10 Days of Prayer

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 1 IMAGINE CHURCH USA NOW WHAT? SERIES | WEEK 5 OF 6 | MOTHER'S DAY

10 DAYS OF PRAYER NOW WHAT? — Week 5 Acts 1:14 / Matthew 7:7–8 (ESV) | May 10, 2026 | Mother's Day

BIG IDEA — REPEAT THROUGHOUT

"What you've been waiting for has been waiting on your prayers." OPENING HOOK — MOTHER'S DAY [ Extra warmth today. It's Mother's Day. Let the room feel it. ]

First things first. Happy Mother's Day to every mom in this room. ■ Every woman who has carried something — physically, spiritually, emotionally — who has believed for somebody else when they couldn't believe for themselves — who has prayed over children who didn't know they were being prayed over — who has stayed faithful when staying faithful cost everything — This room honors you today. [ Let the room respond. Take your time. ]

Now — I want to talk to you about something that connects directly to what you just celebrated.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 2 Because the greatest thing a mother does — is pray.

Think about Hannah. She couldn't have children. Year after year. Season after season. She went to the temple.

She prayed so hard — so desperately — so intensely — that the priest thought she was drunk. And God answered. Samuel was born. Samuel anointed David. And David's lineage brought Jesus.

One woman's prayer changed the entire trajectory of human history. Think about your own mother. Or the woman who prayed over you. Those prayers didn't disappear. They didn't evaporate.

They went somewhere. They landed somewhere. And some of you are standing in this room today — because somebody prayed you here. That's the power of ten days of prayer. And that's what we're talking about today.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 3 THE TEXT [ Read both passages slowly. Let every word land. ]

Acts 1:13–14 (ESV) "And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying… All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." Matthew 7:7–8 (ESV) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." [ Look up. Let it breathe. ]

Between the ascension of Jesus and the day of Pentecost — there were exactly ten days. And Acts tells us what the disciples did with those ten days. They devoted themselves to prayer. Not occasionally.

Not casually. Not when they felt like it. They devoted themselves to prayer.

And on day ten — Acts 2 says — Acts 2:2 "And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind." SUDDENLY. On the other side of ten days of prayer — SUDDENLY happened. The SUDDENLY wasn't random.

The SUDDENLY wasn't luck. Prayer didn't just prepare them for Pentecost. Prayer produced Pentecost.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 4 POINT 1 Prayer Is How You Position Yourself for What's Coming. [ Build fast. Direct. ]

We've been talking for five weeks about positioning. About staying in the room. About waiting on God's timing. But here's what I haven't said yet — Positioning is not passive.

You don't just sit there and wait. You pray your way into position. The disciples weren't sitting in the upper room twiddling their thumbs. They were praying. Actively. Intensely.

Together. They were pushing in prayer toward what Jesus had promised. They were pulling down heaven with their words. Matthew 7:7 says — Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you." Not — sit and hope. Not — wish and see.

ASK. That's an action. That's a posture. That's a positioning move. You can be in the right room — at the right time — with the right people — and still miss your Pentecost — if you're not praying. Because the fire doesn't just fall on the people who show up.

The fire falls on the people who ASK. Who SEEK. Who KNOCK. "Prayer is not the waiting room. Prayer is the door."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 5 PREACHING MOMENT "Some of you have been showing up to church every Sunday. You've been in the room. You've been faithful. But your prayer life at home has been empty.

You show up Sunday and wonder why you don't feel the fire. And God is saying — you have not because you ask not. The fire is available. The door is open. But you've got to knock."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 6 POINT 2 Ten Days Is Not a Long Time. (Men & Women Who Prayed — Expanded) [ This is the heart of the message. Take your time. Let each example build. ]

Ten days. That's all it was. Between the ascension of Jesus and the day of Pentecost — ten days. And prayer like that — ten days of prayer — has changed the world before. It's not the first time. HANNAH — 1 Samuel 1:10–11 The Prayer That Changed History "She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.

And she vowed a vow and said, 'O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life.'" Hannah couldn't have children. Year after year. Season after season. She prayed so hard the priest thought she was drunk.

God answered. Samuel was born. Samuel anointed David. David's lineage brought Jesus. One woman's desperate prayer changed the entire trajectory of human history.

Don't you dare tell me prayer doesn't work. ELIJAH — 1 Kings 18:41–45 / James 5:17 Seven Times "Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. James 5:17 — 'Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently... Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain.'"

Three years of drought. Elijah prayed SEVEN times — not once. On the seventh time, a cloud the size of a man's hand appeared. And the rain came. He was a man just like us.

With struggles just like ours. And his prayer moved heaven. Your prayer can move heaven too. DANIEL — Daniel 6:10 When It Was Illegal to Pray "When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 7 They made it ILLEGAL to pray. And Daniel went home, opened his window, got on his knees, and prayed anyway. Three times a day. Every day.

Even when it cost him everything. And the lions didn't touch him. Because the God he prayed to was already in the den waiting for him. When the world tells you not to pray — that's when you pray the MOST.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 8 ESTHER — Esther 4:16 Prayer Goes Into the Room Before You Do "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." Esther didn't walk into the king's court on her own strength. She prayed first.

She fasted first. She positioned herself spiritually BEFORE she moved physically. And when she walked into that throne room — God had already gone before her. Prayer goes into the room before you do. JESUS — Luke 5:16 / Mark 1:35 If the Son of God Prayed... "But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. — And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went to a desolate place, and there he prayed."

JESUS prayed. The Son of God. The one who spoke the world into existence. The one who raised the dead. He still got up early — before anything else — and prayed. If Jesus needed to pray — what does that say about our prayer life?

If the Son of God made prayer a priority — what makes us think we don't need to? CORNELIUS — Acts 10:2–4 God Doesn't Forget Your Prayers "A devout man who feared God... prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, 'Cornelius.' And he said, 'Your prayers and your alms have come up as a memorial before God.'" Cornelius was a Gentile. Not a Jew.

Not a disciple. Not in the inner circle. But he prayed continually. And God said — your prayers have come up as a memorial before Me. God doesn't forget your prayers. He keeps them.

He holds them. Every prayer that felt like it went nowhere — God has it. It's in the room. The answer is coming. PAUL & SILAS — Acts 16:25 Midnight Prayer. Morning Breakthrough.

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken." They were in prison. Feet in stocks. Backs bleeding. Midnight. And instead of complaining — they prayed.

They sang. And SUDDENLY — the prison shook. The chains fell off. The doors flew open. SUDDENLY happened at midnight — in the worst possible moment — because two men refused to stop praying. Your midnight prayer produces your morning breakthrough.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 9 All of these people — Hannah. Elijah. Daniel. Esther.

Jesus. Cornelius. Paul and Silas. They all had one thing in common. They prayed when it was hard.

They prayed when nothing was happening. They prayed when the doors were closed. They prayed when it cost them something. And God moved. Every. Single.

Time. And the disciples in that upper room — they did the same thing. Ten days. And on day ten — SUDDENLY happened. We are one week away from Pentecost Sunday. Seven days.

Ten minutes a day. Pray like Hannah. Pray like Elijah. Pray like Daniel. Pray like Esther. Pray like Jesus.

Pray like Paul and Silas. "What you've been waiting for has been waiting on your prayers." PREACHING MOMENT "I want to ask you right now — when is the last time you prayed? Not a quick grace before a meal. Not a passing thought before you fell asleep.

When is the last time you got alone with God — shut everything else out — and just talked to Him? Because He's been waiting. He's been available. The door has been open. You just haven't knocked lately."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 10 POINT 3 The Women Were In the Room. [ This is your Mother's Day moment. Slow down. Let it breathe. ]

I want to go back to Acts 1:14. Because there's something I don't want to rush past. Acts 1:14 "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." Together with the women. Luke specifically names them. He doesn't gloss over them.

He doesn't footnote them. He puts them right there — in the room — praying — with one accord. And Mary. The mother of Jesus. Think about what this woman had been through. She carried the Son of God.

She watched Him be crucified. She stood at the foot of the cross. She watched Him die. And now — she's in the upper room. Still believing. Still praying.

Still in the room. Mary had more reason than anyone to give up. Mary had more reason than anyone to go home and grieve. Mary had more reason than anyone to say — I've done my part. But she was in the room. Praying.

Waiting. Positioning herself for Pentecost. [ Slow down. Look at the moms in the room. This is for them. ]

I want to speak to every mom in this room today. Every woman who has been praying for a child who isn't saved yet. Every woman who has been believing for a marriage that hasn't turned around yet. Every woman who has been standing in faith for a situation that hasn't changed yet. You are Mary in the upper room.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 11 You've carried things nobody knows about. You've prayed prayers nobody heard. You've stayed faithful in seasons that cost you everything. And I want to tell you today — your prayers are in the room.

Your prayers have been building. Your prayers have been piling up. And Pentecost Sunday — the fire is going to fall on YOU. "The most dangerous person in the room is a praying mother." PREACHING MOMENT "I want every mom and every woman in this room to stand up right now.

We're going to honor you. And then I'm going to pray over you specifically. Because what you've been carrying deserves to be honored. And what you've been praying deserves an answer."

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 12 THE CLOSE — BUILD TO PENTECOST SUNDAY [ This is your big build to next week. Everything leads here. ]

We are one week away. One week from Pentecost Sunday. One week from the finale of this series. One week from the fire falling in this room. Six weeks ago I asked you a question.

He's alive. Now what? And here's what we've discovered together: What's NEXT is a room. What's NEXT is community.

What's NEXT is obedience before understanding. What's NEXT is tarrying. What's NEXT is prayer. And next Sunday — what's NEXT is Pentecost.

But I need you to do something between today and next Sunday. I need you to pray. Every day. Ten minutes. Before anything else.

Ask. Seek. Knock. Because the fire doesn't fall on people who are passively waiting.

The fire falls on people who are actively praying. [ Rise. Full voice. Build to the declaration. ]

You've been in the room. Now let's fill the room with prayer.

You've been waiting on God. Now let's watch God move.

Pentecost Sunday is seven days away. And the fire is coming.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 13 What you've been waiting for has been waiting on your prayers. [ Say the Big Idea. Ask the church to say it with you. Say it again. Lock it in. ]

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 14 ALTAR CALL / RESPONSE MOMENT [ Extra tender today. Mother's Day. Spirit-led. Take all the time you need. ]

I want to take a moment right now. Specifically for every mom and every person who has been prayed over by a mom. If your mother prayed for you — if there's a woman who has believed for you — I want you to honor that right now. Lift your hand. And let's thank God for the praying women in our lives. And if you've never given your life to Jesus — if you've never had your own prayer life — today is the day.

Because Jesus said — ask and it will be given. That starts with asking Him into your life. Lift your hand right where you are. [ Pause. Honor the moment. ]

Salvation Prayer: "Jesus, I believe You died and rose again. I'm asking You into my life today. Forgive me. Lead me.

Fill me. I'm Yours. Amen."

Prayer for the Moms: Father — we thank You for the praying women in our lives. We thank You for mothers who stayed in the room. We thank You for the ten days that are ahead of us. We are asking. We are seeking.

We are knocking. Come Holy Spirit. We'll see You next Sunday. In Jesus' name. Amen.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION — WHAT DO I DO THIS WEEK? 1. PRAY 10 MINUTES EVERY MORNING. Before your phone. Before your email.

Before anything. Ten minutes with God. Seven days. Start tomorrow.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 5 | MAY 10, 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY | im.im Page 15 2. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU'RE BELIEVING FOR. Put it on paper. Bring it to God specifically.

Ask, seek, knock. 3. HONOR A PRAYING WOMAN THIS WEEK. Call your mom. Text the woman who prayed for you.

Thank her. Tell her her prayers mattered. 4. INVITE EVERYBODY TO PENTECOST SUNDAY. May 18.

This is the finale. The fire is falling. Don't let anyone you know miss it. SERIES ROADMAP — NOW WHAT? | EASTER TO PENTECOST Week 1 | Apr 12 | He's Alive — Now What? | Acts 1:1–11 Week 2 | Apr 19 | In the Upper Room | Acts 1:12–14 / Luke 24:49 Week 3 | Apr 26 | He Appeared to 500 | 1 Cor 15:1–8 / Acts 1:15–26 Week 4 | May 3 | Tarry | Luke 24:49 / Acts 1:4–5 Week 5 ← YOU ARE HERE | May 10 | 10 Days of Prayer | Acts 1:14 / Matthew 7:7–8 ■ FINALE | May 18 | The Room Shook — Pentecost Sunday | Acts 2:1–4 IMAGINE CHURCH USA | im.im | NOW WHAT? SERIES | APRIL–MAY 2026 | MOTHER'S DAY