Four Weeks of Prayer - Week 4

Four Weeks of Prayer

October 7, 2012

James 5:13-16

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  

Prayer is absolutely important in the life of a Christian.  It is a primary connection point between our lives and God.  Prayer is a community effort.  It can be done when a collection of individuals pray for the same thing.  It can be done when the whole church gathers together to anoint those who need healing and/or forgiveness.  It can be done when a small group of people gather to pray for each other in an atmosphere of confidence and confidentiality.  All are needed for us to live well round lives of prayer.

Confessing our sins to another is often more difficult than confessing our sins to God.  It requires us to open up the doors of our hearts and become vulnerable to another.  It requires trust in another person.  This trust is not to be given lightly or casually.  This trust must not be betrayed.  When this trust exists everyone is strengthened.  God did not create us to go through life alone.  We are greater when we have deep personal relationships with other people.  This is God’s design for the church.  How many of us have a group of people like this?  How often do we admit our failings and our sins to others or even to ourselves?  What stops us?  Healing is found in the prayers of the faithful and in the atmosphere of trust. 

This week, let’s each make an effort to seek out a trustworthy believing friend.  Let’s be open with and pray with that person.  Let’s use our 30 minutes of prayer each day to help us make this happen.

Four Weeks of Prayer - Week 3

Four Weeks of Prayer

September 30, 2012

James 5:13-16

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  

Prayer is absolutely important in the life of a Christian.  It is a primary connection point between our lives and God.  Prayer is a community effort.  We don’t just pray by ourselves.  Our prayers for each other are to be visible, active, and intentional.  When a church prays, people change.  Lives are changed.  Sickness is overcome.  Forgiveness is received.  The church comes together and becomes more united than it was before.  This scripture paints a beautiful picture of the church.  It is a place where the leadership and all the people humble themselves in faith before God.  It is a place where God’s work is being done and can be seen.  It is a place where people experience forgiveness and have their lives changed for the better because of it.  Does our church look like this?

The prayers offered are offered in faith by faithful people.  A church is a place where people regularly step out of faith in their daily lives.  It is a place where people are intentionally choosing the path of righteousness.  Stepping out on faith often feels risky.  It is believing and acting when you can’t fully understand or know what will happen.  It is sometimes difficult to trust.  Yet trusting God opens the door for us to experience to power of God.  Faith works.  Prayer works.  This week we invite everyone to live lives of righteousness.  Let’s spend 30 minutes in prayer every day.  Let’s be the church, lifting each other to God.  May God show us his power this week.

Four Weeks of Prayer - Week 2

Four Weeks of Prayer

September 23, 2012

James 5:13-16

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  

Prayer is absolutely important in the life of a Christian.  It is a primary connection point between our lives and God.  Prayer is unavoidable in life.  We pray for those who suffer, we pray for the sick, we pray for troubles in the lives of people we care about, and we pray for our country and world.  Our instinct is to go to God in times of uncertainty or trouble.  Yet life is more than suffering, struggle, disease, and uncertainty.  Life is also full of joy, laughter, fun, excitement, anticipation, and wonder.  God calls us to bring these things to him in prayer as well.  Prayer brings help for the helpless and prayer brings indescribable joy to the joyful. 

How much rejoicing do we do as part of our everyday routine?  It’s easy to focus on the problems.  Many of us are great problem solvers.  I wonder if we really know how to have fun with the Lord.  If we are cheerful, we take it to God.  He adds power to our cheerfulness.  He magnifies our joy.  He gets us energized and excited about life.  When we take our joy to the Lord we end up standing in awe of him.  We end up amazed by his blessings, by what he has done as is doing, and at how his love speaks into our lives.

I invite you to spend at least 30 minutes every day for the next four weeks in prayer.  This sort of prayer will change our lives.  This week let’s take our joys to the Lord.  Let’s fill our week with praise, joy, and awe.  May God show us how awesome he is.

Devotional: 4 Weeks of Prayer Week 1

Four Weeks of Prayer

September 16, 2012

James 5:13-16

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  

Prayer is absolutely important in the life of a Christian.  It is a primary connection point between our lives and God.  Prayer is an instinct found in every human being.  When we face a time of trouble or suffering we often feel compelled to pray.  Yet all prayer is not created equal.  It is a reflection of our relationship with God.  The stronger and more intimate our relationship with God, the more powerful and effective our prayers.  This does not mean that God doesn’t listen to all prayers equally.  It means that the more we know and follow God, the more we connected to him we will be in our prayers.  God uses prayer to change us.  The more we allow God to change us the better we are able to pray.

So what should we pray for?  James speaks clearly.  If you are suffering, pray.  Simple.  Suffering isn’t defined in the narrow terms of physical or visible suffering.  It can apply to any person in any situation that feels overwhelmed, alone, hurt, in pain, or any other form of suffering you can think of.  It could be said this way…if you are hurting you need God and prayer can get you to him.  God invites us to share our hurts with him.  He can handle it.  He can help.

 

I invite you to spend at least 30 minutes every day for the next four weeks in prayer.  I believe this sort of concentrated effort will change our lives.  This week let’s take our hurts, whatever they might be, to God in prayer.  

Acts Devotional Week 19

Acts: Open Eyes, Open Ears

September 9, 2012

Acts 28:23-31

After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets.  Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe.  So they disagreed with each other; and as they were leaving, Paul made one further statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 6:9-10) ‘Go to this people and say, you will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.   For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.’ Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”  He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

Paul puts his very best effort into preaching and teaching the message of Christ to the Jews (church).  He uses every conceivable tool he can to do this.  He does it day and night.  All he found was argument.  Some believed, other did not.  Neither was content to allow the other side to have their beliefs.  Paul observes and participates in all this and at the end of the discussion he had a realization.  These particular people have allowed their hearts to grow dull.  They message lacks power because they are unable and unwilling to see and hear what God is trying to say.  He quotes Isaiah, showing that it has been this way for a long time.

What happens when a heart grows dull?  It lacks passion.  It becomes content with things as they are and it isn’t able to accept anything else.  A dull heart doesn’t move and it doesn’t get excited about new things.  A dull heart intentionally shuts the eyes and intentionally refuses to listen.  A dull heart doesn’t want to see or hear anything different from what they already know or have experienced.  

A dull heart misses the continuing work of God.

How willing are we to look at and listen for the work of the Lord?  How willing are we to try and understand God’s continuing plan for our lives and our church?  Are our eyes open?  Can we hear the call of God?  Do we feel the drive and passion that comes from doing God’s will?  Do we hold ourselves back from God and His work?  Paul doesn’t.  Paul goes to those not-Jews (outsiders) because they see, hear, and understand the message of Christ.  Paul did not let closed eyes and ears prevent him from doing God’s work.  Neither should we.  Let’s be open to God.

Acts Devotional Week 18

Acts: After the Storm

September 2, 2012

Acts 28:1-10

After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta.  The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it.  Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.  When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”  He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.  They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

Paul helps everyone safely survive the storm.  He is helping everyone prepare for survival on the island.  In that process he is attacked by a viper.  This should kill him, it doesn’t.  People thought Paul was being punished for surviving, he wasn’t.  God had greater plans for Paul and God’s protection was with him.  The ones that expected Paul to die were amazed when he didn’t even get sick.  They thought him to be a god.  Amazement is always a proper reaction to God at work.  When others see God at work in our lives, they may be amazed.  There is something different about a Christian.  There is a unique strength in the followers of God.  How close to the surface of our lives do we hold that uniqueness?  What would happen if people saw a little more of God at work in us?  Do we ever try to hide what God is doing in our lives?

 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.  It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him.  After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.  They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.

Paul promised safety in the storm because of Christ.  He is kept safe personally because of Christ.  Now he heals the sick because of Christ.  After the storm there are many opportunities to do ministry (God’s work).  Paul doesn’t miss a chance to show people who God is and how he works.  God protects.  God heals.  God is worthy of honor.  Let’s make sure we never miss an opportunity to do God’s work.  After the storm we can serve God more fully and people are more ready to see and hear what the Lord is doing.

Devotional Acts Week 17

Acts: Safe in the Storm

August 26, 2012

Acts 27:21-26

Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.  But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.  For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’  So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.  But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Paul finds himself on a boat headed to stand before the Roman emperor as a prisoner.  The journey is long and difficult.  Strong winds and storms plagued the ship throughout.  Paul takes this time to get to know the captain and crew on the ship.  To them he offers a warning of bad weather, which they do not listen too.  When Paul is proven right they are more willing to listen when he tells them they will be safe in the storm.  Sometimes being heard requires patience and grace. 

This was no small storm.  For 14 days the crew battled the sea and the storm.  They did not eat during that time.  They tossed cargo overboard.  At one point they thought to abandon ship and lowered lifeboats only to cut the boats free at Paul’s warning of trouble.  276 people ate one meal at Paul’s direction.  The next day they found land, cut their anchors, and headed to shore.  Along the way the boat gets stuck and breaks apart.  All 276 people made it to shore just as Paul had promised.  Considering the circumstances, this is a miracle.

The storm came, but it did not stop God’s purpose.  The storm lasted for a long time, but it did not stop God from keeping people safe.  The storm destroyed property, finances, and why physically difficult, but it did not destroy the people God was protecting.  God is always greater than the storm.  God will always be greater than the storm.  If all our attention is focused on the storm we won’t find safety.  When we focus on God in the midst of the storm we find safety and peace.

Each of us faces storms in life.  Perhaps some of us have been shipwrecked emotionally, financially, physically, or relationally.  We cannot deny the power of the storm.  But we can take courage.  God is with us in the storms of life.  God is greater than the storms of life.  God will bring us safely through.  What does taking courage look like for you today?