In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls us “salt of the earth”,
the “light of the world” and “a town built on a hill”.
It’s a reminder that the way we live our lives reflects something of God to the people around us.
But that can feel like an impossible challenge. The practices of A Methodist Way of Life like Live, Serve, or Care can provide encouragement in how to do life differently.
Praying for God’s guidance, and to notice God at work in us and in the world, reminds us that God is always supporting us.
A prayer for breakthrough
God of love, God for all
Your purposes are more beautiful than we can possibly imagine.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Help us let go of all that holds us back.
Open our lives and our churches to new seasons of humility and faith, of change and growth.
Shake us up with the good news of Jesus and show us the way.
Amen.
The creative prayer prompts below can also be downloaded here as a PowerPoint or PDF, or you can order them as a pack of 52 creative prayer cards. Click to scroll through some options and choose one that feels right for you.
Imaginative prayer
This imaginative prayer is from Our Church’s Future Story. It’s a way to discern where God might be leading you to focus your care and attention in the season ahead.
Pause for a moment, remember God gazing on you with great love. Ask God to guide your imagination as you pray.
Imagine Jesus gazing at the globe. Imagine how he is moved as he looks at the earth.
Imagine Jesus’ focus narrows to look at your church/community.
Gazing at the church/community, what happens in Jesus’ heart? What is the expression on his face?
As you move through the church doors, follow Jesus’ gaze. What does he see? What does he notice?
In your imagination, what time of day is it, who is present and what is happening? Who or what is Jesus drawn to?
Is there an event, a group, a particular place or individual where Jesus’ gaze lingers?
Allow yourself to sit for a moment with Jesus, noticing what he notices.
Spend some time talking with Jesus about what he has noticed and what you have noticed.
Make a note of anything and anyone God nudged you about during your time of prayer and share it with others in your church, for consideration in your growth planning discernment.
Here are a few more ideas for praying to reflect God’s nature to the world.
- What are you passionate about? Perhaps it’s justice, Marvel movies, or the environment. Ask God to help you to see opportunities to bring God’s love into the communities you engage with.
- We Have Voices: Praying Together for Peace, Justice and Change is full of beautiful prayers you can use.
- Read one of the following Bible passages and ask yourself what God is saying to you through this passage: John 15:1–11, Acts 1:8, Matthew 25:31–46, John 13:34–35, Jeremiah 29:4–7, or Acts 2:43–47.