We are needy creatures, finite and fallen. Praise be to God that He is not like us. He is infinite, all-powerful, and completely self-sufficient. He supplies all our needs. Prayer begins with a humble acknowledgment of our need for God and a confident trust in His all-sufficient provision.

As You Pray Today

• Acknowledge your weaknesses and limitations to God
• Praise Him for being the all-sufficient Creator and Sustainer of the world
• Ask that God would make you more aware of your need for Him and His generous provision in your life
• Make your specific needs known to Him

Prayers for CCK

• Pray for those who preach the Word at CCK–that they would be filled with the Spirit and preach in the strength that God provides–pray especially for Bill Kittrell as he leads the pastoral team and labors in preaching and teaching
• Pray for the tech and set-up teams–that they would know God’s pleasure in their “behind the scenes” service
• Pray for Christ Community Church, our upcoming church plant in North Knoxville–that the team will love one another and reach the community with the gospel. Pray for the building projects they have over the coming months to make their space more welcoming for guests. Pray for Josh Varnedoe and Drew Williams as they pastor this church

It is common to think that the gospel gets us “in” to the Christian life, but after that other things become more relevant. However, the gospel is of first importance and it makes all the difference in our lives. The gospel is the foundation of everything in the Christian life, including prayer. It is through Christ our mediator that we have access to God and can enjoy the gift of prayer.

As You Pray Today

• Meditate on what you deserve because of your sin (God’s wrath) and what you receive because of Christ (God’s favor and acceptance)
• Praise God for His grace displayed in saving you and countless others
• Ask God to grow your understanding, appreciation, and wonder regarding what He has done in Christ

Prayers for CCK

• Pray for the hospitality team–that they would have creative ideas to serve the fellowship of CCK and create a welcoming environment for guests
• Pray for community group leaders and their wives–that they would prosper in their souls and that their groups would be marked by love, fellowship, and care.
• Pray for premarital and marriage counselors in the church–that they would be inspired and equipped to encourage the marriages in our church. Pray for Kevin Shipp as he oversees the pre-marital counseling ministry-that God would continue to give him grace and vision for this vital ministry
• Pray for those who serve in children’s ministry–Thank God for their willingness to serve and pray that God would give them energy and zeal to teach the Word to our children. Pray for Mitch Newman and Jonathan Edwards as they lead this ministry

C.S. Lewis says that praise is the “consummation of joy”. What he means is that our joy in something is not complete until it is expressed. When we praise God for who He is, we experience the consummation of joy-we discover what we were made for. It is easy to make prayer a mere list of wishes. While it is good to make our requests known to God, it is also good to pause and praise Him simply for who He is.

As You Pray Today

• Meditate and praise God for the attributes that make Him different from us
• Praise God for His omniscience (His limitless knowledge of all things)
• Praise God for His omnipresence (His limitless presence that is everywhere)
• Praise God for His omnipotence (His limitless power that controls all things)

Prayers for CCK

• Pray for the worship team—that they would overflow with joy and lead with zeal as they lead us in God-centered praise. Pray for Zach Varnell as he leads this team
• Pray for our youth ministry, Relay—that our church would be filled with youth who are hungry to know and worship God. Pray for Mike Plewniak as he leads this ministry.
• Pray for our college ministry, Volunteers for Christ—that God would open doors to preach the gospel on campus and that many students would come to know Christ. Pray for Jake Cronin as he leads this ministry and for the interns who support him and are sharing the gospel with students on UT’s campus every day.
• Pray for POST, our ministry to post-college adults. Pray that God would encourage and equip these adults to serve Christ and his church with “undivided devotion” during this season of their lives.

God is the generous giver of every good and perfect gift. He created the world and all of its delights for us to enjoy. He guides history and our lives according to His good providence. He is our heavenly Father who acts on our behalf, and this motivates us to give thanks to Him in

prayer.

As You Pray Today

• Reflect on all of God’s blessings in your life this past year and give Him thanks for them
• Thank God for the gift of His Word
• Thank God for the gift of the church
• Thank God for the gifts of family and friendship.

Prayers for CCK

• Thank God that we are close to paying off the church building and thank Him for His provision through all these years
• Pray for the Foundry, our men’s ministry, and Legacy, our women’s ministry–thank God for all the biblical men and women in our church and pray that these ministries would help spur men and women on toward love and good works Pray for Jake Simmons as he leads these ministries
• Pray for Connect, our 50+ ministry–thank God for these valuable members of our church and pray for God to give them wisdom and faith in this season of their lives
• Pray for the ECCK class–thank God for all the new people who have joined our church and pray for this class to be a means of grace for those who are considering joining CCK

We are needy creatures, finite and fallen. Praise be to God that He is not like us. He is infinite, all-powerful, and completely self-sufficient. He supplies all our needs. Prayer begins with a humble acknowledgment of our need for God and a confident trust in His all-sufficient provision.

As You Pray Today

• Confess the sins you are aware of in your life
• Ask God to forgive you of those sins and to change you
• Ask God to reveal any other areas of sin in your life
• Thank God for His abundant mercy to you through Christ

Prayers for CCK

• Pray for the biblical counseling team–that they would be equipped to give biblical counsel and encouragement that leads to lasting change
• Pray for the financial advisory team–that they would have wisdom in giving counsel to the pastoral team regarding the church’s finances
• Pray for the administrative staff at CCK– for Tommy, Matt, Elisha, Rosemary, Natalie, Rachel, Kelly, Adair, and Meagan. Thank God for their important work at CCK and pray for them to not grow weary in doing good
• Pray for Cornerstone U–that this ministry will encourage the church to grow in its knowledge of God and in conformity to Christ

It is easy to be weighed down by anxiety and fear. These wonderful passages encourage us to “cast our cares” to the Lord–to make our needs known to Him and to trust that He knows best what we need and when we need it. What a joy it is to cast our cares on our heavenly Father who cares for us.

As You Pray Today

• Open your heart to the Lord and communicate your cares to Him
• Be specific in your requests and trust the Lord to answer your prayers how He sees fit
• Pray that God would give you grace to trust in Him even when circumstances are difficult
• Pray for our leaders on the local, state, and national level. Pray for president-elect Trump and his team to lead with wisdom so that the church can live a “peaceful and quiet life, dignified in every way”

Prayers for CCK

• Pray for global missions at CCK–pray for our current partnerships in South Korea and Mexico, and pray for God to open up others doors for CCK to preach the gospel around the world. Pray for Mike Plewniak as he leads the church in global missions
• Pray for our Compassion ministry–that this group would be wise and effective in caring for our community. Pray especially for Thrive ministries that is opening an after school program in our building. Pray for God to use this for His glory and the good of our community. Pray for Corey Moles as he leads this team