Thursday - Because He Lives

Welcome to Daily Prayer.

This is Week 6 of the Because He Lives series — encounters with the risen Jesus. Today’s passage includes one of the most important mission statements in Scripture.

The disciples ask Jesus about the timing of the kingdom being restored to Israel.

Jesus redirects them—not away from the kingdom, but away from speculation and toward

Spirit-empowered witness. They want to know when. Jesus tells them what they really need.

Let us quiet our hearts and minds before the Lord, anticipating a special connection with him

today.

Father, we give everyone and everything to you.

Acts 1:6-8 (ESV)

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the

kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the

Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has

come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the end of the earth.”

Word of Encouragement

There are things God has not asked us to know. But there are things He has clearly called us

to do. We may not know every detail of the future, but we are called to be witnesses of Jesus.

We are called to carry the gospel across boundaries—Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the

end of the earth. This witness begins near and moves outward. It crosses comfort zones. It

breaks through prejudice. It reaches neighbors and nations. And the power for this witness is

not personality, education, platform, or confidence. It is the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer of Adoration

Jesus, I worship you as King over the times and seasons. You know what I do not know. You

see what I cannot see. You reign over history, nations, generations, and every detail of my life.

Father, I praise you because all authority belongs to you. The future is not random. The world

is not out of control. Your purposes are moving forward even when I do not understand the

timing. Holy Spirit, I praise you as the power of witness. You make Jesus known through

people who could never carry this mission alone.

A Prayer of Confession

Lord, I confess that I often become distracted by things you have not asked me to know.

I want certainty about the future more than faithfulness in the present. Forgive me for asking

questions that keep me from responding to what you have already made clear. I confess that I

sometimes want your kingdom to come in ways that serve my comfort, my group, my

preferences, or my expectations. Forgive me for drawing lines around who I think is worth

reaching. Forgive me for resisting any people or places you may be calling me toward.

A Prayer of Intercession

Lord, I pray for your church to recover the power and purpose of witness. Deliver us from

distraction, fear, division, and comfort. Fill pastors, leaders, missionaries, parents, students,

workers, and ordinary believers with your Spirit. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel. Let us

not be harsh, timid, self-righteous, or silent. Raise up witnesses in every neighborhood and

nation. Let the name of Jesus be proclaimed with truth, love, boldness, and humility.

Closing Prayer

During these last few moments, ask the Holy Spirit to bring one person to mind. Someone

near. Someone who might make you uncomfortable. Someone who needs to see and hear the

hope of Jesus. Someone who needs to see that your heart has also been changed by the love

and mercy of God.

Pray: “Holy Spirit, make me a witness. Send me with love, courage, and power.”

Go in His strength, not your own.