It’s the middle of December. Most of us are up to our eyeballs in Christmas preparation while also preparing our hearts throughout our Advent journey. But I’d love to direct your attention toward the new year—just for a moment—to invite you to join us for the 2019 Prayer Pledge.
The Blessed is She Prayer Pledge
Every January, our Blessed is She community comes together, across the globe, to dedicate the first month of the new year to prayer. As many of us formulate goals and articulate dreams for the new year, we link arms and encourage one another to put our relationship with the Lord at the very top of our list.
So for the first 31 days of the new year, we pledge to pray together. We set ourselves on the path of this good practice with the hopes that our daily time spent with Christ this first month of the year would carry over to a daily prayer habit for the rest of the year…and for our entire lives.
New Year, New Pentecost
This year’s Prayer Pledge theme is New Year, New Pentecost. As a play on the oft-used phrase this time of year, “new year, new you,” we’re focusing our attention on praying for a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is He who will ultimately create an everlasting transformation in our hearts, lives, and world.
Each week of January, one Regular Blog Contributor will walk us through one prayer or hymn to the Holy Spirit. We will reflect on five different prayers and hymns to the Holy Spirit and what this means for our relationship with Him. Our hope is that we all grow to know, love, and serve God more through this prayer time together.
What to Expect Each Day
Every day of the Prayer Pledge, there will be a new post on the blog. The daily posts, as aforementioned, will include a section of a prayer or hymn to the Holy Spirit and will be followed by a brief reflection.
Our daily posts will close with both a personal reflection question or encouragement and a deep question to discuss with your prayer partner (more on that below).
If you’re like me and could use a daily reminder about the Prayer Pledge, sign up to receive the Prayer Pledge posts straight to your inbox. If you subscribe to our devotions, then you’re familiar with the setup and how much easier this makes it to remain faithful to our pledge! By signing up, you’ll also receive five gorgeous printables with excerpts from each week’s prayer or hymn that yo can print and hang throughout your home.
Prayer Partners
Another great way to enter into the new year with a renewed pledge to deepen your relationship with God is by buddying up. We really encourage each of us to choose a prayer partner for the Prayer Pledge. If you already have a thriving Bible study or prayer group, perhaps you can team up and bring the Prayer Pledge content to your next meeting or text thread!
As prayer partners, you’ll hold one another accountable to read the daily posts. But not in a annoying way, you know, just a regular-person-trying-to-help-you-do-what-you-really-want-to-do way. Like we mentioned above, each day’s post will contain a question for you to discuss with your prayer partner. You can do this in whatever way you so choose (email, text, phone, Voxer, over coffee, etc.). But these questions go a little deeper than the typical, “What struck you about this reflection?” We’re really striving to be vulnerable here and form a bond with our prayer partners while strengthen our bond with Christ. Most importantly, as prayers partners, you’ll be dedicated to praying for one another through the month and beyond.
We encourage you to reach out and select your prayer partner before the Prayer Pledge begins if possible! Text them the link to this blog post so they can sign up, share it on social, or email it to a friend.
Interceding for a New Pentecost
The final aspect to the 2019 Prayer Pledge, in conjunction with our theme, is a group intercessory prayer for an openness to the Holy Spirit.
Each week, we will be praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on various people and groups. We’ll start small, and widen our intercession as the month moves forward.
We’ll pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
- Week 1: In our own souls
- Week 2: In our families
- Week 3: In our local communities and dioceses
- Week 4: In our Church
- Week 5: In the entire world
What to Do Now to Get Ready for the Prayer Pledge
Ready to get ready for the new year? Ready for a “new you” by praying for a new Pentecost in your soul? We are, too, sister.
Here are our next steps:
- Sign up to receive the Prayer Pledge to your inbox in the colorful box above.
- Ask the Lord if He has someone in mind to be your prayer partner. Then reach out to them!
- Share about the Prayer Pledge by word of mouth and on social media. Use the hashtag #prayerpledge We’re going to be praying powerful prayers, friends. Can you imagine what it will be like to have thousands of us praying for an increase of openness to the Holy Spirit in our world?!
- Keep walking through Advent and preparing your hearts for Christmas. We’ll catch you in the new year.
Prayer Pledge Days
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Will you be joining us for this year’s Prayer Pledge? Let us know who your prayer partner is in the comments!
New Year, New Pentecost: Join Us for the 2019 Prayer Pledge! #BISblog #prayerpledge // Click To Tweet
I am so so happy y’all are doing this. I just became and member a few months ago and you ladies have not disappointed me once! I share your good works on my social media pages! Thanks for being a bearing light to my spiritual journey!
Thank you so much Angilique!! We are so so glad you’re here.
This sounds wonderful. Not sure who my prayer partner is yet…
I also dont have a partner! We should become each others prayer partners!
Please pray for my marriage. I am in a constant battle with the enemy trying to come between us using alcohol. My husband refuses to seek counseling and I am starting to believe we are beyond fixing. I desperately need prayers to help me stay strong in my faith not only for me but also my 14 year old son. God bless you all for being the light when things around me go dark. ❤
I’m so sorry Peggy. Try to find some help from ALANON or a counselor of your own. You need support in addition to prayers. I’m praying for you right now.
Excited about the prayer pledge!!! Has the best aren’t ever with the advent journal. Not really surrounded by a believing community, so may have to do without a partner, but I am excited nontheless!
Kathy, I will be your prayer partner if you want.
This is my first time doing the prayer pledge. I’m so excited as I continue my journey learning and growing my relationship with the Lord. Thank you so much for doing this. It is truly a blessing to have a community I can pray with since I don’t have a community close to home yet. Can’t wait to start!
Kathy, I need a partner as well. I would love to be yours!
I am very excited to join the prayer pledge this year. I didnt do it last year and regretted it and have been putting off doing it this year( obviously its the last day! Lol) but, I AM READY, so bring on 2019 with the holy spirit as my guiding light! My prayer partner is my Daughter, who had her first child in October 2018! Love her so much and so ex ited ro share this beautiful ministry with her!! Much love to all!!
I am blessed to be surrounded by women of faith so I know I will be discussing with them also but my husband is my prayer partner! I was telling him about this and he asked if he could do this with me, how awesome is that!
I am doing this with a group of moms from my parish school. When will we receive the first email? Thank you for offering this.
I am excited to join, but I do t have a prayer partner yet either.
This is my first prayer pledge. I look forward to deepening my relationship with our Lord and praying with and for the lovely ladies of BIS. I don’t have a prayer partner as of yet.
I am so excited to be doing this prayer pledge. Not sure about prayer partner.
I just now saw this prayer pledge and would like to do this. Is it too late to start now? I do so need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to lead me in my life as I continue in my new chapter after having worked happily for so many years. I now am searching for a new occupation. For so many years I so wanted to be a housewife and have found that I am so used to being in the workforce that it has been quite an adjustment. I would like to continue being useful and bringing in a supplement to my retirement income. Thus, I need all the help I can muster…