Call to Prayer (March 2017)

This month’s IFI Prayer Team guidance comes from Phil DelRe, Executive Director of Voice in the Wilderness Ministries.

To Our Great God and Savior,

With our hearts bowed before you, we join the heavenly host and cry, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God Almighty. You alone are God and there is no God beside you. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, only you declare the end from the beginning.  You dwell in unapproachable light, and no man can see you and live.  You are the crown over all creation, the royal Redeemer, the Supreme Commander and sustainer of every living thing. We live because you live. You are the God who is, the God who was, and the God who always will be, from eternity past to eternity future, without beginning, without end, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever the God who changes not!  

By grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone, we enter into your gates with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise.  With the scepter of Christ extended, we come before your throne with confidence to seek grace and find mercy to help us in our time of need. You are the vine, we are the branches, apart from you we can do nothing.

As your children, please be merciful to us for we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  Pardon us, we pray, and help us to repent. Deliver us from lust, greed, and pride. Open the windows of heaven and pour out the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that we might know you better.  Open the eyes of our hearts. Set us on fire for the Gospel; give us a burning passion for the souls of the lost and the hearts of the broken. We pray that you, the Lord of the harvest, would send more laborers into the fields which are ripe for harvest. Pour out your Spirit, and bring a world-wide revival beginning in our own hearts, our own homes, and our own churches.  We pray for all those in authority, from presidents to pastors that we might live in peace. And, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Your Word says, “If we ask anything according to your will, you will hear from heaven, and we will have the petitions we ask.” Be glorified in answering these prayers. God is great and greatly to be praised.

In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. 

Please continue to pray for our local, state and national officials as they consider new policies and laws that will affect our families and freedoms. Join us as we pray for God’s guidance and wisdom in the halls of our legislatures.

Local elections, including school board, are just around the corner. Please be in prayer for the candidates and a good turnout of Christian voters. Pray that voters understand the issues of safety, modesty and privacy for all students in our government schools.

Also pray for the ultimate demise of the following bills pending in Springfield:  taxpayer funding of abortion (HB 40); counterfeit birth certificates (HB 1785); drug decriminalization (HB 3235); no penalties for marijuana for “enrolled students” (HB 3715); incarcerated prisoner can motion to change drug felony conviction to misdemeanor (SB 1886); abortion clinic censorship zone (HB 3735); gambling expansion (SB 7); income tax increase (SB 9) and the ERA (SJRCA 4).

Pray that our neighbors understand the value of human life and the fundamental freedom to live out our faith in the public square. Pray for the success of recent legal challenge to Illinois’ new law that forces pro-life medical professionals to give abortion referrals.

Pray for boldness in our pulpits and for strong, unwavering church leadership and a willingness to engage the culture.

Pray for the health, safety and well-being of the IFI staff and praise God for the volunteers who give their time to come to the office to help with projects.