Wednesday - Because He Lives

Welcome to Daily Prayer. This is Week 7 of the Because He Lives series — encounters with

the risen Jesus. Today Peter stands and explains that what the crowd is seeing is the

fulfillment of God’s promise. Ask the Lord to help you recognize what He is doing instead of

dismissing it. 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 2:14-21 (ESV)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea

and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For

these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But

this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your

old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will

pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and

signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to

darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent

day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

A Prayer of Worship

Father, I worship you because you keep your promises. What you say, you do. You are faithful

even when people forget, doubt, or stop paying attention. Holy Spirit, I worship you because

you are generous. You do not only work through people who seem important, talented,

confident, or older. You can work through sons and daughters, young and old, ordinary

people, and even people who feel overlooked. Jesus, I praise you because everyone who

calls on your name can be saved. That means your mercy is bigger than our past, our

mistakes, our fears, and our failures. Help me believe that you can work through my life too.

Help me not think I am too young, too quiet, too awkward, or too ordinary to be used by you.A Prayer of Petition

Lord, pour out your Spirit in my life, my family, my church, and my community. Do what only

you can do. Awaken spiritual hunger. Restore prayer. Revive worship. Bring conviction of sin.

Give courage to speak your Word. Give dreams and vision that are shaped by your kingdom

and anchored in Scripture. Raise up sons and daughters who speak faithfully for you.

Strengthen the young with holy passion and the old with enduring vision. Use people who feel

overlooked, ordinary, or unqualified. Lord, do not let us settle for a powerless form of religion.

Do not let us become satisfied with spiritual routine without spiritual life. Teach us to welcome

your work with discernment, humility, and hunger. Help us test everything by your Word, but

never become so cynical that we cannot rejoice when you move.

A Prayer of Warfare

In the name of Jesus, I stand against every lie that says God cannot use me. I reject the lie

that I am too young, too weak, too unnoticed, or too imperfect to be filled with the Spirit and

used by God. I stand against fear that keeps me silent. I stand against insecurity that makes

me compare myself to others. I stand against distraction that pulls my heart away from you.

Lord, help me recognize the things that try to keep me spiritually numb or disconnected from

you. Break off apathy, fear, shame, and anything that keeps me from fully saying yes to you.

Let the name of Jesus be stronger in my life than fear, pressure, temptation, or insecurity.

Make me awake, brave, humble, and faithful.

Closing Prayer

During these last few moments, sit with an open and receptive heart. Ask the Father to pour

out His Spirit in the places where you have grown spiritually dull, distracted, or discouraged.

Invite Him to awaken fresh hunger for prayer, Scripture, worship, holiness, and witness.

Consider where you may have become cynical about God’s work. Ask the Holy Spirit to give

you both discernment and openness, so you can recognize and welcome what He is doing.