247 Watch Prayer (18.05.2025-24.05.2025)
(1) Matters of prayer for the nation
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- To enter destiny—gratefulness and self-purification
(1) Give thanks
【Psalm 30:1-3】 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
Thank you and praise God, for You deserve all the praise. Thank you for saving us and for giving us grace and mercy every day. May You give us a joyful heart and a mouth that praises, so that we can always count Your grace in our circumstances and know that You are powerful and victorious.
(2) Cleanse yourself and repent
【James 4:1-3】What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
May God forgive us for often indulging in the flesh and behaving in a way that is no different from the people of the world; for the sake of our own interests, we fall into competition, jealousy, and self-righteousness. May God help us to rely on the Holy Spirit in everything we do, receive heavenly wisdom, bring down the kingdom of God and transform our environment.
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- For kings and those in power
【1 Timothy 2:1-2】I urge, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people—for kings and all who are in high positions—that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and holiness.
- For kings and those in power
May God bless those in power in New Zealand to have a heart that knows and fears God, and to govern the country according to God’s laws. Governing the people according to God’s fairness, justice, mercy and wisdom, so that the entire country will turn back to God and walk on the path of peace and blessing.
(2) Intercession for all the peoples of the land
【2 Corinthians 3:17】Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Pray for those who are trapped by addiction (whether it is mobile phones, video games, the Internet, tobacco, alcohol, pornography, gambling, drugs, etc.), asking the Lord to bring salvation to them, so that they can gain true freedom in Your Spirit. May Your power break the chains, heal the emptiness in their hearts, and make them long for You more than any temporary satisfaction. Please illuminate them with Your true light and save them withYour mighty power, so that they may gain true freedom, no longer be bound, and live again in the dignity and peace that You have given them.
3. Pray for the Church
【Ephesians 5:25】just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for giving up Himself for the church and showing His deep love. Please also give us a heart that loves the church, and not retreat because of human weakness. Instead, let us be more willing to give, endure, and support because of Your example. Let us live out love in the Church, be a messenger of peace, and build up Your body.
4. Pray for Israel and Other Nations
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- For Israel
【Jeremiah 9:23–24】 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing unprecedented domestic pressure and international criticism. Domestic protests continue, and there are obvious differences within the government on war policy; the international community has expressed concern about Israel’s military operations in Gaza and called on it to abide by international law and humanitarian principles.
Prayer: Pray for the Lord to reign in the midst of chaos and confrontation and inspire the leaders of the nations to act impartially, especially in applying pressure on Israel and conducting diplomatic mediation, based on Your love, fairness, and justice. May leaders of all nations become instruments of peace, so that this conflict can be transformed towards justice and reconciliation, ending the bloodshed and suffering, and fulfilling Your pleasing will.
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- For the Catholic Church in the Vatican
【Jn 17:21】that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The 267th Pope of the Catholic Church is Pope Leo XIV, who was elected on May 8, 2025, becoming the first Pope from the United States. He is seen as a leader who holds traditional positions on doctrine and emphasises tolerance and dialogue on social issues.
Prayer: May the new Pope Leo XIV lead the Catholic Church to become the holy bride that is in accordance with God’s will. May he fear Your holy name, pursue truth and justice, not rely on human traditions and power, but simply seek Your will, and strive to become one with the Christian Church in Christ, bearing witness to and glorifying Your holy name!