6 Prayer Requests for Easter

Easter is a special time of year for Christians. I know many who look at this week and call it “Holy Week,” and even some who wish everyone a “Happy Resurrection Weekend.”  Regardless of the term, I look forward to the many events, church gatherings, and special emphasis placed on this week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Even at Lighthouse, some traditions have grown since I became their pastor.

I also find that Easter is an excellent time to pray. However, I am becoming increasingly aware that many may not know what to pray for in anticipation of the upcoming Easter weekend. For these reasons and others, I would like to share six requests to include in your prayers as we lead up to this wonderful season. 

Please understand that these are in no particular order.   Also, Easter is when the church is more intentional about the services and the outreach to the lost community.  

Pray for Christians who have been absent from church  

Yes, I can admit, as others have stated, that the culture of the church and church attendance is changing. However, the reality is that being absent from church is a continuing, growing issue among Christians. 

For some, they got out of the habit of attending. Others may say it is because of their schedule, and something occurs at the same time as church. For others, it could be a disagreement or a bad experience. Or that they no longer attend because a loved one passed away…and attending church hasn’t been the same.

Regardless of why they stopped attending church, we should pray that they reconnect and join (or rejoin) the local church family. Easter is a great time for Christians to return to church and connect. Additionally, I encourage you to pray that they will see the importance of doing Christian life in a community.

Pray for the Lost who have been invited 

I include an important qualifier here: those who have been invited. By this, I mean a Christian has intentionally taken the time to personally invite someone who does not know Jesus to church (and no, a social media blast doesn’t count!).

Pray for the one who extends the invitation. Ask God to strengthen their boldness and motivate them to keep inviting others.

Pray for the person who receives the invitation. Ask God to move them to reflect on the state of their soul, to attend a church service, or to ask honest questions of the one who invited them.

Above all, pray that God opens the hearts of the lost. Ask Him to awaken them to their sin and to their need for Jesus Christ as Savior.

Easter is the time to pray for the opening of church plants

When a new church plant opens, for many, Easter Sunday is the date for which they aim. This particular time of celebration (a church opening) is often paired with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, which makes a lot of sense to people. I would encourage you to look around the area or on social media and see if a church will launch or open this special Sunday.  

Pray for church leaders

Easter is a time when many church leaders are extra stressed. For some, it is the addition of extra events or outreaches that causes them to grow weary. For others, it is self-inflicted anxiety because of the importance of this specific Sunday (this would be me). And while many of us are very excited, please keep them in your prayers.

I would ask you to pray that each church leader would remember that Easter Sunday Morning, the celebration of the resurrection, is the reason. May it be often recalled to their minds during this season, and especially on Easter.

Also, pray that their communication will be clear and precise. Finally (and I stole this saying from another pastor), they would make much of Jesus Christ.

Use Easter to pray for yourself 

I understand that the Easter weekend can sometimes bring more stress into an already busy calendar. As mentioned, the church will have more events or special services. Adding these church events, along with figuring out work schedules, the kids’ different school schedules due to Good Friday or Spring Break, and your family (or extended family) feeling compelled to get together during this time, can make things challenging.  

With all this going on, may I encourage you to pray for yourself in three areas:

• Your health (mental, physical, and spiritual)
• Your influence on people around you. Specifically, your discipleship (those you are helping grow) and evangelism (those with whom you share the gospel).
• Take a moment and reflect on what Jesus did for you on the cross and the victory that was obtained on resurrection morning.

Pray for other church members  

For everything you just prayed for yourself, please know that someone in your church family probably needs the same prayer. So, pray for them.

You may or may not know what is occurring in their life. If you do, please make your prayers very specific. Also, you may want to look at a prayer list (if your church has one) and use this time to work through that list. Another suggestion is to pray specifically for each person in your small group, Sunday school class, or the people in your general area of the church.

Pastor Mark’s Take Away

I hope you will use this Easter time of celebration as an opportunity to pray. It is an exciting time for the church and Christians around the globe.

I also want to include that this list could be used in preparation for each coming Sunday or worship service for the church family.  

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Below is a downloadable infographic to download and help you remember these prayer requests.