DAY 1 - SALVATIONS

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to our Father saying, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Here at the start of 2026, we are praying for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done in our lives, families, church, community, nation, and world, as it is in heaven. We’d love you to join us for 7 days of fasting and prayer for the year ahead, where we will focus each day on a different area of need, whether that be in our own backyard or across the seas. Today, we begin by praying for people to find salvation in Jesus this year.

In John 3:16-17 it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” We can be inclined to read these words casually, since they’re such well-known verses, but let’s have a think about it for a moment. Save the world. Eternal life. What?! Did you catch that? To save the world. To provide everlasting life. These are pretty mind-blowing ideas! As Christians, we perhaps need a reminder every now and then that we have been given the greatest gift that could ever be offered—eternal life through Jesus—and that not everyone knows about this! If I visited a local cafe and found out that they were handing out free coffees, I’d tell my friends and family straight away. If they were giving away free coffees FOR LIFE, I’d start telling strangers too; it would be too good an opportunity to hold back from anyone! Coffee is a gift from above as far as I’m concerned, but what we’ve been offered in salvation is so much greater, that this illustration feels trite and absurd by comparison.

Current figures have the global population at over 8.2 billion. If we include everyone who’s ever lived throughout history, the figure is over 100 billion! We’re talking crazy numbers here. But despite the enormity of scale, every single person is an individual made in His image. These are relatives, friends, colleagues, and the next generation that we’re lifting up to Him.

For all of the incredible feats of humankind, we just can’t save ourselves. Thousands of years after the fall, our hearts still battle with the same old issues of rejection, injustice, power, lust, pride, greed, and the list goes on. We can put people on the moon, create robots that do housework, and even clone animals, but we can’t right every wrong or wipe away every tear. Our brokenness and love of doing things our own way lead every single person to stray from God’s plan, but Jesus has made a way back. By living a perfect life, then defeating death, He has opened the way for us to be forgiven, restored, and welcomed home to God. His arms are open, and He is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Take some time now to pray for the salvation of those in our families, communities, nation, and world, letting the Holy Spirit guide you.

Almighty God, we pray that every person, so lovingly made in your image and likeness, would come to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that [they] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Amen.