Praise God the Father for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, and ask Him to continue to guide our study of the Book of Mark. Thank Him for His compassion, and ask Him to grow us to be more compassionate ourselves. Pray we will all live confident in His power over all the evil forces of this world.

This week we are praying for unity and reconciliation in the Body of Christ in Birmingham for the sake of effectively proclaiming and portraying the power of the gospel together. We are particularly praying that each of us will seek to be instruments in the Redeemer’s hand, displaying Christ’s love and pursuing unity in His body as He reconciles all things in Christ. We are also praying for Mountain Brook Community Church and Pastor Tim Kallam.

DAY 1: Pray for members of our Faith Family at Brook Hills to reflect the love of Christ across all ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and man-made barriers in our city. Pray especially for those who serve alongside our partners such as Oak Tree Ministries, Oliver Elementary School, Birmingham Cross Cultural Connections, and Iglesia La Conéxion to pursue humility and peace in Gospel-centered relationships.

DAY 2: Pray for all believers across Birmingham to desire and pursue unity with believers of all ethnicities and cultures. Pray for them to show love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, and humility in a way that demonstrates Christ’s character to the entire city.

DAY 3: Pray that the Spirit would lead Christians of all ethnicities to walk in forgiveness toward one another, extending grace to those who have caused division or have acted unjustly, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

DAY 4: Pray that all evangelical church leaders in Birmingham will eagerly seek to reflect the unity of the Spirit by initiating partnerships and friendships with one another to declare the Gospel across our city. Pray for favor for the Christian Service Mission as they seek to facilitate those partnerships and friendships in Birmingham.

DAY 5: Pray that God would continue to make us aware of our own sin, prejudices, ignorance, ethno-centric attitudes, and apathy that keeps us from displaying the power of the Gospel through the unity of His Body.

DAY 6: Pray that evangelical church leaders across the city would especially be willing to mobilize their congregations to make disciples in low-income urban areas and among ethnicities that are isolated from the Church.

This week we are praying for the country of Iran. Christians are always vulnerable in Iran, particularly converts from Islam. Our Iranian brothers and sisters experience intense persecution from the government and from their own communities. In the eyes of the Iranian authorities, Christians are “national security threats”. Converts and house church leaders are often prosecuted under national security charges, many times leading to heavy prison sentences. These difficulties are made worse by the current uprising.

DAY 1: Pray for God to protect men, women, and children throughout Iran. Pray for Him to turn the hearts of police and security forces and for them to stop assaulting and killing civilians. Ask God to give peace and calm to communities living in fear. Ask God to protect those participating in protests and to guard them from injury, arrest, or exploitation. Ask God to bring peace and freedom to the people of Iran.

DAY 2: Pray for God to give wisdom to house church leaders as they make daily decisions about safety and care. Pray leaders would know when to gather, when to wait, and how best to shepherd their people. Ask God to protect house churches. and pray they remain out of view so believers can worship in safety. 

DAY 3: Pray authorities would not increase surveillance or pressure on Christian gatherings.  Ask God to guard the hearts of believers so fear will not take root, and pray they would trust in God and remain strong. Pray for them to bravely show Christ’s love to their communities during this difficult time.

DAY 4: Ask God to protect Christians who have faced increased scrutiny and false accusations of being foreign agents. Pray our brothers and sisters would find favor in the sight of their captors and that no spiritual or physical harm will come against them and that God would, as he did with Daniel, shut the mouths of the Lions that surround them intending them harm. Pray authorities would cease all violence against our brothers and sisters. Pray followers of Jesus would know they are loved by their Father and by the Body of Christ around the world. Ask God to surround His people with peace, even in uncertain and hidden circumstances.

DAY 5: Pray for God to provide for the daily needs of all Iranian civilians including Christian families and church communities. Pray for believers to trust in God as their provider and for God to provide them with access to food. Pray churches would be able to care for their community with wisdom and generosity and for fear about the future to give way to confidence and hope.

DAY 6: Ask God to open the eyes of those with spiritual questions arising during this unrest. Pray for them to reject the false religion of Islam and for it to lead people to seek truth and hope that only comes from the gospel. Pray for Christians to be bold, discerning, and guided by the Spirit. Ask God to open the hearts of the lost to understand who Jesus is. Pray for the Church to remain strong and courageous and for the gospel to continue to advance, even in difficult conditions. Pray for Iranians who continue to practice Islam to see the futility of worshipping a false god and turn to Christ.