Month: October 2022
10 Encouraging Bible Verses About the Power of Prayer
Whether we’ve found ourselves in a challenging situation or season or we’re just journeying through everyday life, prayer is a powerful tool that we always have at our disposal. As pastors and leaders, we can always benefit from spending time in conversation with God.
Thankfully, there are many Bible verses about prayer to help us as we engage in this spiritual practice. We hope that these verses encourage your faith and remind you of the precious gift of prayer – feel free to share them with anyone in your life or ministry who needs them, too.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
1 John 5:14
This verse reminds us that God is truly listening when His children approach Him. As we pray the will of God over any situation in our lives, we can be sure that He hears us. That reassurance gives us confidence to approach God, no matter what the circumstances may be.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
Sometimes, our hearts can convince us that God is far from us – but this scripture reminds us that feeling is simply not true. The Psalmist reminds us that when we call on God, He draws near to us. What an incredible gift we have in that promise!
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:20
This gospel passage reminds us of the importance of praying with others in our community. There is power in joining together to pray and petition. Jesus even says that when we align our hearts in prayer, He is with us as we do it!
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
Prayer is a gift in and of itself, but as we pray, we also receive other gifts. This verse in Hebrews tells us that we can approach God with confidence, expecting that we will receive the mercy and grace we need for our current moment.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
This passage in James shows us that we are meant to pray for each other! Praying and confessing in community is a valuable part of the Christian life. According to scripture, confessing our sins and praying for one another brings healing. It’s so comforting to know that prayer truly works – it’s powerful and effective.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.”
Acts 16:25-32
This miracle in Acts was brought about through prayer and worship. What an incredible story! While Paul and Silas could have chosen to feel forgotten and defeated in prison, they instead decided to pray and worship God, even in a seemingly impossible situation. They were rewarded with their freedom — and even more importantly, an opportunity to share the gospel! This story reminds us that when things seem bleak, it’s the best time to pray. God can work on our behalf to help us and to bring His gospel to others!
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Romans 8:26
Have you ever known you needed to pray, but felt like you didn’t know what to say? This verse is a great encouragement to our hearts when we feel so burdened or confused that we can’t find the words. The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf even when our prayers don’t feel eloquent or coherent. God knows our hearts, even when we can’t articulate them well.
“Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.”
Psalm 143:1
Reading the Psalms is a great reminder that we have permission to come to God honestly, making our request no matter what emotion we’re feeling. This verse gives us a blueprint for praying in difficult times, asking God to hear our cries and give us mercy, according to His faithful and righteous character.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
This reminder from Jesus himself shows us that prayer can keep us from succumbing to sin — it’s a powerful spiritual weapon in fighting temptation. Prayer truly does offer us access to God, who is always ready to help us when it feels like the flesh will win out over the spirit. He is available to help us overcome any temptation we may face!
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
This passage reminded Solomon and the Israelite people that God would draw near to them and heal them, even after they had turned away from Him yet again. It offers us a beautiful picture, too — that God’s heart is always ready to heal his people when we return to Him. Even today, we can use this Old Testament passage as a guideline for repentance, praying humbly and seeking God’s face.
We hope these Bible verses about the power of prayer encourage you and help you serve your congregation in this season. We know how much you pour into your ministry, and we’re always looking for ways to support you. If you’re looking for a new way to incorporate prayer into your church community, try Church Base’s interactive prayer wall! Our Connection module offers a simple way for congregants to share their requests and pray for others.
Get started with Church Base’s Connection module — it’s completely free for your church to use.
7 Ways to Elevate your Church’s Fall Festival
As the temperatures dip and the leaves begin to fall, you may be beginning to plan your church’s harvest festival, church carnival, or trunk-or-treat event. These fall activities offer a fantastic opportunity for your attendees to connect with each other, as well as providing the community with a fun and wholesome experience to gather around.
We’d love to help you make your fall festival a success. Here are seven ways to elevate this year’s event!
1. Invite your neighbors.
Festivals and carnivals are the perfect way to invite the community into the life of your church. Of course, you’ll be promoting the event internally with your church members through handouts, announcements, and push notifications — but don’t forget to circulate some invites in the community, too! Here are a few simple ways to invite your city to join you:
- Give church attendees a few handout cards to invite friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
- Put a banner by the road outside your church for a few weeks leading up to the festival.
- Print door hangers to leave on the front doors of the neighborhoods closest to you.
- Purchase an ad spot on a few local radio stations.
2. Include local businesses.
As a church, partnering with local businesses is a great way to build relationships in your community. As you plan your fall event, consider hiring a local coffee cart or dessert vendor to provide some of the snacks, treats, or drinks for your festival. They’ll surely appreciate the support from your church, and everyone who comes to the festival will appreciate the delicious treats!
3. Give away prizes or treats.
If you’re planning a trunk-or-treat, everyone in attendance will walk away with plenty of candy. But if you want to bring a little bit of friendly competition into the mix, host a fun prize-winning game, too! This can be as simple as, “How many jellybeans are in the jar?” or as involved as a pumpkin carving competition with a first prize winner, but creating an activity everyone can enjoy together can function as a conversation starter and community builder.
4. Extend a Sunday invite.
While you have all of these new faces on your property for the first time, don’t forget to invite them to your Sunday gathering! A harvest festival is a great way to make visitors feel welcomed and comfortable. After they’ve attended a free event, they might feel more inclined to step inside the doors on a Sunday morning, so don’t miss the chance to invite them.
5. Offer a host of family-friendly activities.
When it comes to fun at fall festivals, more is more! Offer a variety of fun seasonal activities that will keep people at your event for longer, mingling and making friends. After all, the entire purpose of events like these is to foster new relationships and strengthen existing ones. Some popular activities you might like to try:
- Relay races
- Face painting
- Live music
- Pumpkin decorating
- Simple crafts
- Snacks and treats
- Corn hole or bocce ball
6. Offer a feast to remember.
If you want to truly take your festival to the next level, go beyond the simple sweet treats and offer attendees lots of delicious food! If it’s within budget, you can buy a spread ahead of time to offer for free. If you want to keep the costs down, invite local food trucks to join your event and let those who are interested purchase meals for themselves. Either way, great food always draws a crowd.
7. Involve your volunteers.
No great event happens without a great team, so invite your congregation to help! From bringing bags of candy and decorating their vehicles for the trunk-or-treat to baking goodies and hosting booths at the harvest festival, most people are just waiting for you to ask them to get involved.
If you’re looking for an easy way to sign up and organize your volunteers, the Church Base Community module was built just for you. Getting an event across the finish line with plenty of help has never been easier! Plus, our Connection module allows you to easily send reminders and push notifications to your entire church community, inviting them to the event and asking them to bring others along, too!
We created Church Base to help churches like yours — and using our software suite is completely free, forever. Get started today and see how Church Base can help!