Lately, the Lord has been impressing on me the power of prayer. No, this isn’t a new realization for me, but it is a deeper understanding of how God uses our prayers. I am sure you have joined me in rejoicing mightily over how God has been answering our prayers. I am always amazed (not surprised, but amazed) at how God orchestrates events and situations so that when the answer comes, it can only be attributed to Him. It fills me with a sense of wonder and awe at the power and size of our God, and it is a constant reminder to me that no matter how large our problems may seem, they are not bigger than our God. These trials also remind me to not take my eyes off of Jesus, to not look at the wind and waves of the storm, but to maintain my focus on the Lord alone. I readily admit that I falter at times in the face of these trials, both those of my own and those that you all endure as well, but I am thankful the Lord has been building up my faith over these thirty-eight years I’ve been alive so that these moments grow farther apart and shorter in duration. One of the means by which God has grown my faith in this area is through living in community with other believers (that is, through the church), where I have been able to witness His faithfulness, love, mercy, and grace to His people over and over again. It is yet another example of why the church is of such importance to God, and why the same attitude must be at the heart of the believer.
There are many trials that are currently being endured by the members of our church, as well. I am thankful for our prayer meetings on Wednesday evenings, when we come together to share not only our praises of how God is so good to us, but also our petitions to Him for the things that weigh heavy on our hearts. We are able to hold one another up before the throne of grace, as well as hear from God how He would use us to minister to each other. I am also thankful for Lisa King, who took on the responsibility of prayer coordinator several months ago. The weekly prayer sheets that are placed in the bulletin each week are put together by her, and I appreciate the time and effort she puts into that. Many of you are also on the email prayer chain, so you already know how quickly prayer requests are put out via that medium. And I am especially thankful for the intercessory prayer ministry that has been started recently that takes place before each Sunday morning service. If you would like to be part of that ministry (and I think you should), ask Lisa for the details.
Ultimately, I’m convinced that our prayers prepare us for what God is doing. As we pray, we’re transformed more and more into the image of Christ because our hearts are brought more and more into line with the will of God. The more time we spend in prayer with the Lord, the more we begin to desire the things He desires. May we all continue to develop the attitude of Martin Luther, who is reported to have said (I’m paraphrasing here), “I have so much to do today that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer.” Just something to think about…
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