st Jan 2023. One day we will see just how significant unseen but persistent prayer has been in the story of our church family. When we have the privilege of seeing visible signs of God at work among us, so often they are built upon the invisible prayers of those who came before us.

So thank you to all of you who pray for us at Trinity at Four. Please don’t stop. Only God can see the extent to which we depend on you persevering in prayer through 2023. There are many things to be praying for, but let me highlight three as we head into a new year.

1. Pray we’d be captivated by Jesus

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” Heb. 13:8.

The Jesus whose heart ached with compassion for the last, the least and the lost still aches with the same compassion today. The Jesus who willingly bore all of our sin at the Cross because his love for us was that intense hasn’t changed! He would do it all again for you today, if that was needed (which wonderfully it’s not! He’s paid it all!). The Jesus who rose from the dead 2000 years ago is still alive, and still working his great plan of redemption and restoration in our lives.

The most pressing need for us all at Trinity at Four is to be ever increasingly captivated by Jesus. Only so far as we know his deep love, his passionate commitment to us, and his good plans, will we be liberated together to love and serve him with joy. So, those who pray, please pray that this year God would make us a church captivated by Jesus.

2. Pray for our prayerfulness

I praise God that there is so much prayer among our church family. Please pray for this to deepen and widen! Three realities of modern western society can hinder our prayerfulness: first, we live in a busy age, often far too busy to pray. Second, we live in a secular age, and can easily fail to appreciate that God is an active, loving heavenly Father, who hears and answers our prayers. Third, we live in a generally comfortable age. Historically, the church has been most urgent in prayer when the needs have been most pressing: persecution, imprisonment, malnourishment, spiritual oppression. The spiritual needs of our time and place are vast; pain is deep and widespread.

We need to push back, remember Jesus’ commitment to us, and commit ourselves to prayer this year. So, those who pray, please pray that this year God would make us a prayerful church.

3. Pray for our holiness

The Scottish pastor, Murray McCheyne, once remarked ‘my people’s greatest need is my personal holiness’. As a minister, he realised his most significant calling was to reflect God’s holiness to his people. God couldn’t be clearer: ‘be holy because I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:16). We live in a dark world in which God calls us to shine with his light; we live in a decaying world in which God calls us to be as distinctive as salt. As we are captivated by Jesus, please pray that we would increasingly reflect his likeness in our town and local community, and that many would be drawn to Jesus through us.