• “I believe; help my unbelief!” — Mark 9:24
• “You do not have because you do not ask.” — James 4:2

Reflection

Unbelief can feel like a hidden weight—present, but not always noticed until it slows us down or keeps us from asking God for the things we or others need. James reminds us we often go without because we haven’t asked, whether out of fear, doubt, or complacency. Hebrews tells us, “without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” If we aren’t asking God for the things we need, or that others need, it is likely because of some kind of unbelief – either that God is good or that He answers prayer or that He wants to answer our prayers. Unbelief is a hindrance to prayer. Is there some area you really should seek God about or ask Him for assistance with? Is there some area of concern you have for another, which you could pray about…but don’t? Why not? How might unbelief factor in? What do we do with our unbelief? We bring it to the Lord. The father of the demon possessed boy came to Jesus to ask for help with his unbelief. And it was enough. Today, let’s bring our unbelief to God and take bold steps to trust Him with the things we’ve been hesitant to ask for.

Prompts for Prayer

• What are the areas of need in your life you have not been praying about? Why?
• Bring them to the Lord now and ask Him to help your unbelief?
• What are the concerns you have for others not yourself you need to pray about but have not been?
• Rinse and repeat.

Prayer Rooms this Week

• Today – Noon | on Zoom
• Today – 6:30pm @ 15 Hayes Street in PVD [Heart/Providence Prayer Room]

“⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

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Reflection on the Passage:

In Norman Grubb’s Continuous Revival, a meditation and reflection on the spiritual dynamics of the East African revival of the mid 20th Century, he describes a central theme of the revival as “walking in the light,” referring to this passage in 1 John 1. Some have defined revival and awakening at its most basic level as “honesty.” When we are honest, with God and with others, we come into the light – and the grace of God has access to our souls, to purify us, to make us holy, to make us look like God. Much of our lives we spend hiding (pointlessly) from God and from others. But when the revival dynamic takes root in our hearts, it leads us into the light. This honesty and vulnerability are the first fruits of renewal in our hearts.

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Prayer Prompts:

1. Worship: Praising God’s Holiness

• Reflect on God’s nature as light, with no shadow or deceit.
• Declare His purity and thank Him for inviting us into His light.
• Pray: “God, You are light and truth. Shine Your holiness into my life and make me aware of Your presence.”

2. Invitation to Walk in the Light

• Ask God to reveal areas where you may be walking in spiritual darkness—hidden sin, unforgiveness, complacency.
• Pray for the courage to bring these areas into His light.
• Pray: “Lord, search me and know me. Shine Your truth in my heart and reveal any way I am resisting Your light.”

3. Confession and Receiving Cleansing

• Take a moment for personal confession. Name specific sins before God without justification or minimizing.
• Trust in His promise to forgive and purify you completely.
• Pray: “Father, I confess my sins before You. I bring them into Your light, knowing You are faithful to forgive and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.”
• Consider, who is a trusted brother or sister to whom you can be honest about your struggles and sins, and from whom you can be reassured of the grace and mercy of God.

4. Restoration of Fellowship

• Thank God for His grace that restores intimacy and trust in your relationship with Him.
• Ask for a deeper awareness of His presence and a desire for holiness.
• Pray: “Lord, draw me closer. Restore my joy in Your presence and help me walk in Your truth and freedom.”

5. Intercession for Others

• Pray for those who may be struggling with guilt, shame, or unconfessed sin.
• Ask God to bring them into His healing light and grant them courage to seek forgiveness.
• Pray: “Lord, would You bring healing and restoration to those who are distant from You? Let Your mercy draw them back to Your heart.”

Prayer Rooms this Week

• Today – 7:30am | 12 Bassett Street
• Wednesday – Noon | on Zoom
• Wednesday – 6:30pm @ 15 Hayes Street in PVD [Heart/Providence Prayer Room]

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”^[c]

¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Reflection:
Picture Jesus walking into the temple that day—seeing the noise, the chaos, and the clutter where there should’ve been space for prayer. His heart burned for God’s presence to be the focus again.

Now imagine Him stepping into your life. What would He notice? Is your soul crowded with distractions? Worries? Busyness? Maybe even some stuff that’s not bad but has just taken over the space where He wants to meet with you.

Prayer Prompts:

Confess Clutter

• “Jesus, show me the things cluttering my heart right now.”
• Take a moment to reflect—are there habits, distractions, or even sins that have crowded out time with God?
• Name them honestly. Let His mercy meet you there.

Invite Jesus to Clean House:

• “Jesus, I give You permission to clear out anything keeping me from You.”

Make Room for God

• What rhythms need to shift so you can make room for God?
• Is it your schedule? A certain habit? Your phone?
• Ask God for courage to create space—whether that means cutting back on something or starting a new practice of prayer and worship.

Pray for Zeal:

• Ask God to stir a fresh hunger in you for His presence.
• Pray for your church—that it would be a “house of prayer” where people encounter Jesus.

This Week’s Challenge:
Clear some space—physically and spiritually. Take one intentional step this week: maybe it’s decluttering a space in your home as a symbol, or creating a quiet moment each day just to sit with God.

Remember: He’s not here to shame you. He’s here to set you free. Let Him in.