Dan Crawford's Posts

A Christmas Prayer

Posted by Dan Crawford on December 18, 2011 at 22:07

One of my prayers this Christmas revolves around a word, actually two words. These two words make all the difference in how Christmas is observed. For many people, Christmas is an event – by definition, an observable occurrence, a gathering. It is an event marked by parties, gifts, parades, decorations, family gatherings, etc. While these event-related activities are often involved, Christmas for others is an advent. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning coming or arrival. Christians celebrate Christmas as the arrival of the Christ-child, the world’s Savior and Lord. While the actual date for the physical arrival of Jesus is debatable, the observance of that birth is at Christmas time. The Latin word, adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, which appears twenty-four times in the New Testament, seventeen of which are used in reference to the second coming of Christ, as when the disciples asked Jesus for a sign of His second coming in Matthew 24:3. For Christians, the season of Advent serves as a reminder both of the first coming of Jesus, His physical birth, as well as Christ's return from Heaven. How you celebrate Christ’s second coming, depends largely on how you celebrate His first coming – event or advent. So, for the sake of your preparation for the second coming of the Lord, I pray that you celebrate His first coming as an advent, not simply as an event.

This paragraph is a part of Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo, a one paragraph, spiritual jump-start sent free of charge via E-mail every Monday morning. To see more samples and possibly join the subscription list, go to www.discipleallnations.org.

Praying for Pastors and Football Coaches

Posted by Dan Crawford on November 14, 2011 at 7:41

I am not interested in being Interim Football Coach at Penn. St. University. Having been Interim Pastor for churches with similar circumstances is enough. Fortunately, most of my 22 Interims have been for good churches with good circumstances, but not all. Whether a Pastor is guilty of sexual contact with children, extra-marital sexual relations, sexual harassment, mishandling of church funds for personal gain, or abuse of the position of Pastor, sin is not limited to the secular. Nor is godly character limited to the church, I might add. I’ve known some very godly football coaches, at high school, university and professional levels. I know a young Pastor whom God is using in amazing ways. He is personable, handsome, winsome, authoritative, and has a beautiful, sweet wife. Recently, I said to him, “I want you to know specifically how I am praying for you. I’m praying that God will lead you from temptation and deliver you from evil. Satan has a target on you as big as West Texas and there are females (and males) that are available for Him to use to bring you down and destroy what God is doing through you.” He looked at me like a deer caught in headlights and said, “Thanks.” Every Pastor needs someone praying a similar prayer for them. You don’t necessarily need to tell your pastor (or a fellow pastor) that you are praying that prayer, but why not voice it this week. And, oh yes, pray for football coaches also.

You can subscribe to Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo and receive it free via E-Mail every Monday morning - www.discipleallnations.org.

Pastor Appreciation

Posted by Dan Crawford on October 17, 2011 at 7:53

This is Pastor Appreciation Month. In the past twenty-six years, while serving as a Seminary professor, I have also served eighteen churches (two of them twice) as Interim Pastor; some for a few months, others for a few years. Interim Pastors are sometimes appreciated, sometimes not so much. While they fill a crucial role in the life of a church, allowing for transition, sometimes for periods of healing, giving the church time to find the right Pastor, they are occasionally seen as merely fill-ins, pulpit fillers, or as I was once introduced to a congregation, “our new temporary Pastor.” I can easily identify the churches where I was most successful in providing them the pastoral leadership needed. They are the ones who intentionally and consistently, prayed for me – in public and in private. One church actually requested that I stop by their Prayer Room on the way to both morning worship services where a small group of people waited to pray for me. A recent Internet article entitled, “Top Ten Gifts to Give Your Pastor” listed prayer as #1. J.C. Ryle, prolific writer and British Pastor in the late 1800s, wrote, “If we would have good ministers, we must remember our Lord’s example, and pray for them. Their work is heavy. Their responsibility is enormous. Their strength is small. Let us see that we support them, and hold up their hands by our prayers.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake” (1 Thess. 5:12-13). Pray for your Pastor this month, and then make it routine for every month thereafter.Subscribe to Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo at www.discipleallnations.org. It's a free, spiritual jump-start for the week, posted and sent each Monday morning.

Praying for the Pastor

Posted by Dan Crawford on September 26, 2011 at 8:03

The highly successful London Pastor, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was once asked, “What is the secret of your great influence?” Spurgeon replied, “My congregation prays for me.” How often do you pray for your Pastor? How specifically do you pray for your Pastor? Do you pray for his spiritual growth? Do you pray for his time management? Do you pray for his sermon preparation and delivery? Do you pray for his counseling sessions? Do you pray for his hospital visits? Do you pray for his community relationships and influence? Do you pray for his family? Do you pray for his accountability? Do you pray for his resistance of Satan? The list goes on. The Internet is full of articles on “How to” pray for your Pastor, including scriptures to use. My question is, do you? Knowing how is not enough. In his Pastoral letters, Paul asked for prayer (Eph. 6:18-19 and elsewhere). So when should you pray for your Pastor: Saturday nights when Satan attempts to rob sleep; Sunday mornings when the congregation must be faced and fed; Monday mornings when the adrenalin rush is over and vulnerability sets in; any other time God brings the Pastor to your mind. It was Spurgeon who also said, “A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren, he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church.” So get busy this week, praying for your Pastor.Subscribe to "Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo" and receive this one paragraph, spiritual jump-start each Monday morning via E-mail. It's free. www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

The Wind beneath my Wings

Posted by Dan Crawford on August 22, 2011 at 8:29

I said it again last week that the heart and soul of my ministry abides in my prayer partners. To use a line from a not-so-recent, popular song, they are the “wind beneath my wings.” It has been estimated that approximately 85% of the prayers in the Bible, where we know what God’s answer was, were intercessory prayers – prayers for others. Praying for self is not un-biblical. Jesus prayed for Himself. Paul did likewise for himself. But praying for others is clearly a major teaching of the Bible. I don’t actively recruit more prayer partners because I think God is impressed with my numbers, nor because I think sheer numbers will win some favor with God. I recruit prayer partners so they can be blessed by being a part of what God does in and through me and because I need all the “wind” I can get “beneath my wings.” Strangely, “wind” is often used in the Bible as a symbol of the presence of God. Ezekiel stood over a valley full of dry bones and was told to call for the “wind” to breathe life into the bones (Ezekiel 37:9). When Jesus was trying to help Nicodemus understand God he used the wind as a symbol (John 3:8). When God’s presence filled the place where the disciples were gathered, it was described as “a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). So thanks to my prayer partners, who assist me in understanding God’s presence, directions, blessings, and favor in my ministry. The last line of the song says, “Thank you, thank you, thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.”Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo is sent free via E-mail every Monday morning. To subscribe go to www.discipleallnations.org and click on "Subscribe."

Sometimes there is Crying in Baseball

Posted by Dan Crawford on July 11, 2011 at 7:53

I wept Thursday night. I’m not sure if it was the little boy in me, or the father in me or the grandfather in me weeping, but I wept. I wept for a little boy named Cooper who I did not know. He went to the ball game with his Dad, like I did so many times with mine, like my son did with me, like my grandson does with me. In fact, my grandson Price, went to the local minor league game with me the same night. Price came home with me and a baseball, his second of the season. Cooper went home without a ball or a Dad. Shannon Stone and his son Copper went to the Texas Ranger game Thursday, stopping on the way to buy Cooper a glove, for the purpose of catching a baseball. Seated on the front row of the outfield bleachers, Shannon reached over to catch a ball for Cooper and fell to his death, twenty feet below. As a little boy cried for his Daddy, a game stood still. Life (and death) came into perspective. Simon Peter wrote that he lived in the knowledge that, “the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent” (2 Peter 1:14, NAS). Not knowing the time nor circumstances of our earthly death, so must we live, even at a baseball game. I’m reminded of the oft-quoted line from baseball Manager Jimmy Dugan in the movie, “A League of Their Own,” - “There’s no crying in baseball.” Sometimes there is. I'm praying for the Stone family and the Brownwood, Texas firefighter brotherhood today as they bury Shannon.You can receive this Momday Morning Memo via E-mail every Monday morning and it's free. Go to www.discipleallnations.org and click on "Subscribe." Then follow the directions.

When God Does Not Answer Immediately

Posted by Dan Crawford on June 26, 2011 at 19:19

Have you ever asked God for something and received no immediate answer? Saul asked God for counsel but God, “did not answer him that day” (1 Samuel 14:37). In many Seminary classrooms and in conferences too numerous to count, I have taught that there is no such thing as unanswered prayer for believers. Sometimes God says “yes,” sometimes “no,” occasionally “wait,” perhaps “how about this” (when the answer is different from the request), maybe even “you’ve got to be joking.” But there is no such thing as God refusing to answer a believer’s prayer request. So what do we make of this apparent non-answer from God to Saul? There are several possibilities. Perhaps Saul asked “amiss” (James 4:3). Maybe Saul had unconfessed sin in his life that blocked his communication with God. Then again, it could have been the sin of someone else, like Jonathan that prevented an immediate answer. A human father must always consider the good of the family over the good of any individual member of the family. It could be that God had a larger plan for the family, than would be reflected in Saul’s request for personal “counsel.” When God does not respond to our “asking,” what are we to do? Try “seeking” and if that doesn’t work, try “knocking” (Matthew 7:7). While God may not respond immediately, He will eventually respond. Walk on – not by sight, but by faith. Pray on – not occasionally but without ceasing. Listen on – to God and all whom God might use in the answer. Remember, it only took eight verses (1 Samuel 14:45) for God to eventually answer Saul’s prayer and He did so, not with His own words as Saul was expecting, but through the actions of the people.Go to www.discipleallnations.org and subscribe to Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo delivered free via E-mail and it's free.

Standing in Need of (Saturday Night) Prayer

Posted by Dan Crawford on May 30, 2011 at 8:38

Pastors need the intercessory prayer of their people, perhaps never more strongly than on Saturday night. I don’t know how it is at your church, but the folks who hear me preach on Sunday mornings, seldom hear a sermon preached on a full night’s sleep. Saturday nights are filled with off-and-on sleep mixed with human anxieties, emotional roller coaster feelings, Satan motivated questions and doubts, worries about physical inadequacies. For me, sleep only returns as I pray my way through the problems. Then, I am often awakened by another set of concerns. I’m fortunate if I preach on four or five hours of sleep. When I was young, I wondered why my pastor-father always took a nap on Sunday afternoons. Now I know. A verse that I can quote better than I can live is Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” I am not usually anxious, but I confess that Saturday nights are different, at least for me. I’m sure there are others, more spiritual ones to be sure, who sleep like a baby on Saturday night, but not me. Anxiety often rules the night. It is an awesome thing to stand before God’s people (and some who are not yet God’s people) and deliver God’s message. I have served as Pastor of two churches and Interim Pastor of over twenty churches. Every church is different and preaching in every church has similarities and differences. The churches where God seems to bless my preaching the most are the churches where I know some church members are interceding on my behalf – starting on Saturday night. So, check with your Pastor. You may need to be praying on Saturday night.

(You preacher-types please feel free to add your comments to this “Memo.” Surely, I’m not the only one standing in need of Saturday night prayer. Also you can subscribe and receive Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo free via E-mail at www.discipleallnations.org.)

Why so Many Intercessors?

Posted by Dan Crawford on May 2, 2011 at 7:55

Why does one seek ever increasing numbers of persons to pray on their behalf? Do we think that by getting our prayer request listed on as many prayer lists as possible and sharing it via social networks with folks we hardly know, the sheer numbers will impress God and thus win favor and produce a positive response? God is no more impressed with our numbers than He was with the efforts of many people to build a tower in His honor at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). While God did respond to the prayers of the multitudes in the Bible, He more often responded to the prayers of a faithful few or even to the intercession of a single saint. It is not then necessary to secure ever increasing numbers of prayer partners for the purpose of impressing God. Understanding that there are some prayer concerns that are so personal they should be shared with only a select few, why then should we add up intercessors for other concerns? Because prayer is ministry. The more people we can involve in a ministry of intercession, the more people will grow spiritually and be blessed by the results. In addition, I don’t know who God desires to use as part of His response to my prayer concern. If only a few are informed, only a few are blessed and we limit God on who He can use as a channel of blessing and response. So share prayer concerns with sensitivity, not to impress God, but to provide an opportunity for ministry and blessing to othersYou can subscribe and receive Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo via E-mail every Monday morning and it’s free- www.discipleallnations.org.

Praying for Rain

Posted by Dan Crawford on April 25, 2011 at 9:10

With over a million acres charred by wind-swept wild fires, the state’s governor has asked Texans to pray for rain. Is it right to pray for rain? While it needs no political personality to make the call, praying for rain is biblical. Elijah prayed for rain and God sent rain (James 5:17-18). The Psalmist implied we should make the desires of our heart known to God (Ps. 37:4). The writer of Hebrews suggested that we could go “boldly to the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16). While it is true that God sends rain on the just as well as the unjust (Matt. 5:45), we must realistically remember that sometimes God says “No” to our petitions (Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane praying for the “cup” to pass) and sometimes God says “Wait” to petitions (Paul praying for his “thorn on the flesh” to be removed). As Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done” (Lk. 22:42), so every prayer request should end with a “Nevertheless.” It is right to ask God for rain, but only if we submit our desires to His greater will – “Nevertheless.” Just like parents respond to a child’s request based on the good of the entire family, so God responds to the requests of some of His children on the basis of His will for all creation. While God may choose not to prevent wild-fires, He can and will use their results for “good” to those who “love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). With this tough promise in mind, we must walk (and pray) by faith.You can subscriber and receive Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo via E-mail every Monday morning and it’s free- www.discipleallnations.org.

Keep on Praying

Posted by Dan Crawford on March 7, 2011 at 6:23

For twenty-two years, my annual assignment at Southwestern Seminary was to coordinate the training and placement of approximately 100 Seminary student, hope-to-be preachers into small churches located outside of the Bible-belt for the purpose of conducting spring-break revival meetings. The most difficult part was not the training of the students; it was knowing where to place them. So I fasted, prayed and read the Bible, sometimes for several days, waiting on God to give me a “Go” word, before making any assignments. I was not going to match student preacher and small church without the assurance that God was with me in the process. I’m not sure where in the Bible I started reading one year but I had made it all the way to III John and was beginning to wonder if God was going to give me my needed “Go” word. After all, only Jude and Revelation remained in the Bible. Then I read III John 5-6, “You do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren . . . if you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God.” With that “Go” word given, I proceeded to “send them forward on their journey.” Lesson learned and now passed on to you: Keep reading your Bible and praying. God is sometimes slow but never late.You can subscribe and receive Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo via E-mail every Monday morning and it’s free. www.discipleallnations.org.

Things of the Heart

Posted by Dan Crawford on February 14, 2011 at 7:45

Today is Valentine’s Day – a day to think about things of the heart. We speak of loving someone “with all our heart.” Hallmark will make several million dollars selling cards with hearts on them. Many floral arrangement with include hearts along with the flowers. Some of us broke teeth on candy hearts given to us by friends, with cute sayings on them such as “Luv U.” Long ago Valentine’s Day was named after an early Christian martyr, Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. But even before all of that, hearts were a popular subject. One day God was talking with Ezekiel about hearts and said, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts . . . should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them” (Ezekiel 14:3)? In other words, if the heart is not filled with the right ingredients, God is not obliged to listen to our prayers. While Valentine’s Day is a good time to express the love of your heart for others, it is also a good time to check on any idols that reside in your heart. Their presence may be why your prayer life is hindered.You can subscribe to Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo are receive it free via E-mail every Monday morning and it’s free – www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

Praying in Sleepless Weakness

Posted by Dan Crawford on January 24, 2011 at 7:57

It was one of those Saturday nights. The events of the week had created a scenario wherein my body was too tired and weak to sleep. Nor was my mind in very good shape either. I tossed and I turned but I did not sleep. To make matters worse, I had to preach twice the next morning. I kept praying to God that I really needed to sleep so I could be at my best on Sunday morning – for God’s glory of course. Still no sleep. My prayer slowly evolved to a request to be clear and focused in spite of the lack of sleep. I reminded God that I would be delivering sermons in sleepless weakness. I may have slept a couple of hours, but I eventually got up, got dressed, drove to church and preached twice – with clarity and focus. During the invitation, people came to the front to pray. More than the normal number of folks made positive comments on the sermon. So what happened between my late night/early morning sleepless prayer and the delivery of the sermons? Oh, that’s the good part of the story. As I often do, I awoke that Sunday morning with a song on my mind. That morning it was the old hymn, “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand.” Almost immediately, the verse came to mind from 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Then I went to my computer where a new Scripture verse greets me each morning. The verse for that day was from 1 Samuel 30:6, “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” Need I say more?You can subscribe to Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Memo at http://discipleallnations.org/blog and receive the Memo free via E-mail every Monday morning.

Facebook Praying: Goals and Resolutions

Posted by Dan Crawford on January 3, 2011 at 12:15

Long ago I stopped making New Year’s resolutions, serious ones at least. Then two years ago, my teenage granddaughter challenged me to “get with it and get on Facebook.” I saw little value in some toy created by a Harvard Sophomore, but I agreed to do so as a New Year’s resolution. I had also set an earlier goal to spend more time praying for friends. The Bible says, “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10 NAS). I certainly had no fortunes needing restoration, nor, fortunately, did I have any “friends” like Job had. I had, however, lost some things I wished to have restored and I wanted to do more praying for friends. Little did I know that Facebook would provide that opportunity. Once on Facebook, I added “friends” to my list, almost daily - some were long-lost friends. Two years later, I’m happy to report more than 1500 Facebook friends for whom I pray on their birthdays, complete with a notice to them of my intercession. I’ve also grouped my friends into sub-groupings that enable me to pray for them in a systematic manner. So thanks to my Facebook New Year’s resolution, I have fulfilled my goal of spending more time praying for my friends. Why should Satan be the only one using technology? However, don’t expect me to Tweet. A guy has to draw a line somewhere.Subscribe to "Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo" at www.discipleallnations.org/blog and receive it free every Monday morning via E-mail.

Christmas Forever Changed

Posted by Dan Crawford on December 6, 2010 at 20:09

It was in a tiny church in a tiny German town. Thirty-five tourists, looking for a place to pray, happened upon a small group of German Christians rehearsing their Christmas music. Seated on hard wooden pews, in a chapel that seated maybe fifty worshippers, we listened, few of us understanding the words, but all of us recognizing the tunes. Christmas tunes came from a long-used guitar. Christmas words flowed from untrained, but sincere voices. Then came the very familiar. The original lyrics of Stille Nacht, were written in German by an unknown Austrian priest, Joseph Mohr, the music by Austrian musician Franz Gruber, not known outside of his Austrian village. It would be two years later when the song was first performed on Christmas Eve, 1818, accompanied only by a guitar, No known celebrity performed it that night, nor was it preformed in some great concert hall, but at a Midnight Mass in St. Nicholas Church. It would be more than forty years before Silent Night would be translated into English. Now recorded by over 300 artists and sung globally by multiplied thousands at Christmas time, its powerful message of heavenly peace has crossed all borders and language barriers. But it never sounded better than that night near Titisee, Germany. After we had prayed and sung, we exited the small church, only to have our tear-stained eyes met with softly falling snow. Christmas has not been the same since.

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Travail

Posted by Dan Crawford on November 22, 2010 at 5:47

While not a biblical word, “travail” is a biblical idea. The first known usage of the word was in the 13^th century and it described work of a painful or laborious nature. Synonyms were agony, torment, distress, tribulation, woe. Some modern translations of Gal.4:19 and Rom 8:22 describe “the pains of childbirth” by using the word “travail.” Not sure when Christians first began to use the word related to prayer, but we have ceased to use it with the same frequency as our forefathers. While most prayer is joyful, some prayer includes exhausting work. Hezekiah and Isaiah “cried out to heaven” (2 Chron. 32:20). The Sons of Israel “cried out” to God in confession of sin (Neh. 9:28). Hannah was “in bitterness” and “wept in anguish” in her prayer (1 Sam. 1:10). According to the writer of Hebrews, Jesus prayed with “vehement cries and tears” (Heb. 5:7). Indeed our Lord prayed with such intensity in Gethsemane that “His sweat became like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). Paul asked believers in Rome to “strive together” with him in prayer (Rom. 15:30). Epaphras was “always laboring fervently” in his prayers (Col. 4:12). Our forefathers in the faith spoke of “importunity” in prayer. Today, we speak of “agonizing” or “wrestling” in prayer. It is all a form of travail. Serious prayer warrior, I ask you a question. How long has it been since you travailed in prayer? When was the last time your sweat appeared as blood? Pray on!

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A Little-Celebrarted Special Day

Posted by Dan Crawford on October 25, 2010 at 8:46

The coming week contains a very special day and it is not Halloween. October 30 is National Forgiveness Day. Begun in 1998, some attempts were made to change the name to Global Forgiveness Day and there are those who refer to it as that. The stated purpose of the day is: “To create an awareness and understanding of the power of love and the joy of forgiveness in producing good health, happiness, and stress-free living in the lives of individuals and our home, work, and worship environments.” Various organizations will try to encourage people this week to “take the pledge of forgiveness.” In His Model Prayer, our Lord instructed us to both ask for forgiveness and grant forgiveness (Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4). Of all people, who but Christians should celebrate a day of forgiveness? Not only should it be a Christian day, but everyday should be a day of forgiveness. I challenge you to spend some time this week preparing for Saturday. Perhaps make a list. Then take some time Saturday to both ask for forgiveness and grant forgiveness.

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Watching and Waiting

Posted by Dan Crawford on September 6, 2010 at 8:06

There is a difference in watching “for” and watching “with”. Most of the time we are watching “for” God to reply, respond, act, etc. In the midst of Gethsemane grief, Jesus asked His disciples to “watch with” Him (Matthew 26:40). Unable to do so, they opted instead for a few moments of sleep, watching and waiting only for Him to finish praying. While we may not opt for sleep, seldom do we “watch with” Him. We conclude that we are far too busy for such passive activity. We’ve got things to do, places to go, people to see. How could we possibly spend time simply “watching?” When will be learn that quiet time is never wasted time when it is spent with Him? The disciples would later learn not only to “watch with” Him on one occasion, but for the rest of their lives. Fanny Crosby, who due to her blindness, could not “watch” as most of us can, wrote, “Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in His love.” May He never have to ask of us, “Could you not watch with me” (Matthew 26:40)?

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Called to Worship

Posted by Dan Crawford on August 31, 2010 at 11:08

Called to Worship

What does it mean to be “called to worship?” Following a week to be forgotten, a pastor stepped to the pulpit at the beginning of the Sunday worship service and proclaimed, “I’ve had a terrible week and I don’t feel like calling you to worship, so why don’t you call yourselves to worship.” After a stunned silence, someone shared a passage of Scripture, another prayed. Finally someone began singing a familiar song. Others joined in. Eventually, they were worshipping. Are you called to worship because someone with authority announces it; or because you enter a place of worship; or because it is the appointed time for worship? What constitutes a “call to worship”? Jesus told a well-side woman, “The hour is coming . . . when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23). Bottom line: the Lord is calling to worship, those who sincerely desire to worship the Father with integrity. Times, places and methods are secondary.

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"When Your Prayers are Unanswered"

Posted by Dan Crawford on August 1, 2010 at 16:00

“Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” That was the question posed by the new Christian, although the question is not unique to new Christians. First of all, there is no such thing as unanswered prayer, in spite of the old hymn text by B.B. McKinney. Sometimes, God says “No” or “Wait” but those are answers. When it seems God is not answering we tend to look for reasons. We blame God – “God doesn’t care about me!” We blame others. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else.” We blame self – “I must not be living right!” We even blame circumstances – “That’s just the way things are right now!” Understanding that God is also present in apparent silence, what ought we to do? Three suggestions: (1) Listen more intently; (2) Walk more closely; (3) Wait more patiently. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.” While each of those actions promised response, none of them implied the response would be immediate.

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