Mainstreet | Daily Prayer Guide

The parable of the talents gives us a picture of several different attitudes that are common in our soci- ety. The master entrusted his fortune to his servants while he was away. To one he gave 10 talents, to one five, and to the last one he gave one talent. The outcome is familiar. The servants who were given more invested the man’s money for a good return, and were able to return more than they were given. The last, though he was given a small amount to care for, was afraid to risk anything and buried the talent, for the master was known to be a hard businessman. The master was pleased, and rewarded the servants who were willing to take a risk to bring him benefit.

There are several lessons we can learn from this story: Don’t allow fear to hinder you.

• Don’t be afraid to expand your dreams and take a risk.
  
• Do know that God’s dreams are often larger than ours.
  
• Do know that God’s attitude is not harsh. He honors us for taking steps of faith.

Christians look to Joseph as the role model for dreaming big. Genesis 39 holds important lessons for all dreamers. Some lessons in this chapter that can keep us from stopping short of our dreams are:

• Genesis 39:2 “As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the house of his Egyptian master.”
  
• Genesis 39:21 “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, giving him favor in the sight of the jailer.”
• Genesis 39:23 “The jailer gave Joseph free run of the prison, never even checking, because God was with him; whatever he did, God prospered him.

When our deepest desire is to be within His will, we can know that God is with us.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that Dunwoody Baptist Church will pursue our vision to the fullest potential. Pray that through the achievement of this dream, more followers will come to Christ. Ask God to show you ways in which you have stopped short of His best for you.

A Prayer from Eric Nuetzel:
Dear God, thank You for bringing so many people to our church. Thank You for blessing us with a corner in Dunwoody that is so central and accessible. Help us to build and unify our campus so that we can share Jesus’ love in more ways and with more people. Amen.

Joseph found out what every dreamer finds out—not everyone is happy about your dream. Joseph found out that people would envy your dream, conspire against it, speak against it, and even attack it. Joseph’s brothers put him in a pit and then sold him as a slave to go to Egypt. Don’t you imagine that at that time, Joseph wondered just what in the world God was doing and if his dream would become a reality?

Remember that every God-given dream will come to a place where it is impossible to accomplish the dream in human ability alone. God is sovereign and His timing is perfect. Remember Habakkuk 2:3b, “It (our plan to build) will certainly come and will not delay.” Therefore, when we get to a place where we realize that the dream cannot happen unless God steps in, then God alone will get the glory when the dream is accomplished. His ways are not our ways, and He does not delay a single day.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that Dunwoody Baptist Church will continue to strive forward with our God-sized dream of unifying our campus so that we are better able to reach others for His Kingdom. Pray that God will give us the endurance and stamina needed to face any temporary setbacks. Pray that all involved will experience joy on this journey of faith. Ask God to strengthen you also as you continue to seek His face.

A Prayer from Esther Ortiz:
Father God, please give Alvaro and me the will and means to support Dunwoody Baptist’s expansion and ministry growth. Help us to gain a full understanding of sacrificial giving so that we may invest in our futures not only spiritually, but also financially. Please continue to give us guidance so that we may raise Liam, Emma, and Diego with a Christian upbringing within a loving congregation. Please bless our ministries’ desire to continue spreading the gospel through Loving God, Loving People, Making Disciples, and Making a Difference. Please help our building campaign be a success; empower us to be leaders of this change. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

One thing is for certain; people will come to a place where their dreams can be fulfilled. Dreams are in the hearts of God’s people. How do we know what a dream looks like? This list below gives us a good description of a God-given dream:

• A God-given dream will stir your passion.
  
• A God-given dream will be humanly impossible to accomplish.
  
• A God-given dream will make an impression on you for a lifetime.
  
• A God-given dream will cause you to exercise strong faith.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that DBC will be a true sanctuary where people can find and fulfill their dreams with God’s guidance. Pray that the whole congregation will be united in our dream to update and unify our church. Pray that we can be one so that the world can be won. Pray for church leaders to have discernment for decisions that affect this dream. Ask God to protect our vision.

A Prayer from Brenda Russell:
Father, We are so thankful that You have blessed us with a loving church family and faithful, passionate leadership. As we prepare to write a new verse in our lifesong of service to You and Your people, we ask that You be with us and give us the words, the strength, and the courage we need to share the Good News of Your Son with our community, our nation, and the world.

We thank You for the many gifts with which You have blessed us. We know that all we have comes from You. Help us see that by sharing these gifts we can make sure DBC continues to be a caring and growing church, dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with all people. Without love all our actions are meaningless. We know we can do all things in You and we pray that You will find our efforts pleasing in Your sight. We desire to sign Your name to everything we do each day, so let us join our voices, our hearts, and our lives in praise to You. Amen.