“During this year’s Ten Days of Prayer, the Almighty God did so many awesome miracles. . . . In the neighborhood of one of our churches, there has been no electricity for almost two years. . . . So during the last Ten Days of Prayer, the church pastor was inspired to ask the church to pray each morning for electricity to be restored. To the glory of God, that prayer is being answered.” (P.C.O.)

“[During Ten Days of Prayer] there was renewed commitment, motivation, zeal, and sincerity among the flock. Personally, I found it rejuvenating, and even more so during the culmination with a fruitful night prayer vigil! We need more of such wonderful sessions that bring us closer to the feet of Jesus.” (E.A.)

“My commitment to reading Scripture and spending time on prayer was not that serious. After Ten Days of Prayer I greatly changed my attitude about prayer. I started to spend more time in prayer, praising God, praying for others, and reading Scripture. I had hypertension, but it has since reduced. All my thanks to the Almighty.” (H.R.)

“[During Ten Days of Prayer, everyone prayed for a sister who had a job interview.] She was offered the job—a job that needed someone with the highest qualifications, but it was given to her. [We are amazed at] what God does, after many years of struggling and waiting. How many times have we prayed? We can’t count. I want to encourage us all to continue praying because our prayers won’t be in vain if we believe.” (L.B.)

Has God’s voice been calling you to revival? The Bible is full of promises for you:

“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32).

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

Wherever you are in life right now, God is closer than you think. He wants to pour out His blessings on your family, your church, your community, and your world!

Our Prayer Theme:
But When You Pray . . .

This year our daily readings were prepared by Dr. Pavel Goia, editor of Ministry magazine. He uses stories from his own ministry to explore the Lord’s Prayer and other teachings of Jesus. Follow along as he unpacks the deeper meaning and spiritual significance of familiar lines. What does it mean to “hallow” God’s name? What does God’s kingdom look like here on earth? How can forgiving others transform our relationship with God? And does God ever lead people into temptation?

Whether you’ve been praying for a lifetime or just a few days, these story-filled readings will awaken your sense of need and desire to meet Jesus on your knees every day. Read thoughtfully and keep your Bible nearby. And if possible, find a group of believers to pray with during these ten days. When two or three gather in the name of Jesus, miracles happen!

Suggested Guidelines for Prayer Times

Keep your prayers short—just a sentence or two on one topic. Then give others a turn. You can pray as many times as you’d like, just as you talk in a conversation.

Do not be afraid of silence, as it gives everyone time to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Singing songs together as the Spirit leads is also a huge blessing. You do not need a piano for this; singing acapella is fine.

Rather than using up valuable prayer time talking about your prayer requests, simply pray them. Then others can also pray for your requests and claim promises for your need. happen!

Claiming the Promises

It is our privilege to claim God’s promises in our prayers. All His commandments and counsels are also promises. He would never ask from us something that we could not do in His strength.

It is so easy to focus on our needs, our difficulties, our challenges—and to wail and whine about our situation when we pray. This is not the purpose of prayer. Prayer is meant to strengthen our faith. That is why we encourage you to claim God’s promises in your prayer time. Take your eyes off yourself and your weaknesses and look to Jesus. By beholding Him, we become changed into His image.

Ellen White offers this encouragement: “Every promise in the Word of God is for us. In your prayers, present the pledged word of Jehovah and by faith claim His promises. His word is the assurance that if you ask in faith, you will receive all spiritual blessings. Continue to ask, and you will receive exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think” (In Heavenly Places, p. 71).

How can you claim His promises? For instance, when praying for peace, you can claim John 14:27 and say, “Lord, You have told us in Your Word, ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ Give me the peace that You promised to leave with us.” Thank the Lord that He is giving you peace, even though you may not feel it right then.

Fasting

We encourage you to do a Daniel Fast during these ten days. Starting the year with prayer and fasting is a wonderful way to consecrate our lives to God for the upcoming year. Ellen White tells us, “Now and onward till the close of time the people of God should be more earnest, more wide-awake, not trusting in their own wisdom, but in the wisdom of their Leader. They should set aside days for fasting and prayer. Entire abstinence from food may not be required, but they should eat sparingly of the most simple food” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 188, 189).

We know about Daniel, who ate fruits and vegetables for ten days. We likewise encourage you to adopt a very simple diet during these ten days. If we want clearer minds for hearing God’s voice, and if we want to draw closer to Him, we need to make sure that our diet is not hindering us.

Fasting is not only about abstaining from food. We also encourage you to fast from TV, movies, computer games, and even Facebook and YouTube. Sometimes things that are not bad in themselves can take so much of our time. Put aside everything possible so you can have more time to spend with the Lord.

Fasting is not a quick way to obtain a miracle from God. Fasting is all about humbling ourselves so God can work in us and through us. Let’s draw closer to Him through prayer and fasting, and He will draw closer to us.

Holy Spirit

Be sure to ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you should pray for in a person’s life or in a particular situation. The Bible tells us that we do not know what to pray for and that the Holy Spirit is the One who intercedes for us.

“We must not only pray in Christ’s name, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This explains what is meant when it is said that the Spirit ‘maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered’ (Romans 8:26). Such prayer God delights to answer. When with earnestness and intensity we breathe a prayer in the name of Christ, there is in that very intensity a pledge from God that He is about to answer our prayer ‘exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20)” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 147).

Faith

We read in the Spirit of Prophecy that “prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 509). We are also told that “for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received” (Education, p. 258). So make a habit of thanking God in advance through faith for what He is going to do and how He is going to answer your prayers.

Pray for Others

During these ten days we encourage you to pray consistently for the people God has placed in your life. Choose five to seven people—they can be relatives, friends, coworkers, neighbors, or simply acquaintances. Take some time to ask God whom He would like you to pray for. Ask Him also to give you a real burden for these people. Write the names on a piece of paper and keep it in a prominent place, such as in your Bible. You’ll be amazed at how God works in response to your prayers!

Ten Days of Prayer Outreach Challenge

Jesus calls us not only to pray but also to serve the practical needs of those around us. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35, 36).

In The Ministry of Healing we read, “We must live a twofold life—a life of thought and action, of silent prayer and earnest work” (p. 512). We have received so much love from our Savior, and we have the privilege of sharing that love with friends, neighbors, and strangers in need.

Ask God how you and your church can serve others after Ten Days of Prayer. As you work to organize service activities, avoid letting the arrangements distract you from praying. “Personal effort for others should be preceded by much secret prayer; for it requires great wisdom to understand the science of saving souls. Before communicating with men, commune with Christ. At the throne of heavenly grace obtain a preparation for ministering to the people” (Prayer, p. 313).

In the online Ten Days of Prayer resources, you’ll find a document with dozens of outreach ideas. Jesus invites you to be His hands and feet to a world in need!