5 Powerful Prayers for the Church to Pray in this Hour

Our nation has been in the midst of a long season of fear, violence, anger, indecision, confusion and distrust. Divisiveness has split communities, families and even churches.

How do we pray into such a mess? Here are some prayer points and scriptures to help navigate these turbulent waters. May the Scriptures and topics inform your prayers as you press into the Father, the One who has already “overcome the world!” Please feel free to copy and share these with others who will use them!

Pray for the Church to stand against the enemy’s attempt to use this season to damage and paralyze the Church:

“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
“And now you have become living building-stones for God’s use in building his house. What’s more, you are his holy priests; so come to him—you who are acceptable to him because of Jesus Christ—and offer to God those things that please him” (1 Peter 2:5).
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Pray: Almighty God, wake up Your Church to stand firm in this moment! Help us to remember that through Your authority and in Your power, we can take our stand against the Devil’s attempts to do damage. We have Your strength and Your Spirit! Give us great courage to stand together in unity as communities, families and churches. May we be recognized as Your loving children, adorned in Your holiness. May we function as salt and light in order to be Your hands and feet in this hour!

Pray that God’s people will overcome anxiety with peace:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
“I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Pray: Father, we ask you to help us overcome our anxiety with Your perfect peace! We ask You to give us strength and courage in this hour!

Pray for the end of fear across the nations of the earth:

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday” (Psalm 91:1-6).
“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

Pray: Most High God, we ask for Your divine hand of protection over Your people! In the Name of Jesus, we ask You to bring healing and courage into lives and hearts for the glory of Your Name. May people across the earth see You move so that there is no doubt about Your power and Your goodness! We may not understand all that is going on around us but we trust Your heart!

Pray for the Church to step into the gap to provide supernatural generosity and help for those who are in need:

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).
“It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10).

Pray: Lord Jesus, there are so many people in need of a touch from You right now. Help Your people to give peace to the anxious, to give kindness to those who are struggling, to find resources for those who are without, and to give comfort and encouragement to those who are sad or alone! May Your Church shine Your light into the desperate, anxious hearts and lives of those around us!

Pray for the Gospel to spread faster than the virus and for spiritual awakening to be poured out upon the earth:

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him” (Psalm 22:27).
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Pray: King of kings, You have commissioned Your people to go into all the world, from next door to across the earth. Technology is allowing people to spread the Gospel at an amazing rate! Father, would You open hearts and minds, would You remove the scales and blinders from eyes, and would You speak to people in dreams and visions in every nation, tribe and tongue on earth? We ask that Your creativity would continue to explode the message of Jesus Christ across the earth so that Your Name will be the name on everyone’s lips. You are able and You have the power to accomplish it through Your people! We trust You for an outpouring of Your Spirit unlike anything we have ever seen in our lifetimes! Father, we ask You to bring spiritual awakening to Your people and revival to the nations!