Week One
Monday 7th to Sunday 13th September 2026
Every week we will follow a rhythm where we’ll be praying for a different theme each day.
On Mondays our prayers will focus simply on God.
On Tuesdays we’ll pray for Exeter Vineyard Church.
On Wednesdays we’ll pray for the Church - whether here in Exeter, in the UK or around the world.
On Thursdays for Exeter and the surrounding areas.
And on Friday we’ll pray wider, for our nation and the world.
Over the weekend there is no set devotion, but on Saturday there’ll be a reminder to take time to reflect on anything that might feel like a God-prompt from earlier in the week.
Monday 7th September
Today’s focus is God’s love
God’s love is where it all starts.
Its overflow led to the universe’s creation and then to each of us. Its desire manifested as Jesus, coming to express love in the ultimate sacrifice. Its continued passion works to empower and enliven us.
It is because God loves us - I mean really, passionately and extravagantly loves us - that we can have a relationship with him and come to him in prayer.
Today, spend time considering the remarkable truth that the creator of the Universe would love us. Lean into his love and feel the gratitude and joy that accompanies the acceptance that we are loved, not because we deserve it, have earned it or are loveable, but because it is the nature of God, who is love.
Reflect on God’s love - what does it mean to you? In what ways have you experienced it? Do you struggle to accept it?
Pray for a deeper revealing and understanding of his love. And, for a world where ‘love’ is often conditional and cheap, we can pray that God’s love will break into cold hearts.
You might want to reflect on how God’s character is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Or the magnitude of his love in Psalm 36:5-7.
Tuesday 8th September
On Tuesdays we’re praying for our church… and today we want to pray that Exeter Vineyard is a church fully centred and focused on God.
Or to put it another way - to be a church completely devoted to worship.
This is more (much more) than singing. And it’s more than the times we gather together.
We’re praying that every person who is part of (or connected to) Exeter Vineyard will grow at being more caught-up, more awestruck, more in-love, more trust-filled, more sold-out, and more secure with God.
And we’re praying for this to happen at all times, that our everyday lives will be increasingly full of God awareness and God gratitude.
So that when we do gather together - in the Sunday Service, in Hubs, in Discipleship Groups, or just when we see each other - that our everyday-worship-ful-ness will amplify and encourage one another.
So today we want to pray for our own awareness of God and how this might overflow into our relationships (whether in person or through messages) with other people in our church family.
And let’s pray for everyone else in Vineyard… that on this ordinary Tuesday they will find the grace to be more centred on God as they go about their everyday life.
Today’s Bible passage is from Colossians 3:16-17:
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Wednesday 9th September
On Wednesdays we’ll be praying for The capital ‘C’ Church. Today we’re going to pray for The Church in Exeter (or, as we think of it, the churches in Exeter).
As it happens a bit behind the scenes, you may not know that there are regular connections between church leaders. There’s a monthly prayer meeting where church leaders pray together. There are often breakfasts, lunches and get-togethers. Every year there is a day conference for churches to think about how they might bless and impact the city, and every year there is a spiritual retreat.
As well as the relational connections, churches are also working together. At Vineyard we work with other churches to run Crosslines. We work with two other churches to run CARRIE, a charity set up to resettle refugee families in Exeter - so far we have helped 3 families restart life away from danger and war. There is an Education Hub to connect Churches and Christians across the city to bless and support schools, the college and the university in Exeter.
We support other organisations and initiatives that connect across churches in the city, such as Exeter YMCA and Exeter Foodbank.
Of course, this summer we worked with a number of churches to put on Joyfest, where members of 11 churches worked together to bless over 2,600 people in the city.
Today let’s pray for the churches in Exeter to be blessed. Pray there would be a great loving connection between the leaders and the members. In unity we would work together with love and cooperation, honouring each other. Pray that people from different churches who live nearby each other or work together would find common support, encouragement and ministry together.
For a specific prayer we are about to start planning for Joyfest 2027. Can you pray that more churches would get involved?
Use today’s Bible verse to reflect on just how cosmically and spiritually significant the church is, even though we might sometimes struggle to see beyond the failings and ordinariness.
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 3:10-11 (NIV)
Thursday 10th September
On Thursdays we’re praying for our local area.
Today we want to pray for a growing spiritual hunger among people living in and around Exeter. Recently there have been so many reports about a growing interest and acceptance of Jesus.
Today, let’s be praying that we start to see this in our friends, family, neighbours, colleagues… in fact, everyone.
They say there is often more going on in people’s hearts that we realise, so let’s try to remember to pray with faith about this whenever you see anyone - friend or stranger - today. And be encouraged as this is something Jesus tells us to pray about.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’
Matthew 9:36-38
Friday 11th September
On Fridays we’re praying for the world. Today we’re praying for peace where there is conflict.
This is an intimidating topic; it’s hard to have faith when conflict seems so prevalent and inevitable.
The Council on Foreign Relations has a Global Conflict Tracker that lists 27 conflicts, 8 of which are worsening.
A research paper from Uppsala University in Sweden counts 65 active conflicts, using the definition that an active armed conflict is where at least one party is the government of a state, and that resulted in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year. This is the highest level since World War II.
Whichever figure we use, it’s a really sad state of affairs, often directed and decided by politicians and leaders far from battle lines, carried out by soldiers and inflicting terror and misery on ordinary citizens.
So today’s prayer requires faith - but we should be encouraged that Jesus says just the smallest amount of faith is needed. We don’t bring peace, he does.
Today let’s pray into these promises - asking God to do what he has said he will do.
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more.
Isaiah 2:4
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’
Psalm 46:9-10
Saturday 12th September
The weekend is a chance to think back over the week.
Was there something that stuck with you? A topic you felt connected with you? Some prompt to do something as a response?
We want to be people who don’t just say prayers, but listen for God’s reply and act on it.
As a summary, this week we prayed about:
God’s amazing love
That EVC would be a worshipful, God-centred church
For churches in Exeter to be connected and unified
For people in the local area to become increasingly spiritually hungry
For peace in the world