Community Prayer Practices - Module One

NATIONAL WORKING GROUP ON PRAYER

PrayingTogether Rhythms for Foster Care

MODULE ONE

Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause

Prayer is where we begin.

The needs of children and families are vast, and seeing these needs every day moves us to action.

But our actions are utterly insufficient unless God multiplies them. Like the loaves and fish, we bring what little we have and trust Him to do what we cannot. Developed by the More Than Enough Community National Working Group on Prayer, this guide provides a simple framework to anchor our shared efforts in consistent, unified prayer.

Adapt these practices to your local context, gather others, and ask God to do what only He can do.

The Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause

(VIDEO)

FORMAT

PURPOSE The Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause invites us to weave prayer into the cadence of our daily lives. When we pause together at the same time each day across the country, we align our hearts with God’s heart for vulnerable children and families before, during and beyond foster care.

Set an alarm on your smartphone for 3:20 each day and pause for approximately one minute to pray.

RHYTHM We recommend a daily pause.

RECOMMENDED DURATION 1 Minute

P R AY I N G T O G E T H E R : R H Y T H M S F O R F O S T E R C A R E

Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause FORMAT The name of the Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause is based on Ephesians 3:20-21, which reads:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The idea behind the Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause is simple: Set an alarm on your smartphone for 3:20 each day and pause for approximately 1 minute to pray that God would do more than we ask or think for children and families in your community, across your state and around the country. Pray that God would provide more than enough.

HOW TO DO IT 1.Set an alarm on your smartphone for 3:20 local time each day.

2.When the alarm sounds, take one minute to pray.

3.Depending on your preference and tradition, you can . . .

Pray for something different every day. (The Foster Care Prayer Journal by More Than Enough at CAFO provides 30 topics that you can correspond with the day of the month.)

Keep a prayer like the following on your phone, in your wallet or purse, or in your desk drawer and pray this as a short liturgy for children and families:

Heavenly Father, You are able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. We place into Your hands vulnerable children and families of our community, our state and our nation, and all who serve them today.

By Your power at work within us, bring hope where there is hurt, belonging where there is loneliness, and provision where there is need. Do more than we can ask or think for children and families before, during and beyond foster care. Provide more than enough. To you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

P R AY I N G T O G E T H E R : R H Y T H M S F O R F O S T E R C A R E

Daily 3:20 Foster Care Prayer Pause When your 3:20 prayer pause alarm is an interruption If you set a daily alarm for 3:20 to pray, it is bound to interrupt you when you are in the middle of other things.

There are a couple of ways others have handled this: 1.Hit the snooze button and pray when your current conversation is over. Praying at precisely 3:20 isn’t magic.

The power is in the God we pray to and the fact that He assures us that he hears and answers our prayers.

2.Invite others to join you. If you are in the middle of a conversation or meeting with another believer when your alarm goes off, you can simply say something like, “Oh, that’s an alarm I set every day at 3:20 to remind me to pause for a minute to pray for children and families in foster care. Would you be willing to join me as I pray for a minute?” This can be a powerful way to invite others to ask God to provide more than enough for children and families before, during and beyond foster care.

Explore the Full Series This guide is part of the Praying Together: Rhythms for Foster Care series, designed to equip you to pray with others for foster care.

Praying every day, every week and every month for foster care MODULE ONE | Daily 3:20 Prayer Pause (Current) MODULE TWO | Weekly Foster Care 15 Community Prayer Calls MODULE THREE | Monthly Online National Foster Care Prayer Call

Other rhythms and tools for teams and communities MODULE FOUR | Praying as a Team for Foster Care MODULE FIVE | Communitywide Foster Care Prayer Vigil MODULE SIX | Foster Care Prayer Liturgy MODULE SEVEN | Key Prayer Resources and Creative Elements

The More Than Enough National Working Group on Prayer is a collaborative group of leaders and advocates from churches, organizations, and agencies across the country, working together to help every community pray for vulnerable children and families and for those who care for them.