Praise God for the honor of approaching Him and conversing with Him in prayer. Pray for one another, for us to be strengthened to stand and to boldly move forward throughout our lives and world with the gospel. Ask God to grow our affection for one another and for all brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for Him to produce kindness within each of us and to use us to help one another grow in our love of and faith in Christ.

This week we are praying for Banks Academy, a private, Christian high school in East Lake with a mission to train and educate students with excellence and provide hope for a bright future. They particularly serve low-income families in the eastern Birmingham area. The pandemic has caused them to implement extra precautions such as masks, table dividers, and sanitizer as they prepare to have students return to the classroom on Monday, August 10. We’re also praying this week for Philadelphia Baptist Church and Pastor Cory Varden.

Day 1: Pray for the teachers and staff at Banks Academy to stay focused on their desire and goal to present the Christ to their students and impact their lives forever.

Day 2: Pray for guidance and wisdom from the Lord for the leadership at Banks Academy. Pray for wise decisions to be made related to COVID-19 and protection for their faculty and students.

Day 3: Pray for a hedge of protection around Banks Academy. Pray that 100% of their faculty, staff, volunteers, and students would remain virus-free.

Day 4: Pray for their teachers to show the love of Christ and minister to their students well. Pray for the teachers to provide an extraordinary education, as well as a safe space for students to exist.

Day 5: Pray for the Lord to continue to bring new students for the 2020-21 school year. Pray for whatever barriers might be keeping a parent from enrolling their child to be swept away and their path to be made straight.

Day 6: Pray for Banks Academy’s principal and board members. Pray they would be clearly led in all decision making by the Lord. Pray for the path to a new permanent location for Banks Academy to be free of all obstacles.

This week we are praying for the people of Lebanon, specifically the citizens of Beirut after the tragic explosion at a port warehouse that killed hundreds and leveled parts of the city. The country of Lebanon is a fertile, mountainous state in the East Mediterranean nestled between Israel and Syria. It is one of the smallest countries in the Middle East with a population of 4.5 million people. Once the commercial hub of the Middle East, the country is now in constant political and economic turmoil. Join us this week as we pray for the people of Beirut, Lebanon.

Day 1: The primary religion in Lebanon is Islam. Proportionally though, Lebanon has the highest rate of Christians in the Middle East. It is estimated that 1% of the Christian population are Evangelical and live primarily in Beirut. Pray for the believers in Beirut to remain steadfast and have an opportunity to show Christ to those affected by the explosion this week.

Day 2: Currently there are 1.5 million refugees living in Lebanon. The majority of those refugees are from Syria. This puts an additional strain on the already volatile economy and fragile political system. Pray for the displaced living in Lebanon. Pray for God to provide for their needs and for believers working among refugees to have opportunities to share the gospel.

Day 3: Pray for God to be merciful to those who are suffering in Beirut as a result of the explosion. Pray for God to provide for their needs and bring comfort to those who are suffering.

Day 4: Pray for the leaders in Beirut. Pray for God to give wisdom to those who lead the city and the country. Pray for truth and justice to prevail. Pray against corruption.

Day 5: Lebanon remains the only land in the Middle East where all are legally free to change their religious affiliation. Believers from most other Arab countries can more freely come to Lebanon for Christian training. Pray for this religious freedom to be maintained.

Day 6: Pray God to reveal Christ to those who are seeking hope in this season. Pray for believers in Beirut to be bold to share the gospel and generous with their love towards those who are suffering.