The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
- James 5:16
My “Jym-shorts” article to you this week is a call to prayer. As a starter, let me just admit that there is some mystery surrounding prayer. Why do we pray to an all-knowing God? Does he need information? Why do some of our prayers seemingly go unanswered? If God already knows the future, doesn’t that make prayer meaningless, or does God change the future for us? How does God answer contradictory prayers (e.g. I am praying for rain, you are praying for sunshine – and we are both pretty good Christians)? You could probably add a few of your own questions to the mix. That notwithstanding, we are called to pray. Scripture holds prayer out to us not only as an invitation, but as a privilege and blessing, and an activity that puts us at the mover of history's doorstep. The Scriptures tell us that God is not only attentive to our prayers, but that he responds to them as well. In short, prayer is effective because God says it is effective, even though we do not understand all the ins and outs surrounding it. So we must pray.
With that brief theological point behind us, let me call you to pray for a few specific things this week:
1. Pray for our upcoming church schedule the next few months: I will not be exhaustive here, but barring another spike in Covid-related issues in Indiana, we are looking to get back to a relatively normal schedule this late spring/summer. Our college ministry is taking a retreat this weekend. Our missions team is busy planning out possible summer mission opportunities. Our women’s and men’s ministries are continuing their efforts to minister to their respective groups. Our children’s and student ministries will be planning many summer activities, including music camp, a regular VBS and some “hybrid” VBS activities. Our Joy Fellowship senior adult ministry is looking to restart their regular gatherings, and the list goes on. Ask God to go before us this spring/summer, that we might not just stay busy, but that we might be busy with gospel-oriented ministry.
2. Pray for our elders/deacons. Shepherding a large church carries with it not only great concern, but a need for great focus and maintaining a heart for people. It is also time consuming. Pray for these men (Heb. 13:17-19).
3. Pray for those who continue to struggle with Covid-related issues, whether physically, work-related, or from the loneliness that this past year of isolation has brought to them. Some in our congregation have passed away from the effects of this virus, leaving behind heart-broken families. Many have dealt with the virus first-hand, and some continue to deal with lingering effects. Some remain in nursing facilities with very little outside contact. Of course, the virus isn’t the only malignant enemy out there. Pray for those who are dealing with ongoing health issues or great loss in our church family.
4. Pray for the lost. Pastor Dave Oakley has taken up the call to pray regularly for the lost, particularly lost family members related to members of our own church family. A small group will now meet occasionally at the church with the specific goal of concentrating in this area of prayer. It is heartbreaking for people to deal with sons, daughters, parents, spouses, brothers and sisters who reject the gospel. We cannot choose salvation for them, but we can pray that God would break through to them. Pray for the loved ones in your own lives who have yet to know the saving power of Jesus Christ.
5. Pray for the persecuted church. Yeah, I know, this is a bit out of left field, but we really should be remembering our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for the gospel that many take for granted. Trying to get the Scriptures into the hands of believers, languishing in jail simply because they have given their lives and livelihoods over to Christ with a hope for a better future. Losing jobs…losing lives. The media would have us believe that just about every religion except Christianity is loving and accepting and open to new ideas. To say that is untrue is an understatement. Christians die in other countries simply for being Christian, or they suffer deprivations that would seem like death to most of us. What can we do? Pray.
Set apart some time this week to meet with God. Pray as you feel led. My list is a starting point, God will have surely set other valuable concepts on your heart and mind that I have not covered in this brief list. I have been asked before what LifePoint’s greatest weakness might be. My answer is, “we do not pray enough corporately.” You may see greater areas of weakness than this, but surely prayer must be a higher priority. Let's begin to turn that trend around.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym