“I can do it by myself” is deep seated in our mind. As such, we often strive for wealth, power, and fame to sustain our security. This deceptive strive will easily blind us into illusion of our indispensability, sin and even corruption.
How could we guard us from this blindness? One of the few ways is to journey through the 40-day Lent season intentionally. Lent, which is rooted in Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness, is a period for reflection on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, especially his sacrifice, suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. Through this intentional “wilderness experience” with Jesus Christ, it is hoped that we could, by the help of the Holy Spirit, break out of our greed, deception, blindness, and thus the habits/patterns that hinder us from deepening our Christian Discipleship of obedience and fruitful living.
May we encourage you to journey through the Lent season faithfully and pray the following suggested prayers:
Prayer for ourselves and our families
1. Pray for discipline and strength to spend more time in meditation, repentance, praying, and fasting, as a way to remind us of our baptismal covenant and our Christian Discipleship (Lk. 9:18-27, 57-62; see 2012 Methodist Book of Discipline, §§112-119).
2. Pray for determination to fast from a habit, e.g. surfing facebook, scrolling i-phone, watching television or online films, abstinence from certain foods as exercises to submit our life patterns to God in a new way through prayerful self-denial.
Prayer for His Church
1. Pray for our local churches, our pastors, and church leaders that we will intentionally journey through the Lent season as a preparation for Easter celebration and baptismal worship.
2. Pray that our local churches will allow God to visit us as we meditate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. May God provoke our thoughts to recommit our local churches to walk the Way of Christ and to be His faithful disciples in the midst of deception and blindness (See 2012 MBoD, §§101-105).
Prayer for Our Land
1. Pray that God’s light will shine upon the rulers, the S.T.E.P. (social, technoscience, economic, politics) leaders and civil servants so that they could see the deceptions and blindness surround them, and in turn, determine to search for the True Light and walk in the Light (See 2 Sam. 11:1-12:23; Ps.51)
2. Pray for the state election of Sarawak. Pray that leaders with integrity will be nominated and elected during this election that God’s purposes for this state, and thus for our nation will be established. (More prayer items, see appendix.)
Appendix—Prayer items for Sarawak State Election
- Pray for men and women of righteousness to be nominated and elected who will
uphold the rights of all races, and care for migrants and refugees. Pray against the
nomination and election of any extremists of any kind who incite hatred and
mischief and all forms of racial and religious divide. - Pray for those nominating and voting, that they will be convicted to support and
vote for the man and woman of righteousness, the person of God’s choosing. - Pray that every official involved in the election process –including the election
officials, appointees, police, RELA and army – will serve with honesty and integrity
of heart. Pray also for polling and counting agents, as well as election observers. - Pray that God will energize and empower his people to call out to him day and
night in extraordinary prayer during this season. - Pray too for the Nation, that God’s plans and purposes for our nation will be
established during this state election season.