During Holy Week, one financial year ended and another began. Something makes us think that Jesus would appreciate these two dates colliding much more than any of us made space for in our celebrations. Do we still need our tables turning on behalf of the poor and marginalised?
Since the beginning of April, we’ve been focusing particularly on praying for individuals, companies and accountants involved with completing tax returns, and venturing into a new financial year of opportunities and uncertainty as we all continue to face challenging times economically.
We’re encouraged to read today’s story of falling unemployment figures in the UK, but we want to see more breakthroughs, based on just and wise decisions.
We’re asking God to soften hearts and strengthen resolves so that integrity, honesty and fairness would be the hallmark of our finances and business practices.
And that in turn these would restore our public services and infuse our international policies as a nation.
And we’re looking to global systems themselves and national priorities that fail to defend the poor – and asking again for them to be overturned.
Join us as we pray for economic justice, using our intercessions for economic justice for the global poor, and for our nation as it continues to face recession, and choices about what it will build its foundations upon, using our intercessions for the UK during the financial crisis and recession.
But also, as we examine motives closer to home, remembering that any change we’re asking our Father for, needs to begin with us as each individuals surrendering our everything – including our resources and consumer choices – to his perfect will.
And so we’ve made available a new creative prayer framework that we’ve found to be a helpful prompt for asking the Holy Spirit to search and know our hearts and our bank accounts, and to rededicate both to God at the start of another financial year.
You can download this rededication and intercession resource from our prayer resources page.
Lord Jesus, come take your throne over our finances, our consumer choices and our all of our resources. May we use them as you lead and guide to build your kingdom and bless others. Amen.