Praise God for the gift of marriage and the picture it is of Christ and His Church. Pray for marriages within Brook Hills to flourish and bring glory to God. Ask Him to bring healing to those couples hurting and struggling. Pray for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and for wives to submit to their husbands as to the Lord.

This week we are praying for Oak Tree Ministries (oaktreeministries.org), a ministry that partners with Brook Hills to labor with the people of Mark’s Village in fulfillment of God’s promises in Isaiah 61. The verses of Isaiah 61:3-4 will guide our prayer for Oak Tree Ministries this week. “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” We are also praying for Household of Faith Church and Pastor Larry Cockrell.

DAY 1: Pray for Oak Tree to be able to be a literal picture of rebuilding the ancient ruins through creative and meaningful use of their space and resources, including the renovation of their new property. Pray that through the Newman Center for Renewal many lives will be transformed by the power of our Lord Jesus.

DAY 2: Pray Oak Tree would offer biblical “shalom” through Community Support adding value to their community through intellectual, spiritual, and occupational resources, such as educational partnerships (like Love Oliver) and job creation (like their new screen-printing business, Renew Printing).

DAY 3: Pray for Oak Tree to be a part of restoration in places long devastated through holistic care, including spiritual, mental, and physical support in the name of Jesus. Pray for provision of new supporters to strengthen this work through their Oaks of Righteousness Benefit Dinner this May.

DAY 4: Pray the Trauma Informed practices employed at Oak Tree will lead to healing – from past, present, and future devastations. Knowing the Lord loves justice (Micah 6:8) and desires biblical justice to be accomplished through His church, pray for all dividing walls of hostility to be destroyed. (Eph 2:14).

DAY 5: Ask God to use Oak Tree and Brook Hills to be a part of renewal in the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations as we share Jesus with our words and prove we believe with our actions. Pray for staff, neighbors, volunteers, and partners to bring glory to God through mutually transforming and healing relationships in their new youth development program, YouLead.

DAY 6: Pray that through their Gospel Centered approach, it will be said in Marks Village that as the earth brings forth sprouts and a garden causes what is sown to sprout, The LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up in Marks Village until the trumpet sounds. Pray that at His coming, He would find His people there faithfully exulting in His name, clothed in garments of salvation and wearing Christ’s robe of righteousness (Is 61:11).

This week, we are praying for Wesley J, one of our Long Term Partners serving in North Africa.

DAY 1: Pray for Wesley to love and treasure Jesus more every day, and for his walk with Him to be more delight than duty. Pray for Wesley to be more faithful, dependent, consistent, and urgent in prayer for all things. Pray for him to be humble, and to pray against the tendency to find his identity in his performance or accomplishments or failures. Pray against unhealthy comparisons, entitlement, and envy, all rooted in pride. 

DAY 2: Wesley is in full time language school. Pray for patience and endurance in his language learning and for favor to push through when things get hard and progress seems slow.

DAY 3: Pray for wisdom in time management. Pray for Wesley to be wise as he discerns where to spend his time each day. Pray for him to look for opportunities to love others well, even as he studies, invests in his church and team, and spends time in the community.

DAY 4: Wesley hosts an English Club on Thursday nights. Pray for good conversations to occur. Pray also for his English-speaking local friends, some of whom have heard the gospel. Please pray for follow-up conversations and for them to desire to read the Bible. 

DAY 5: This year, Wesley will begin trying to find a job that will lead to a long-term work visa in his country. He has a background in physical therapy. Ask God to open doors for him to use his profession as a way to stay in the country. Pray Wesley will be open and willing to do whatever God has in store for him in the future.

DAY 6: Pray for the members of their local church to have more encounters with locals wanting to learn about Jesus, to read the Bible, and to visit their Sunday gatherings. Pray for their church to grow in love, unity, and maturity this year.