Prayer Guide

April 3, 2025

April is the month when we begin to experience spring! (I know, I started experiencing sneezing in March, too. But April is when we see spring!) Trees seemingly come back to life, the grass turns green, birds build their nests (two hawks have built a nest high in a tree in our front yard), and the chill of winter slips away.

AND APRIL IS THE MONTH WE CELEBRATE EASTER!

In his book Experience Jesus. Really., John Eldredge utilizes a scene from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to paint a picture of the life-giving authority of the Risen Lord. We see the power of the breath of Aslan (C.S. Lewis’ Christ figure) as it restores, renews, and recreates. In a scene much like Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, Aslan and the children come upon hundreds of precious Narnian creatures in the courtyard of the White Witch’s castle—all of them turned to stone. Bereft of life, deprived of breath. Aslan breathes on them.

Everywhere the statues were coming to life. The courtyard looked no longer like a museum; it looked more like a zoo. Creatures were running after Aslan and dancing round him till he was almost hidden in the crowd. Instead of all that deadly white the courtyard was now a blaze of colors; glossy chestnut sides of centaurs, indigo horns of unicorns, dazzling plumage of birds, reddy-brown of foxes, dogs and satyrs, yellow stockings and crimson hoods of dwarfs. … And instead of the deadly silence the whole place rang with the sound of happy roarings, brayings, yelpings, barkings, squealings, cooings, neighings, stampings, shouts, hurrahs, songs, and laughter.

What does that have to do with us? Everything!

I trust you experienced a smile on your face and a stirring in your heart as you read that excerpt and beheld resurrection life! That’s what Jesus wants us (and everyone we invite to church) to experience this Easter—and indeed every day!

How does that resurrection life come? (Hopefully you’ve read the following quote so many times that it has burned in your soul and you already know what I’m going to say.) As Mark Batterson says, “Prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do.” While everyone in Media, Music, Security, parking, and other areas will be working hard—prayer is the difference!

Use the prayer guide below to pray for Easter, but also use the 21 Days of Prayer for Easter guide and join us in prayer as we anticipate witnessing death give way to life!

Pray for Bellevue’s three Easter services on April 19 and 20

• Pray for God to bless the promotion of our Easter services.
• Pray for believers to joyfully invite people to church.
• Pray for Bro. Steve and those leading worship to be empowered to speak and sing with spiritual wisdom and power.
• Pray for many to receive salvation, rededicate their lives, and connect with the Body of Christ.
• Pray for Easter to be the time when those who have wandered from intimacy with Christ and His Church to come home.

Pray for revival and renewal in churches

“Will You not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” Psalm 85:6

• Pray God will fill both His people and His worship centers with His presence. Revival is when the glory of God fills the house of God.
• Pray pastors and worship leaders will be spiritually “on fire.” “He makes … his ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7 ESV).
• Pray for God’s people to be hungry, longing to meet with God.
• Pray God will pour out on His people a spirit of repentance (Zechariah 12:10).

Pray for God’s people to live in holiness so we might experience the blessing and protection that God alone can give

• “[Job] was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. … ‘Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.’” Job 1:1,10 (emphasis added)
• “If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” Numbers 14:8–9 (emphases added)
• “Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following the LORD. And the LORD will not be with you.” Numbers 14:42–43 (emphases added)

Pray God’s people will be a people of prayer

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Isaiah 56:7b

• “O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD. Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.” Isaiah 62:6–7 NLT
• “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
• “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

Save the date: National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 1.

Pray for the Pastor Search Committee

While the men and women on the Pastor Search Committee are all godly, committed, wise, mature, diligent believers, we still do not get God’s best WITHOUT PRAYER!

They need God’s wisdom, discernment, courage, determination, humility, unity of mind, and the ability to wait on Him. They need God to lead them to HIS man. And they need—we all need—God’s man to recognize and answer God’s call for him and his family to come to Bellevue.

For the latest information from Chad Hall, Chairman of the Pastor Search Committee, and a prayer guide for the committee, please go to bellevue.org/updates.

Pray for political leaders

We have been commanded to pray “for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2).

• Pray those who are saved will lead with righteous values and share the Gospel of Christ with other political leaders.
• Pray the pressures of leading will cause lost politicians and judges to call on Jesus to be saved.

Donald J. Trump

Vice President of the United States:
J.D. Vance

Supreme Court Justices:
John G. Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States
Clarence Thomas
Samuel A. Alito
Sonia Sotomayer
Elena Kagan
Neil M. Gorsuch
Brett M. Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett
Ketanji Brown Jackson

Governor of Tennessee:
Bill Lee

Tennessee Senators:
Marsha Blackburn
Bill Hagerty

West Tennessee Congressmen:
Steve Cohen
David Kustoff

Memphis/Shelby County Elected Officials

City Council:

Shelby County Commissioners:

Pray for America