9th - 15th March 2026
It all begins with an idea.
Our classic template for praying is the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and in abridged form in Luke 11. Another very helpful one suggested in recent years for good prayer discipline is A.C.T.S. – Adoration; Confession; Thanksgiving; Supplication. My own caveat is that in spite of the unfortunate new acrostic we shall swap Confession and Adoration, so that we clear the air from the outset.
It is normally a daily prayer routine, but I have attempted to spread it over our prayer week, focusing each day on a different aspect. Given that God has an eternal perspective, I don’t need to pray for every single thing every day.
Written by Gavin McQuoid
MONDAY
Confession
When we approach God as His children, we do so as Forgiven Sinners. That means two important things; I'm BOTH Forgiven, AND STILL a Sinner. That's an 'interesting' position as I spiritually approach God's Holy Throne. My Eternal future has been secured, while I still battle with ... well ... the world … me ... the evil one.
A thousand things have been said about prayer. And I'm not going to add any new wisdom or profound ideas. Merely to remind us both (myself first) that we regularly need to confess, asking forgiveness. My godly granny used to say ‘keep short accounts with God’, i.e. don’t let unconfessed sin run too long or too deep.
Hopefully this means no sins or rebellious thoughts to block chatting to Father God in freedom. Another analogy could be taking an integrity sledgehammer to the wall between us. That leaves me open, honest, and very vulnerable, but with the One who I can completely trust with everything. The truth is, there's absolutely NOTHING He doesn't know about me.
Father God, I confess the things I have said, thought, and done wrong since I last opened up to You. Unkind thoughts and actions. Resentful ones. Selfish ones. Unworthy ones for a child of God. Impure motives. Greedy ideas. I acknowledge my guilt before You, not make any excuses. Your hatred of my sins is equal to Your love for me. I ask Your forgiveness for each wrong thing I have done that does not honour You.
Thank You that You don't call me to live life with a heavy burden of guilt. Instead, You want me to let You deal with my sins, every one of which has already been nailed to the cross of Christ. And to give evidence of that by living in a holy freedom, and in full, joyful communion with You.
Please forgive the things I shouldn’t have done but did anyway. Also, please forgive the things I should have done, but haven’t, whatever the reason, lacking time, effort or motivation. This isn’t just saying ‘sorry’. It is wanting to consistently live Your way, not mine. Surrendering to Your will and acknowledging Jesus is not only Saviour, but also Lord of my life. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
TUESDAY
Adoration (Worship)
This is another vital element to our praying. It can also be a challenge differentiating it from Praise. Let me attempt to explain. Then you can graciously discuss with me (over a mandatory coffee) if you disagree.
Worship in this context is where I focus on the character and merits of God. It is all to do with who God is, not what He does, especially for me. Acknowledging His Existence, Relevance and Immediacy in my life.
Later on I will be praising Him, as I thank Him for the things He has done, and continues to do, for me. For now, let’s focus entirely on Him.
Holy God, I now come to worship You for who You are. The Timeless, Eternal One. God without weakness or equal. The One, the True, the Living Alpha and Omega. Before the foundation of the earth, You existed. The Great 'I AM'. You are transcendent. You never fail. You never make a mistake. You never do things less than perfectly.
My mind cannot fully comprehend You. All the languages in all the earth you created cannot begin to express Your Greatness. Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent. All Powerful. All Knowing. Everywhere. Creator. Sustainer.
I bow before Your overwhelming Glory, which is beyond what I could describe or understand. It makes the sun look like midnight. And Your breath-taking Holiness! No blemish, no weakness, no fault, no shortcomings. I bow, a peasant before a King, a servant before a Master, a creation before his Creator, a child before an Adoring Father, a mortal before the Eternal, the limited before the Limitless. And no matter what I say or think about You, it does not even begin to describe You. The Sum of All Perfections. I humbly bow to worship You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
WEDNESDAY
Thanksgiving
Sometimes we become a little preoccupied with ourselves. Life is so busy. So many things to think about and do. So many challenges, concerns and worries. Unfortunately, this is just normal life. Its pace and its pressures. At these times, our prayer life can be in danger of just becoming a shopping list. As and when we have time to pray, we just ask, and ask, and ask.
God is delighted to hear from us. But He wants a two-way relationship. Not just what we get from Him, but also being truly thankful. The story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17 isn't there by accident. And the sting that the only recorded grateful one was a despised foreigner!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, and every blessing I receive in it. I'm grateful that You are the Giver of all good things. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus. His life, death and resurrection means that I could be saved from my sin. Thank You that no matter how difficult the path, Jesus was willing to go to the Cross for my sake, and to take the punishment instead of me. He became Sin so He could endure Your angry judgement and justice against my wrongdoings.
And now, I have eternal forgiveness because of the cross of Christ. And Your Holy Spirit living in me is the seal of Your promise of my life in You. Thank You for His ongoing presence, working to make me more like Your Son. I am grateful that I am never alone, no matter what the situation or circumstance. And Your Holy Spirit here to bless, comfort, teach, encourage, discipline and guide me in life. And to draw me ever closer to You.
The privilege I have of being a child and servant of the Living God is beyond words or comprehension. I am humbled that I can call You Father, and all because of Your plan of Salvation. And thank You for all the people and things in life You provide me with. I am so grateful for Faith, Family, Friends and Church. Thank You that You provide for my daily needs, and the gifts of health and strength You give me to live my life.
Help me to live in thankfulness today, Amen.
THURSDAY
Supplication (Prayer Requests)
Our church has many different interdependent and complementary parts. And all of these ‘parts’ are and revolve round people, the hub and lifeblood of any church. Elders, Staff, Ministry Leaders, Ministry Volunteers, Members, Attendees, Missionaries, Youth, Children. Many have more than one role. In all, about 700 people comprise Glenabbey Community.
Our ultimate aim is the Glory of God in all we do. After that comes the blessing of all those involved, from youngest to oldest. There can be so many things to pray about that we shall take a few days to bring them to God. Asking in Jesus’ name also honours Him, as we acknowledge God is the only One both capable and willing to answer our prayers effectively.
Father God, we pray for our church elders: Chris, David, Garth, Ian, Jeff, Keith, Mark and Martin. We believe that each one has been appointed to both lead and serve Glenabbey. Thank You for them, and for all that they do for our church both seen and unseen. Guide them both as individuals and as a united group. Help them to strive for wisdom and godliness, as they lead our church through challenging times in a secular, godless society. Keep them holy, as the evil one would try to disrupt or destroy anything that is done in Jesus’ name. Bless their marriages and their families. It is not easy for them to not only believe, but also to role model Christian lives, both before an appreciative congregation, and also a world that has no time for God.
We pray the same for the Full and Part Time Staff of Glenabbey. Please honour their dedication and commitment to serving the church.
And also for all the Ministry Leaders. They have very important roles in leading and guiding different areas of church ministry. Some are more public than others. All are important in developing and expanding the local church and the Kingdom of God. We acknowledge their service and commitment to the people they look after.
We pray for unity among all areas of our church. May we pray for each other, speak words of truth in love, and be known for our kindness to one another. Cleanse us of backbiting or hypocrisy and let us seek to serve one another in the name of the Saviour who took scruffy little children on His knee, touched the lives of ‘the unclean’, and washed His arguing, grumbling disciples’ dirty feet in an act of mind-blowing Servanthood. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
FRIDAY
Supplication
As I have already introduced the idea of Supplication in our prayers, I don’t wish to add much more. Simply that we get on with praying for further things on our hearts and minds. We’re simply continuing yesterday’s prayer, having had a little break for life happening,
Father God, we want to bring the needs of our church to You. Thank You for the privilege of belonging to this group of believers. Our opportunity to worship and witness for You in this little part of Your world.
We pray for each of our Missionaries in various countries, that they would know Your presence and blessing. Gisli & Nora in Bulgaria; Stewart & Anna-Claire on home leave from Ecuador; Mark & Nube home from Ecuador; Ed & Kate in Northern Ireland; David & Pam in Republic of Ireland; Charlie & Tania in Scotland; Claire in Zambia.
We pray for each marriage and for their families, that You richly bless them in their Calling and Service. Meet each of their spiritual, physical and emotional needs. They have made different cultures and environments their home. Please relieve any loneliness and other challenges that are created by this.
We pray for every Member of our church. May we not just be signing up to a club, but a commitment to Community, Service and spurring one another on to good works as a public evidence of us working out our faith. Don’t let any of us have a second-hand faith, just based on image or expediency. May our profession be our lifestyle, at church, at home, at work, and in our communities.
May we do things for the glory of God, not the praise of man!
And for the Children and Youth of this Church. We commit each one to You. They are both the present and the future. May they come to faith young, be established in it, and learn to love the Lord just as their parents do. Thank you for each precious young soul.
Then Lord, those at this moment who we know are going through very tough times. Please meet them at every point of their deep need, that they might know the everlasting love of their Heavenly Father.
May the witness of this church be vibrant and effective in spreading Your Kingdom. May both individuals and the corporate church live lives of integrity before a needy and dying world. Thank You for the privilege we have of carrying Your message to this world. We know that Your beloved Son is its only Hope. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
SATURDAY
Supplication
We never run out of important things to pray for. There are so many real and deep needs in our broken, hurting world. At times we need to take stock, so we pray intelligently for specific things rather than it sounding very general and random. This can be helpful when praying for big subjects like countries. Every nation needs prayer, but at times their needs can be magnified due to crisis or civil unrest.
Father God, we bring our godless and messy world to You. We see so much in it that is evil and wrong. The evil one is doing his best to do as much damage as possible in rebelling against You.
We pray for the millions who are adversely affected by war, where innocents die at authoritarian whim. There is Syria, Russia-Ukraine, Civil Unrest in Iran as the people long for freedom, Israel-Gaza, Sudanese Civil War, Yemen, always tension between India and Pakistan, and many more.
These conflicts are created from mankind’s greed, anger and lack of humanity. Whatever the situation, the root cause is Sin and rebellion against God and our fellow creatures. The leaders of the ‘Super Powers’ have huge responsibilities. They have the lives of millions in their hands. May they be accountable before You and make them wise in their decisions.
We pray for peace. We also pray for Your people who are caught up in these hot zones. May You protect them and give them the courage to wisely share their faith in a loving, natural way.
We are called to pray for the leaders of our country. Both in Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole, they do so many things that You do not approve of. But they are there by Your divine authority. So, we pray that You will work in their lives and decisions to bring glory to Your name. We know that one day, as with each of us, You will call them to account for all that they have done. One day they will truly understand what real power and justice are.
Thank You, Almighty God, Amen.
SUNDAY
Personal Supplication
Because we (maybe mostly me!) are so used to praying for things for ourselves, I thought it would be a good spiritual discipline, to leave personal requests to the end of our prayer week.
We now focus on ourselves. It’s not as if we’re in danger of missing out! Before the creation of the universe, Father God already knew what I will need for tomorrow. That means Spiritually, Mentally, Emotionally and Physically. AND He’s very keen that we get all the things we NEED … not WANT.
So now bring to Him what He already knows. There ain’t gonna be any curveball surprises in there for Him.
Father God, I commit myself to You for this day. Thank You that You are always aware of everything that happens to me, from Your Eternal throne in Heaven. I pray for my walk with You. As Your child, and Your servant, I know I am both indwelt and surrounded by Your Holy Spirit. He is the seal of Your approval on my life, and my guarantee of salvation.
Please guide my decisions today. Give me wisdom for the choices I make. Help me to honour You in each one. The places I go, and the people I meet and speak to. May my attitude be one that brings glory and honour to Your name.
Please keep me safe in Mind, Body and Spirit, and give me courage to share my faith in every natural opportunity I have. May Your glory always be at the forefront of my mind.
Help me to trust in You and learn to rely on You for both the big and small things in life. Keep me close to You and help me to be disciplined in spending time alone with You, so that I grow in faith and maturity. May Your Word be my living Manna from Heaven.
Help me to live gratefully, whether it is for a glass of water, or my eternal security. Be it a kind comment or protection for my family and friends. When I am grateful for the little things, it helps me to appreciate the big things all the more. May I be ever mindful that You never leave me or forsake me.
And Lord, please help me to have at least ONE good conversation with someone in the next week about You, and for Your Glory. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.