KINGDOM PRAYERS FOR THE
WEEK OF DECEMBER 22, 2025
SERMON TITLE: Raising of Lazarus
SCRIPTURE: John 11:1-44
FOCUS: Jesus gives us remarkable proof of His Divinity as He places before us the hope of our future resurrection.
FMC PRAYER: Children/Youth – Lord, this week, we lift up the children at FMC. May they always remind us of the childlike faith we should all possess and that their faith in You impacts those around them. Heavenly Father, we pray that as they gather with their family and friends throughout this Christmas season that they are encouraged to share the truth, that it is Your Son, Jesus, who is the resurrection and life, the One and Only Light of the World, who has come so that all might believe. We pray for strength through the struggles within their families to combat any unbelief that exists – may they be ever aware of Your presence and provision in the midst of the hard times.
ENDSTATE: Throughout the Tri-State Region & Beyond…repentance and gratitude flow…Gracious, loving, and merciful Father, You never fail to reach out to us in our brokenness. It is an overwhelming gift for someone as undeserving as I. Through Your scriptures, You are constantly revealing to us the distance that You will go to pursue us. I ask that You break my pride so that my need for You increases. As I seek Your forgiveness, increase my willingness to forgive others. As I approach You with a repentant heart, help me to see others with new eyes as well and encourage them as they walk in Your transforming grace. As I am overwhelmed by gratitude for all that You have done for me, may I respond with an emboldened faith, testifying to who You are.
Thank You for Your endless patience and unfailing love. I trust in Your promise of redemption and hope.
FMC VALUES: 1 – Kneel before we run: Almighty Father, before I plan one more thing, before I take one more step, or before I breathe one more breath, allow me the privilege of thanking You for this amazing and beautiful gift of assurance that I can approach You and kneel before You.
I confess that the busyness of this season threatens to take over and distract me. Increase in me an awareness that this life that I am living is not meant to be about me or what I want, but instead I am meant to live for Your Glory, and Your will alone.
As Jesus commanded Lazarus to take off the grave clothes, please give me the strength to let go of those things that come between You and me, and the faith and courage to walk out of the tomb.
INVISIBLE CHURCH: Lord, we come before You with hearts full of gratitude and a deep longing for unity within Your body. Keep us ever mindful that Jesus is the victor and His birth occurred because of Your redemptive plan to save us from our mess of sin. It is easy to focus on the innocent babe in the manger and not reflect on the reality that the innocent babe stepped down from His heavenly throne to humble Himself, so that He could take on the sin of all humanity. We thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and the bond that unites us as brothers and sisters in Him.
Just as Jesus looked around at all the brokenness in the people around Him, we pray that we do not lose sight that we are all a work in progress and brokenness exists in each one of us. Replace our judgment with compassion, our division with unity, our piousness with humility, our self-righteousness with Your righteousness, and our desire for sameness with an appreciation for how uniquely You created each one of us.
STUDENTS: Heavenly Father, we lift the students of Four Mile as they grow in and take ownership of their faith. We pray that Your desires become their desires.
As they grow stronger in their faith, emboldened them to share Your truth that Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the Way, the Truth, and the Light of Life. Help them to be an example to those around them and not hide their faith.
We ask God that You give us opportunities to encourage them and build them up as fellow believers, and that You assure them as they step forward in faith that You hold their future and they do not need to worry.
CARE: Lord, as we reflect on the story about Lazarus and the desperate pleas of his sisters to save him, may we be reminded that You are sovereign over all and You have a good and perfect plan. Grow our faith, God, so that in those times when we struggle with the realities that we are facing, we do not struggle against You.
Help us to comfort those who are in real battles of their own and to recognize that we are Your hands and feet, and it is the commission that we as believers all live under.
Remind us that it is never about us – this beautiful gift we have been given is not one to squander, but instead to share extravagantly with those around us. Unending mercy. Abundant grace – to You alone be all the glory forever and ever. Amen.