Do you need help to pray? Most of us do! If we're not careful, well-intentioned prayer gatherings can become dry and lack the zeal we know is needed to intercede for the broken and vulnerable. The 'Stand in the Gap' prayer resource from Jubilee+ provides valuable ways for engaging with a needy world. As Christians and churches in the UK pray and seek God’s face about issues of poverty and injustice, He will not only change our hearts but also transform our communities.
New: 'Stand in the Gap' Prayer Resource
The recent Churches that Change Communities conference, marked the release of the brand new 'Stand in the Gap' prayer resource.
Written alongside friends at the Diocese of Liverpool, and several great Christian charities (see below!) we're in faith that this free resource will be a blessing in a wide range of church settings, as well as being useful in group settings or for individual use.
Stand in the Gap is packed with creative ways to engage the people around you in praying for justice and mercy issues in your local area, and it's written for people (just like Natalie!) who don't always know where to start:
"I need help to pray. I think most of us do. Jesus’ closest disciples did too – that’s why they asked Him to teach them how to pray. From wandering minds to words failing us, it can be hard to sustain a prayer time, let alone a ‘prayer life’... But James wrote that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. And Jesus responded to His disciples not with rebuke, but with help. He set out for them a framework that they could use to pray and petition their Father in heaven." Natalie Williams
We've designed 'Stand in the Gap' in line with the Jesus framework of how to pray, and intercede for justice and mercy in our day. Our hope is also that you'll find it highly practical (each of the 18-sections have a Kid's Prayer, a 30-second pre-written prayer & an idea for how to use a prayer space).
What setting would Stand in the Gap work well for?
Church use - If you need to fill an evening slot at a prayer meeting, or want to integrate prayer into your Sunday mornings, you'll find ideas for engaging the whole church here.
* Small group use - Creative ways to engage community groups to pray into the cost of living crisis, and for specific people facing severe lack near you
* Family prayer - we've purposefully included sections which engage young children with prayer for those living in poverty
* Devotional use - you'll find pre-written prayers, Bible passages
You can find (and download) the 'Stand in the Gap' prayer resource on the Jubilee+ website, here.
Stand in the Gap has been written with friends from Network of Kindness (Diocese of Liverpool), Christians Against Poverty, Home for Good, 24-7 Prayer, Hope into Action, Safe Families, Mind & Soul Foundation, Hope at Home, Acts435, Welcome Churches & i61.
Jubilee-Plus. (n.d.). New: ‘Stand in the Gap’ Prayer Resource. [online] Available at: https://jubilee-plus.org/blog/1336/new-stand-in-the-gap-prayer-resource/ [Accessed 15 Feb. 2024].