Developing a prayer map

This simple but powerful tool of creating a prayer map can help you pray for people God has put you in contact with.

Introduction: Understand your oikos

In Luke 10:5–7, as Jesus sends out the seventy (or seventy-two, in some translations) local missionaries, he tells them:

When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house’. If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

The word in bold in the text above, translated as ‘house,’ is the Greek word oikos. This is an important word and concept for our own mission and for sharing the gospel.

Oikos is translated as ‘house’ or ‘household’, but it’s so much more than what we think of as our nuclear household. In the first-century culture, a household included multiple generations of a family living in the same dwelling and the servants or slaves and their families. We get a good picture of what oikos means in Acts 10:24–27. When Peter goes into Cornelius’ house (his oikos), ‘Cornelius was waiting for him and had called together his relatives and close friends … Peter and Cornelius talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled’.

Cornelius has gathered his oikos. We might call it a network of significant relationships.

You, too, have an oikos – a network of significant relationships. This is the unique place God has put you, in which you already have significant and long-term relationships. They may be family members, in-laws, friends, sporting club members or workmates.

When Jesus says to the seventy, ‘Do not move around from house to house’, he tells them to build deep relationships and that this is the foundation of their mission.

For most of us, our oikos is the primary place God calls us to bear witness to Jesus in words and actions.

Action 1: Map your oikos

Take a piece of paper. Put a circle or oval in the centre and put your name in it.

Now begin to put some lines of connection to other circles surrounding this one. In these circles, put names of people with whom you have significant relationships. This is your oikos. Concentrate on names of people who don’t yet share faith in Jesus or may have drifted away from him.

It might look something like this:

Jesus says, ‘I pray for those who will believe in me through them’ (John 17:20,21).

Now take it to the next level. Begin to sketch out what you know about that person’s oikos – put some lines from their name to other smaller circles.

Imagine if that person could come to know Jesus and spread the gospel to their oikos – how powerful would that be! This is basically how the gospel spread throughout the early Roman Empire.

Jesus actually prays for this to happen! In John 17:20,21, in Jesus’ high priestly prayer, he prays, ‘My prayer is not for them alone [the disciples]. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me’.

We are part of that chain – and Jesus wants people to believe also through us!

God wants to bring the gospel to your oikos – your network of significant relationships – through you. You are uniquely placed to share the good news with these people!

Action 2: Pray for your oikos!

When you have filled in your Oikos Map, you have completed a prayer map! You might want to write, ‘Jesus says: ‘I pray for those who will believe in me through them …’ on your Oikos Map.

Spend some time each day joining Jesus in praying for your oikos.

Put the prayer map somewhere prominent to remind and encourage you to pray for your oikos.

Pray for the unique oikos of the people you have relationship with.

You might like to pray something like: ‘Lord, give me an opportunity to share the gospel with [name/relationship, for example, my cricket club].’

This prayer comes from Colossians 4:2–5, where St Paul writes, ‘Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone’.

You might also like to pray something like:

Lord, would you please give [name] a heart that is open to the good news of Jesus? Help them through your Holy Spirit to come to know Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness. Bless them and fill them with joy.

If someone in your oikos responds to the gospel or shows interest in Jesus, faith, church or the Bible, be ready to speak with them!

You can keep ‘nine simple words’ and ‘five simple words’ ready.

The nine simple words are: ‘Would you like to read the Bible with me?’ (If they say yes, start by reading a gospel together, such as the Gospel of Mark or John, or use an app like the Word One to One (www.theword121.com). You could also use a simple Bible study tool like the Discovery Bible Method (an example is provided with the Season of Prayer resources).

The five simple words are: ‘Can I pray with you?’

God bless you and give you joy as you pray for your oikos!