Pray Network Forum

I can’t say “Thank you!” enough to Hollywood Prayer Network founding director, Karen Covell, who wrote the Foreword for my new book, Get Prayer and Get It All. Thanks to Karen and others, Hollywood is no longer afraid to touch on Christian themes. 

Imagine if you could use only three words to script the movie of your life. What three words would you choose? 

To begin, what do you call it when everybody else disappears and you’re all alone? When it’s just you and God? 

1. Desperation

In the life of faith, desperation is the moment when you lose hope in man-made solutions to the big issues of life. You suddenly realize you have a God-sized problem. 

The central chapter in my new book is titled, “Get Prayer and Get Desperation.” You would think readers would want to skip that chapter. Instead, so far I’ve received the most thanks for that particular chapter. Why? Because it’s true to life.

Desperation became a mega-word in my vocabulary when I realized God wants all that I am for all of Him at all times—both the good and the desperate times. 

Desperation is an extremely dangerous moment in the human heart. Anyone who has been there knows a fine line exists between desperation that leads to despair (and self-destruction) and desperation that leads to faith and life.

For all of its perils, desperation remains the greatest prize of the faith life, the point of decision or choosing. It’s the turning point. 

I see the vocabulary of desperation embedded in two familiar, biblical one-word prayers. We all know them, yet I think of them as the secret passwords of faith. After all, they are the foundation of all real prayer. The first one-word prayer?

2. Mercy!

Consider the power and the hope in the cry “Mercy!” called out to a merciful God. Over and over again, the psalmist David runs into God’s arms equipped only with this one-word prayer. Not surprisingly, it reverberates throughout the rest of the Scriptures. 

• The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer (Psalm 6:9).
• It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Romans 9:16).
• Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10-11).

“Mercy!” is the cry of my heart before the cross of Jesus Christ, knowing I have done nothing to justify His reckless, crazy love.

“Mercy!” is the desperate faith cry that abandons every human resource and throws itself upon God’s riches.

“Mercy!” is the miracle of miracles delivered to our lives in a single-word prayer.

At our point of desperation, God promises to answer the prayer for “Mercy!” and sets us up for our second one-word prayer.

3. Abba!

“Abba!” is both a prayer and a declaration.  

The “Abba” prayer is specifically enabled by the Holy Spirit to break the enemy’s claim on your life and establish God’s ownership. So, Abba is a redeeming prayer.

Abba redeems your experience of desperation, giving it meaning and establishing your new identity and all the resources that go with it.

• The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:15).
• Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir (Galatians 4:6).

As seen in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, “Abba!” declares we are leaving the pit of despair, only to discover the Father is joyously restoring our fellowship as His son or daughter.

“Abba!” is the declaration of a heart set finding refuge and acceptance as a beloved son or daughter.

No one else but the Holy Spirit can teach us this prayer, and no one else but the Father can answer it.

In just two words—“Mercy!” and “Abba!”—desperation and prayer are joined to bring God’s kingdom to ours heart and to fill every part of our life with His love and provision.

What about you? Are you experiencing desperation? Do you ever feel as if you’re all alone? That’s it’s just you and God? If so, pray “Mercy!” If so, pray “Abba!” Don’t wait another minute. 

Even if everything looks black, God has not abandoned you. The worse you feel, the more urgent it is. Pray!

Training Up a Child

Call, text, or email us today.  Our contact info is below.  Together, we can equip our current and future peers in prayer and develop deeper relationships with Jesus Christ as we do!  Give yourself, or someone else, the gift of prayer this Christmas and beyond!

Rob Griepentrog

Executive Director, OnSite International, Inc.

317.506.7278

www.prayonsite.org
robg@prayonsite.org

“Pride, like the magnet, constantly points to one object, self;

but unlike the magnet, it has no attractive pole, but at all points repels.”

- Charles Caleb Colton, 1825

A self-absorbed generation thinks only of getting—giving sacrificially is not stylish.

A selfish mind focuses only on one’s private world—thinking of others’ needs is not a priority.

A sinful heart is preoccupied with satisfying personal cravings—compassion for hurting souls is passé.

Commercials insist that we Americans deserve whatever our hearts desire—we fall for the lie and miss life.

Human nature leads us to take care of ourselves first and foremost—we follow evil’s propaganda and stifle love.

Capitalism advertises we cannot live without something—we buy what we don't need and can't afford and lose liberty. 

Are we aware Someone of infinite greatness graced the earth--so distinguished we are unworthy to untie His sandals,

who personally invites us to walk in His footsteps in building a living monument to the  Architect of the universe?

Will we persist in trying to make a name for ourselves, or live for the honor of the Name above all other names?

[Adapted from Day 8, Gentle Whispers from Eternity]  

“Let’s build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies—a monument to our greatness!...so that we may make a name for ourselves.”

Genesis 11:4 NLT, NIV

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

As your Thanksgiving dinner is digesting I would like to share with you a presentation of The Candymaker’s Gift produced by my friends David and Helen Haidle. The Candymaker’s Gift is an excellent story to share with your grandchildren during this Christmas season about the real meaning of Christmas. You can show it to them or you can send it to them in an email.

You can listen to it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/OZkiFpfnL1w.

The Christmas season is an excellent time to share the message of God’s love with our grandchildren.

Helen Haidle, award-winning author of 54 books for children and adults, wrote the first book on the meaning of the candy cane. Helen wrote this fiction story after she had shared the symbolism of the candy cane with her Sunday school students. "The Candymaker's Gift" won a C.S. Lewis Silver Award and a CBA Silver Medallion.

To learn more about David & Helen Haidle’s Seed Faith ministry go to http://seedfaithbooks.com/shopexd.asp?id=163. The book is out of print you ocan listen to the story on YouTube.

By Lillian Penner

I pray that all of you are enjoying a wonderful celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the expressions of thanks to our Lord I have heard or heard about this year. One of the greatest blessings I have seen is the number of people posting daily thanksgivings on Facebook every day this month.

And with the many other expressions I would like to suggest a wonderful offering of thanks. Give thanks to God by giving to people in need. Jesus said “In as much done it for the least of these, you have done it unto me.” Many of you have been blessed by this sort of thing all your lives. Others of us will find this a new delight. And there are so many ways to give to those in need.

Living Bread Ministries, planting churches among the desperately poor http://www.livingbread.org/ When John the Baptist sent messengers from prison asking if Jesus were the Messiah, Jesus listed miraculous proofs from healing to raising the dead and climaxed the list with the statement, “And the gospel is preached the poor.” This can still be miraculous evidence of Christ in our lives.

You can give to world hunger through the IMB which also plants churches in many places around the world. http://www.imb.org/main/give/default.asp. One great advantage to giving to hunger relief through the IMB is that a dollar buys a dollar’s worth of food. They cover distribution costs through their regular mission ministries. Give online to World Hunger Fund to meet food-related needs or to General Relief to provide other aid such as shelter or clothing. Give to help victims of disasters through our SBC partner, Baptist Global Response.

You can also give to meet human needs through Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, http://www.rzim.org/  and their ministry, Wellspring International. http://wellspringinternational.org/

And you may not have thought of your local Gospel Rescue Mission. http://www.agrm.org/agrm/default.asp  My son-in-law works at our local mission. http://www.rescue-mission.org/ He told me they have collected over 1500 turkeys to prepare for hungry families this year. Rescue missions have the added advantage of allowing you to volunteer. And they will need many extra volunteers all weekend, through Christmas and all year. My son-in-law told us about a family who has volunteered to be at the family shelter at 5:00 A.M. tomorrow to prepare breakfast. Prayer warriors could pray for hundreds of people in line while serving turkey and trimmings.

“If those who have passed on before us wore such beautiful crowns in such times of strain and stress, our mouths should always be pouring forth tidal waves of blessing as the Holy Spirit has His way in these human bodies of ours and produces in us an eternal work: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).” Brenda Poinsett

It is not easy to be thankful in every circumstance. But when we choose to thank God in the midst of difficulty, it defeats the forces of darkness in the spiritual realm. When we thank God for every gift He has given us even when things are hard, the enemy loses the battle against us. He is stopped in his tracks when we come to God with God with a thankful heart. 

There is a way of looking at life from the standpoint of eternity. I am not saying that this is easy or that we ignore the great tragedies of life. The reality of eternal life and eternal glory that far exceeds this life is a priceless treasure. Our afflictions are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.  

Learn to be thankful for every blessing from God in your life. 

It is of great significance to Him if in the midst of great trials, we can be thankful in every circumstance. I wrote this chapter just two miles from Ephesus. The Apostle Paul wrote to this Church and said in Ephesians 1:16, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” 

Paul knew the power of a thankful life. He was thankful in good times and bad. He knew that God was conforming him to His image through every trial he faced, if he handled it correctly. He knew that a heart overflowing with thanksgiving could turn any situation around for good. He wrote in Colossians 2:6-7:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.”

Paul knew how to be thankful even while in a dark prison!

When traveling throughout Turkey we passed a prison that brought me to thoughts of Paul. His life is a testimony to all of us, showing how a person can be thankful even in the midst of very dark circumstances. Paul was able to use even a prison experience for God’s glory. He wrote several books of the New Testament in the midst of a dark, depressing prison cell. He turned that experience into an eternal weight of glory. As we traveled for hours through the land of Paul’s missionary journeys, I was reminded that perhaps the greatest blessing of his life which has impacted several generations of Christians were his writings written from a dark prison cell. 

Often we fail to view our circumstance through the eyes of thanksgiving. 

While in the Cappadocian region of Turkey, I had the privilege of visiting an underground city. Can you imagine a city underground? This was a place where the first-century Christians had to hide in underground caves to protect themselves from those above ground who were waiting to kill them.

I was deeply impressed concerning their hardship as I went deeper, down into the dark caves of this underground city. It was depressing with gloomy rock tunnels and rooms where at times you would have to stoop and walk through damp and dingy hallways. The early Christians suffered much for their faith. We read in Hebrews 11:37-39a: 

“They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith.”

The early Christians remind me of how we must be thankful for all the blessings we have! We must see our circumstances through the eyes of thanksgiving. God wants us to have thankful hearts even in the midst of difficulty. I love 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God knows what He is doing when we face hard situations. He wants us to trust Him and to pray about everything.

Paul said in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” He had every reason to be anxious, but he chose to praise. God was in control. Prayers with thanksgiving expressed in the midst of loss, difficulty, and hardship mean the most to God because He knows that they are especially sacrificial during hard times. 

Choosing to be thankful in everything has remarkable rewards.

Corrie ten Boom in her book The Hiding Place told about how she and her sister, Betsy, were transferred in the German prison camp that was overcrowded and flea-infested. That morning they read the verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that said,

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Betsy told Corrie to thank God for every detail of their new living conditions. Corrie definitely did not want to thank God for the fleas but Betsy insisted.

She finally did. 

During the following months they were able to openly hold Bible studies and prayer meetings with no guards stopping them. Later they found out that the guards would not enter their barracks because of all the fleas! God had turned even a horrible situation like fleas into a reason for thanksgiving. He loves it when we thank Him in all situations. We touch heaven with our prayers when we learn the secret of praise. He loves it when we choose praise. Let’s learn more about this powerful weapon.

“God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too… An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy.”  Chuck Pierce, The Worship Warrior 

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise International

Daily Prayer Encouragement

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 238 | Wed 27 Nov 2013

by Elizabeth Kendal

' . . . These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.' (Revelation 3:7 NIV)

WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.

NOVEMBER 2013 UPDATE - During November we prayed concerning . . .

* ERITREA (RLPB 235), where persecution continues with more mass imprisonments and deaths in custody; and from where refugees are fleeing at the rate of some 3000 a month.

* BURMA (RLPB 236), where the regime continues to wage war against the Christian Kachin, despite peace talks.

* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) (RLPB 237), where sectarian violence is escalating, leading observers to warn of the possibility of genocide.

CAR UPDATE (1): MAY GOD OPEN THE WAY FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. Writing in The Guardian (23 November) David Smith tells of Muslim rebels slitting the throat of a four-year-old child, razing whole villages, bludgeoning a young mother to death before leaving her crying toddler on the side of the road, throwing one young man to the crocodiles and torturing others. A Christian father whose sons were tortured told Smith: 'The Seleka are criminals. In the beginning, the relations between Christians and Muslims were good here but the Muslims followed the Seleka and now things have changed. The Christians feel betrayed by the Muslims and are starting to feel vengeance in their hearts. This is a very big challenge for the Church.' This challenge must be an issue for prayer. CAR needs peace - but there will be no lasting peace without truth, justice and reconciliation. May God grace CAR with godly peacemakers.

CAR UPDATE (2): MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON SUDAN AND IRAN. According to terrorism analyst Yossef Bodansky, Iran is funnelling weapons into CAR via Sudan as part of a plot by those two states to dominate Central and West Africa and exploit its resources. [See: Central African Republic (CAR): Violence linked to Sudan and Iran. Religious Liberty Monitoring, 20 Nov 2013.] News of Sudan and Iran involvement in CAR bodes ill for CAR's Christians. Anyone seeking to intervene in CAR will face, not a band of disparate rebels, but jihadist forces backed by Khartoum and Tehran - desperate regimes fighting to secure the minerals and resources necessary for regime survival. (Pray Psalm 10)

CAR UPDATE (3): MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON KONY AND THE LRA. Reports are circulating that the spirit-medium Joseph Kony, the head of the infamous Ugandan terror group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), is on the verge of surrendering. These reports are without substance. To the contrary, like CAR's self-appointed president Michel Djotodia, Joseph Kony and the LRA are backed by Sudan. According to terrorism analyst Yossef Bodansky, Sudan intends to use the LRA as a proxy to destabilise CAR, South Sudan and Uganda so that Sudan's (and Iran's) interests in the region might be advanced. UN special envoy Abou Moussa is deeply concerned that Djotodia has sent food, medicines and other supplies to LRA camps in CAR, supposedly in advance of an LRA surrender. Moussa advocates heightening pressure on Kony who is reportedly seriously ill. Whilst many analysts presume Djotodia is being duped, it is not improbable that Djotodia is actually bolstering the LRA for use as a proxy to terrorise and kill Christians, destabilising CAR in pursuit of his own interests, as well as those of Islam, Sudan and Iran. Uganda's New Vision reports that while LRA attacks have recently been reported in South Sudan and Central African Republic, and while Kony is still widely feared, 'defections have increased while the number of attacks is down'. PLEASE PRAY for mass defections of LRA 'soldiers', who are almost all kidnapped children, and for God to close the door on Joseph Kony.


NOVEMBER 2013 ROUND-UP - also this month . . .

* EGYPT: MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON ISLAMIC CRIMINALITY

Morning Star News (MSN) reports that three months after the Egyptian Army liberated Delga from militant Muslims, Islamists and criminals are terrorising Christians there and across Upper Egypt. As was noted in RLPB 228 (17 Sep 2013) and the Religious Liberty Monitoring post of 18 September, the Egyptian Army's attack on Islamists in Delga (a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold) was a crackdown on Islamist dissent and it had nothing to do with protecting Christians. The Egyptian military serves its own interests! Muslim criminals are extorting and persecuting Christians, demanding jizya (protection money sanctioned by the Qur'an in Sura 9:29). The police and military are not concerned that Islamists are kidnapping Christians, torturing them and demanding massive ransoms. Islamic criminals are discovering they are free to extort and persecute Christians with impunity - as long as they do not challenge military rule. Christians are facing the return of dhimmitude, their status of being without rights under Islam. Egypt's Christians need our prayers.

* IRAN: MAY GOD OPEN THE WAY TO THE TRANSFORMATION OF IRAN

On 3 November US citizen Pastor Saeed Abedini, whose wife and two young children are resident in the US, was transferred from Evin prison to Rajai Shahr Prison. Rajai Shahr houses Iran's most violent criminals and is a place where prisoners are routinely murdered by other prisoners. In mid-November, prison officials told Abedini's father that Saeed was not permitted any personal possessions, including blankets or prescription medications. At least 40 Iranian citizens are presently incarcerated because of their faith in Jesus or their Christian activities. One is the critically ill Pastor Behnam Irani (41), who also is married with two young children. On 22 November MSN reported the story of a young convert named Armin Davoodi. As a Muslim, Armin had repeatedly dreamed of a shepherd pointing him to the light. Eventually he shared this with a young female convert who explained his dream and introduced him to Jesus. Armin's witness led to imprisonment, torture and beatings. Though his parents paid a lot of money to have him released from prison, when he continued with his faith and witness, ultimately a relative betrayed him. Armin is now in hiding, where reportedly he continues to dream of the shepherd pointing to the light. Pray for Iran's suffering yet growing Church.

* PAKISTANI REFUGEES: THE CASE OF RABEEL (Update to RLPB 226.)

MAY GOD OPEN DOORS FOR REFUGEES SEEKING SECURITY AND HEALING

As a high achieving university student from a high profile devout Christian family in Lahore, Rabeel (21) was targeted for forced conversion. In August 2012 Rabeel was betrayed by a Muslim friend who gave him into the hands of militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). They raped and tortured Rabeel over the course of three days before dumping him. They then pursued and threatened the whole family. Since fleeing Pakistan in January 2013, his family has been languishing in a refugee camp, waiting for the UNHCR to assess their claim. As time drags on it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain their finances. Pray that the UNHCR will deal with their claim before closing for the Christmas break. Pray for Christian refugees who, due to systematic discrimination and persecution, often do not have the documentation the UNHCR requires. May the LORD of justice and mercy intervene, be their advocate, and open the doors.

* SOMALIA: MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON AL-SHABAAB

Morning Star News (MSN) reported on 14 November that on 20 October gunmen carried out their threat to kill Abdikhani Hassan whom they accused of 'spreading wrong religion'. Hassan (35), a pharmacist in Dharkenley District, Mogadishu, was married with two young children. Al-Shabaab is suspected of being responsible. Pray that God will redeem the blood and suffering of Somalia's Christian martyrs. May hearts be softened and opened to receive the gospel.

* SYRIA: MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON ISLAMIC EXPANSION

Sadad is a Christian village in a desert region of Syria some 100km north-east of Damascus. A coalition of rebel forces invaded and occupied the town on 21 October, seizing control in an orgy of violence that can only be understood in the context of intensive religious hatred. Survivors told Human Rights Watch that the jihadists would not permit Christians to flee. Some 2,500 families managed to escape before the militants used the remaining 1,500 families as human shields and hostages. Jihadists even held individual Christians as human shields while fighting. According to the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Homs and Hama, Mor Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh, in addition to the 46 residents killed, 30 were injured and 10 are missing. Numerous mutilated bodies were dumped in wells. He says the whole village was completely looted and even the ancient manuscripts have gone from the churches. The Syrian Arab Army liberated the village on 28 October. A battalion of the Free Syria Army joined forces with al-Qaeda-linked groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). The rebel operation was labelled: the 'Battle of God’s Doors Do Not Shut'. Indeed, God's open doors do not shut, but God does shut doors (Revelation 3:7) Pray that God will shut the door on all Islamic jihadists.

* SYRIA: MAY GOD CLOSE THE DOOR ON AL-QAEDA

Stratfor Intelligence reported on 23 November that al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels had seized the al-Omar oil field, the largest in eastern Syria. According to Stratfor, this would cut off Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's access to almost all local crude reserves and put nearly all of Syria's usable reserves in the hands of the al-Nusra Front and other Islamist units. Please bring this critical situation to the Lord our God, 'who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens' (Revelation 3:7 ESV).


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to
run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with
this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above
items be used instead.


This RLPB was written by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and it is issued as a ministry of EA in Australia.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of 'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' (Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email

to join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

More Than a Quiet Time

November 23, 2013

A lot of people think that A Praying Life Ministries is an organization that teaches people “how to have a quiet time.”  That really is unfortunate. 

This thinking says that prayer has nothing to do with reality, but instead just makes one feel better about life in an evil world.

The truth is—in prayer you really can engage your culture, your government, and world affairs.  The opposite of engaging through prayer is often just sitting in cynicism.

If you're like me, it's easy to feel frustrated over current government affairs and the decisions being made. Does your stomach tighten up when you hear "quantitative easing," "tapering," and talk about the new government healthcare website? I wonder if anyone has a handle on what is going on.

Now is a perfect time to pull out a prayer card for your country. As God's people, we were never intended to sit by in our cynicism and just watch things happen.

Political parties and opinions aside, I find great encouragement to engage our culture through prayer from 1 Timothy 2:1-4: I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.

Try this:  Write out a prayer card. At the top, name it My Country. (Feel free to be more specific! This email goes out internationally, and we can all do this.) Think about what is bugging you and jot down a phrase or two.  Or, think about what you would like to see happen if you were in a position to do something about it.  Begin to ask specifically and then watch what happens.  It can actually help return sanity to our crazy world.  Plus, it makes reading and watching news more interesting.  You will be engaging your world through prayer.

Thank you for making this such a successful year for our little work!  We are on track to take the seminar to at least seven nations, training 3,000 people in person! It is so exciting that I am revising my goals for the new year to train, equip and launch three new A Praying Life Seminar Leaders, bringing our total to ten. 

In grace,

Bob

Bob Allums
Director
A Praying Life Ministries

Have you wondered why we see so little power in the American church that was so blessed of God in by gone days? I have often thought it is because we depend on methods rather than prayer and the moving of the Spirit. If God blessed us in a shockingly supernatural way, who would get the glory? Our clever leaders and great methods?
But I fear that even that foolishness comes, to some extent, from a more serious deficiency. I see us doing so many things in these days with resentment buried beneath the surface of our ministries. It is beyond me how preachers can stand in the pulpit with unforgiving hearts, teachers can lead Bible studies without forgiveness and singers can offer praise with this horrible barrier between them and God. Is this a reason why we do not think to witness to people we see? Is this why our witness has so little power? How dare we come into the presence of God in prayer without seeking even the most difficult forgiveness of those who have wronged us?
Matthew 6:15 gives explanation of The Lord’s Prayer,
   “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Hearts broken over the particular sin of making excuses for unforgiveness may be the key to much spiritual power being unleashed in our churches and lives.

Summary: SHORT, but helpful look at the essence of prayer.

I am not an Anne Lamott devotee.  So I do not read everything she writes.  But I have read enough to know that she is a very good author and one that looks at spiritual realities from a different perspective.

So one day last month I was tired of all of my audiobooks I had been listening too and looked around to find another.  I noticed that with my member discount at Audible, Help, Thanks, Wow was under $5.  So I picked it up.

I had resisted previously because it is so short.  In audiobook it is barely 90 minutes.  In paper it is listed as 112  pages.  But it must be a gift book sized pages.

However, for $5 I thought it was worth picking up.

I listened to it two days after listening to Palmer Parker's Let Your Life Speak.  The two books, although not at all similar in subject had a similarity in spiritual direction.  Both emphasized that the Christian life is not striving after looking good or being respectable.

Instead the Christian life is about being sinful, selfish people while also attempting to know Christ.  Anne Lamott can be an acquired taste.  She does not feel the need to wrap things up nicely.  She knows the value of a bit of swearing at the appropriate time.  She refers to God as she pretty frequently, she does not think that only Christians have spiritual insights.

The point of the book is that behind all of our pretense, most of the time we are praying one of three prayers, Help, Thanks or Wow.  Each of these prayers come to use even if we are not comfortable with prayer, because they are part of who we were created to be.

I want to emphasize that this is a short book (and I think overpriced in Kindle and Hardcover).  But it does have wisdom.  Anne Lamott deserves her place as one of the Evangelical gadflies.  And I think with time she has earned her a place of wise elder as well as gadfly.

Help, Thanks, Wow: Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott Purchase Links: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook

Related Bookwi.se Reviews

• Grace [Eventually]: Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

(originally posted on my blog, Bookwi.se)

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 237 | Wed 20 Nov 2013

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR): GENOCIDE LOOMS

by Elizabeth Kendal

Central African Republic (CAR) is French-speaking and its population is around 76 percent Christian. On Sunday 24 March 2013, Seleka - a coalition of local and foreign Arabic-speaking Islamic militias - seized control of the capital, Bangui, in an orgy of violence and looting. But Seleka does not rape, loot and kill indiscriminately. Rather, Seleka attacks Christians and spares Muslims, causing traditional community trust to evaporate, and creating a sectarian tinderbox. Rebel commander and self-appointed president Michel Djotodia, a former CAR diplomat who was radicalised in Sudan, admits that he does not know who all the fighters are because some are escaped criminals and most do not follow his orders. 'It is hard for me to control them,' says Djotodia, who maintains strong ties to Khartoum, Sudan.

After months of terror, an organised armed response is emerging out of the mostly Christian communities of northern CAR. Most villages have long had defence militias that protect residents from bandits. Known as anti-balaka (literally anti-machete) these groups, now large and angry, are out to avenge Seleka crimes. Armed with home-made weapons and adorned with colourful fetishes and occult charms, these anti-balaka militias have begun attacking not just Seleka, but local Muslims. Seleka might be responsible for turning CAR into a sectarian tinderbox, but by attacking local Muslims - just because they are Muslims - the anti-balaka militias are lighting the fire.

North of Bangui, in the Ouham prefecture, some 170,000 people have been displaced. Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, spent early November travelling the region with photographer Marcus Bleasdale. Bouckaert writes: 'In the early morning of 6 September, anti-balaka forces working with military elements loyal to [ousted president] Bozize carried out a series of brutal surprise and near-simultaneous attacks on Seleka bases and Muslim communities in several villages around Bossangoa, killing dozens. Muslim males, regardless of age, faced death.' The BBC reports that on 9 September, Moustapha Mohamed's father, a village chief in nearby Bouce, was killed by a 'Christian' militia that was attacking local Muslims. Mohamed praises his Christian neighbours who alerted many Muslims that armed groups were coming after them. However, later the same day, Muslims organised reprisal attacks against Christians. By the time the violence had finished, at least 14 were dead (including three Muslims) and some 485 homes had been burnt. Aukin Nountabaye, a priest in the Bouca diocese, narrowly escaped when Muslims stormed his church. He fled Bouca, walking for four days to reach Bangui.

Bouckaert wrote in early November that it is possible to drive for hours around Bossangoa, Ouham's capital, without seeing anybody, on roads that are littered with bundles of belongings dropped by those fleeing for their lives. In the bush the displaced people are stalked by infection and malaria, enemies just as merciless as Seleka. 'Those who have made it to Bossangoa,' writes Bouckaert, 'live in desperate conditions: Every structure and inch of space around the town's Catholic church - its seminary, guest house, school, library, storage rooms, soccer pitch, and the surrounding fields - have been taken over by displaced people, all Christians.' On 25 October the UNHCR put the number sheltering in the Catholic Mission at 37,000. A further 2,700 are sheltering in the hospital and 728 Muslims are holed-up in a local school. Around 1000 Muslim ethnic Fula have been occupying the airstrip without access to shelter, clean water, food and sanitation.

UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Mia Farrow, recently returned from a week-long visit to CAR warning, 'The seeds are present for a genocide.' Bouckaert said similarly, 'The anti-balaka's attacks have triggered brutal reprisals by Seleka fighters against Christian communities. This heinous cycle of inter-religious violence only continues to intensify, threatening to explode into an all-out war between Christians and Muslims.' UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, on 1 November warned that, if there is no intervention, '. . . this will end with Christian communities, Muslim communities killing each other . . . I will not exclude the possibility of a genocide occurring.'


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL -

* refine his Church, preserving the faithful and supplying their needs; may the Church grow in faith, solidarity, grace and numbers as people seek the Lord for peace and the healing of their land.

'Some trust in chariots and some in horses [i.e. military might], but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.' (Psalm 20:7 ESV)

* intervene to end the dangerous cycle of sectarian violence; may he raise up and empower peace-makers able to influence the anti-balaka militias to focus on defence and refrain from attacking local Muslims.

'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.' (Matthew 5:9 ESV)

In Psalm 10:14a we are told that the Lord sees and notes 'mischief and vexation', not as a mere observer, but for a purpose: 'that you may take it into your hands' (ESV), or 'to requite it with thy hand' (KJV).

* 'Break the arm [supply lines and the like] of the wicked and evildoer [local and international fighters and inciters]; call his wickedness to account till you find none.' (Psalm 10:15 ESV)


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

GENOCIDE LOOMS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR)

Seleka, a coalition of local and foreign Islamic militias, seized control of Central African Republic (population 76 percent Christian) in March. By attacking Christians and sparing Muslims, they have turned CAR into a sectarian tinderbox. 'Christian' militias are responding, targeting not just Seleka bases, but local Muslims, who respond by carrying out reprisals against Christians. Peter Bouckaert (Human Rights Watch) warns: 'This heinous cycle of inter-religious violence only continues to intensify, threatening to explode into an all-out war between Christians and Muslims.' UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Mia Farrow (who recently returned from CAR), the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and other investigators warn that genocide is a real possibility. Please pray for the Church in CAR. May God intervene!


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

We suggest that churches and fellowships using the Summary above might also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and is issued as a ministry of the EA in Australia.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of  'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' 
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email

to join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

Teach Us To Pray - 5

“LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY”

based on Matthew 6:9-13  

    This is our final message of this series where Jesus has been teaching us how to pray.  And I’m going to try to bring it altogether this morning with the question … what do we pray about when it comes time to pray?

    Last year I started noticing that our car was drifting to one side as I drove.  I kept putting off doing anything about it, and by the time I finally had it checked, my tires were really worn.  Bad alignment led to a costly repair … I had to buy 4 new tires.

    Likewise, I believe that “bad alignment” can also be hazardous to our prayer life.  If I get lopsided in my prayers, if they’re not “balanced”, then my relationship with God is going to get all out of kilter.   

    If I’m not prioritizing thanksgiving in my praying, I might actually forget that God is the One who provides for me.  If I don’t ask God for anything when I’m praying, I might begin to believe I can provide for myself, and that I really don’t need Him. 
    If I don’t confess my sins when I pray, I might forget that I actually need a Savior.  If I don’t spend any time praising God when I pray, I can lose sight of who He truly is, and my prayers will simply become a kind of therapeutic exercise. 

    But if I’m balanced in my prayers, if I’m hitting on all those points, my prayer life thrives … and as a result, so does my relationship with God.  Praying in a balanced way helps us to pray rightly.  It causes us to pray the way the Lord wants. 

    “The Lord’s Prayer” is a balanced prayer.  That’s not all it is, but it is that.  And that’s how we’re going to approach our study of it this morning.

    I’m going to be asking 3 questions … and the answers to those questions will help us achieve balance in our prayer life.

    Listen to Good News from Matthew, as he records the words of Jesus, to you here at Community Church.  Within your hearing now comes the Word of God …

    “This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come;
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Keep us from being tempted,
and protect us from the Evil One.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen

    Question #1 … should we use patterns or should we be spontaneous in our prayers?

    I remember taking a speech class in college.  My 1st assignment was a “how to” speech.  I had to explain “how to do something” to the class.  And the topic given to me was … “how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

    1st I had to identify the purpose … “I’m going to demonstrate how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I’m going to explain the steps that are involved.”  And then I made one.  My goal was that when I finished I’d get an “A” on my “how to” speech.

    Jesus is giving a “how to” speech.  He’s an excellent pray-er, and He wants to teach His followers how to pray.  He has a goal and purpose in mind.  He wants His disciples to become good pray-ers.  And He’s giving them a pattern so that they can accomplish that.   
    Jesus didn’t say … “This is what you should pray;” He said, “This is how you should pray.”  Jesus just doesn’t tell us to pray … and then leave us guessing on how to do it.  He gives us a pattern to copy.  “Pray like this.” 

    Let’s 1st take a look at the prayer as a whole, and keep in mind the balance I was talking about. 

“Our Father in heaven.”

    He begins with an address to God, which is followed with 2 sections that make up the bulk of the prayer.

“May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come;
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

    This 1st section makes 3 requests that relate to God.  God’s the focus of the 1st ½ of the prayer.  This is exactly like the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 20:3-17)  The 1st 4 Commandments relate totally to God.  God should always be 1st. (Matthew 6:33)  All too often, we get the order reversed, don’t we?  We begin with our human needs, and unfortunately, never get around to God and His glory.   

“Give us today the food we need.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Keep us from being tempted,
and protect us from the Evil One.”

    This 2nd section has 3 requests that relate to human need.  3 for God … 3 for humanity.  It’s a balanced prayer.  Jesus gets an “A” in His “how to” speech.  He gives us a pattern to copy, and He does it in a perfectly balanced way.

    But remember our question, when we pray, should we use patterns or should we be spontaneous?

    Obviously we don’t want our prayers to have a lifeless sequence to them.  We don’t want to pray simply by rote.  In fact, Jesus Himself was concerned about that very thing.

    Immediately before presenting this prayer He discusses ritual abuse. (Matthew 6:5)  Jesus was talking about giving, fasting, and prayer, and He says that each of those things can be done with selfish motivations.

    And He contrasts a self-centered, me-centered, ritual type praying with a God honoring, earnest, unselfish type praying.  Jesus wants to get us to personally commune with God.  And when we do that our prayers won’t be mechanical or self-seeking. 

    So this prayer is not to be simply memorized and repeated without thought.  On the same token, here is the model prayer that Jesus presents when His disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)  Jesus responds, “This is how you’re to do it.”
     And that answers our 1st question … “should we use patterns or should we be spontaneous in our prayers?” … While recognizing that this can always be abused, Jesus offers us a good pattern to follow.  

    Okay, it’s Monday morning, you’ve listened now to 5 sermons on prayer, and you want to be obedient, (James 1:22) so you’ve set aside some time to pray.  And you’re going to use the Lord’s Prayer as your conversation with God. 

    So you pray it … and it takes about 20 seconds.  And you think to yourself, “Hey, not bad, I can be finished with my prayer time in less than a minute.” 

    But there are a couple of problems with that.  We learned in the 1st message of this series that we’re to develop a relationship with God … and that’s simply not going to happen in 20 seconds a day. 

    The other problem is equally obvious … most of the needs and issues in our life aren’t identified in this prayer.  It’s a nice pattern, but it’s not dealing with all the stuff each of us will be dealing with this week. 

    That’s why Jesus has given us this prayer simply to guide our praying. 

    The Lord’s Prayer provides the boundaries.  It furnishes the topics.  And from there we’re to be spontaneous in our conversations with God. 

    Okay, I’m confused.  Should we use patterns or be spontaneous?  Which is it?  We should be both.  Jesus gives us the “Lord’s Prayer” as a guide.  But He wants us to personalize it with our own praise and requests 

    Kathy is amazing in her creativity.  For example, she made 2 little quilts for the twins over in England.  She came up with this idea of what she wanted to do.  Then she got a couple of books and magazines to see how other people did similar things.  And then she put it all together and made something really creative and unique.  

    This is what’s supposed to happen in our prayer life.  We use this pattern that Jesus has given us.  But then we incorporate personal stuff, and all of a sudden our prayer has become spontaneous. 

    Jesus’ prayer assures us that we’re going to strike the right balance.

    Now one of the ways we can use the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern in our prayers is to take it, line by line, and expound on it a little bit.  And I’m going to show you how to do that in just a moment. 

    Another way is to take the 7 items in this prayer and use one each day during the week.  Sunday, use “our Father in heaven” as the theme of your praying.  Then on Monday … “may your holy name be honored.”  Each day focus in on a specific thought in your prayer.
    Another way to use the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern is to highlight the themes that are mentioned … praising God and confessing sins.  I’ve talked about this before.  One of the ways I learned to pray, as a boy, was to use the acronym, ACTS: A … C … T … S

                            Adoration
                            Confession
        Thanksgiving
        Supplication 

    That’s a really useful pattern because it helps us remember that we’re talking to God, and we adore Him 1st.  And then we confess our sins; which gets us into a right relationship with Him before we begin to ask for things.

    Use a pattern and be spontaneous. 

    The 2nd question … should we express intimacy or reverence in our conversations with God?

    The 1st Church I pastored was in Niagara Falls.  We had a pretty active young people’s group there.  And one day the youth group leader was teaching on prayer.  He was trying to get the kids to really pray personally.

    And to emphasize his point he told them to talk to God like they talked to anyone else.  And they seemed to connect with that idea.  A few weeks later, Gary asked me to lead the group, because he was going to be away. 
    I presented a lesson, and then we got in a circle to close in prayer.  And the kids started to pray.  “Hey good buddy” … and they used all kinds of personal, familiar language as they were talking to God. 

    So later that week when Gary stopped by to see how things went, I told him that I appreciated the openness of the kids in their prayers, but … they hadn’t been taught the whole story.

    Jesus did call us friends, (John 15:14) and there should be a familiarity in our prayers, but there also must be reverence because we recognize that this is also Almighty God. (The Revelation 14:7) 

    So should we be expressing intimacy in our prayers or should we be showing reverence? … Both.  We should be doing both … because if we leave out either one our praying will be imbalanced. 

    Take a look at the way Jesus balances both intimacy and reverence in His prayer.

“Our Father” …

    Actually, when Jesus prays He uses the term, “Abba,” which means “Daddy.”  Talk about intimacy!  And Scripture teaches, “The Spirit makes us God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, ‘Abba! my Father.’” (Romans 8:15)  We’re given that same intimacy.
      Jesus tells us that God knows what we need even before we ask Him. (Matthew 6:8)  He says that God forgives those who come to Him with a repentant heart.
                                                                          (Matthew 6:14)

    He forgives, He knows our needs.  So in prayer we encounter a loving and personal God, our Heavenly Father, and we can pray to Him as such.  That’s great news! 

    But then Jesus balances it out …

“Our Father in heaven.”

    Jesus tells us that God is in Heaven. (The Psalms 115:3) 
Scripture teaches …

“The LORD placed his throne in heaven;
he is king over all.” (The Psalms 103:19)

    God is a personal loving Father, and He’s also the Creator of all things.  God’s our Heavenly Father, and He’s a powerful King.  So when we’re praying we need to remember who we’re talking to so that we come to Him with the proper respect; we approach Him reverently.

    Back in 1983, I received a phone call from Linda Moore, who lived in Indiana, PA, inviting me to come and offer the invocation at Jimmy Stewart’s 75th birthday party.  Well, I thought about it for a fraction of a second, and then, very humbly, accepted.  I was excited.  This was an incredible honor. 
    So, on 20 May 1983, I found myself sitting next to him at the head table.  And during the meal, as we’re talking, he says to me, “Call me Jimmy.” … No way!

    Jimmy Stewart was an Academy Award winning actor.  He’d received A Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  He had been a Major General in the Air Force. 

    You can see my point coming from a mile away.  If I have this much respect for a mere mortal, who does deserve respect and honor, how much more should we give reverence to God, who is our Father in Heaven?

    There’s a real delicate balance here. 

    When we approach God in prayer we need to remember who we’re talking to.  We must come to Him with the right frame of mind, demonstrating humility.  He rules the heavens … and He’s my Heavenly Father.

    It’s a good idea that before we spend time praying to pause for 15 seconds and consider … “who am I about to talk to right now?”

    We need to praise God in our prayers for His attributes.  He’s holy.  He’s loving.  He’s all-knowing.  He’s all-powerful.  He’s eternal.  He’s faithful.  He’s creator.  

    One more quick thought on this point.  To think about God as Father is a wonderful and comforting truth. 
    The Apostle John says this, “To all who received him and believed in him, Jesus gave them the right to become God’s children.  They did not become God’s children by natural means, that is, by being born of a human father; God himself was their Father. (John 1:12-13)

    You can call God, “Father”, if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ. 

    So we’re trying to balance our reverence and intimacy.  We’re trying to balance patterns and spontaneity.

    Here’s our 3rd question … should we focus on big stuff or small stuff? 

    I know people who actually pray about getting parking spaces, or what clothes to wear.  I know other people who only come to God if it’s a life and death situation.  So which is it?  Should we be praying about small stuff or about big stuff?  Both!  We should be praying about both.

    I’m going to read the whole prayer again so that we can think of the complete context.       

”Our Father in heaven:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come;
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Keep us from being tempted,
and protect us from the Evil One.”

    Earlier I pointed out that Jesus gives 2 sets of requests.  The 1st 3 concern God’s glory, the big huge things.  The other 3 are related to human needs, the smaller daily issues in our lives. 

    Now I’m not going to go into these in detail, but I think it’s important to know what each phrase means and why they matter.  I’m going to explain each of the 6 items so that when you pray you’ll know what you should include. 

    1st … “May your holy name be honored.”

    We’re asking that God receives the respect that’s due Him.  We’re asking that God’s name be treated as holy.  It already is, but it needs to be regarded as such in the lives of those who bear His name.  That’s us. 

    When I come to this category in my praying I pray for people who have huge influence in this world, in their platforms as followers of Jesus, that they would honor God, not dishonor Him.  I pray for brothers and sisters in the faith who are being persecuted, that they would be able to stand firm and honor the name of Jesus.
     I pray that Jesus’ name would be treated as holy by those who claim to be His followers. 

    2nd … “May your Kingdom come.”

    We’re asking that the Kingdom that Jesus launched in His 1st coming be brought to culmination when He returns the 2nd time to reign. (The Revelation 22:20)

    And then we grab the newspaper and read about all the awful things going on in the world and pray for God to come and save us from ourselves.  We pray for believers to be bold and witness to the reality that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation. (The Acts 4:12)  We pray for our Church.  We pray for our missionaries. 

    3rd … “May your will be done.”

    We’re asking that our lives confirm to God’s will that’s made known in the Scriptures.  We have the newspaper in one hand, and the Bible in the other. 

    In Matthew’s Gospel, right before the Lord’s Prayer is presented, Jesus teaches the Be-attitudes. (Matthew 5:3-12)  This is what our character is supposed to be as we conform to God’s will.  “Lord, help me be these things.” 

    4th … “Give us today the food we need.”

    As we pray this sentence we recognize that Jesus delegates our daily earthly needs. 
    We’re praying that God will put in us a daily dependence upon Him.  And then we’re actually asking that He’ll provide the things we need. 

    John Calvin says that Jesus is referring to more than bread or even food here; He’s talking about all our daily needs: food, health, families, anything small, anything that concerns us in this life. 

5th … “Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
    as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.”

    We’re confessing our specific sins.  Conversations, thoughts, actions, things we didn’t do, things we should have done … anything that offends God.

    And then we think of people in our lives to whom we need to extend forgiveness, or from whom we need to receive forgiveness. 

    And 6th … “Keep us from being tempted,
                      and protect us from the Evil One.”

    We’re asking God to protect us from the various sins we’re prone to … probably those that we just confessed.  And then we pray protection from evil and the Evil One, and his deceitful tricks to accomplish that evil. (1 Peter 5:8) 

    6 requests, perfectly balanced on God’s glory and on our needs.  6 requests of things that God cares about.  6 requests that should be regularly in our prayers. 
    If Jesus was standing here this morning, and we had the opportunity to ask Him what we should be praying about.  He’d say …
•    God’s name
•    God’s Kingdom
•    God’s will
•    Humanity’s needs
•    Humanity’s deliverance
•    Humanity’s forgiveness

    These are the things that God cares about and we should be praying about.  And we should be praying about them in this order. 

    We pray for God’s glory 1st, and then humanity’s needs 2nd.  Praying with this kind of balance places God in the position where He belongs. 

    It’s very difficult for me to pray selfishly if I’ve just been praying for God’s name, and God’s Kingdom, and God’s will to be done. 

    It’s very difficult for me to pray with doubt if I’ve just prayed “God, you are holy.  God, you are King.  God, you are sovereignly bringing your will into accomplishment.  God you’re doing all these things.”

    Heaven comes to earth as God responds to our dependent prayers for these things.  That’s the meaning of the little phrase right in the middle of the prayer.
    You can see up on the screen that that line …
“may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
… is right in the middle between both sets of requests. The 1st 3 are answered in Heaven.  The 2nd 3 are on earth requests. 

    And God responds when we pray every day for our dependence on our needs, every day for forgiveness for our sins extended and received, and every day for obedience in the face of trials and temptations.

    Honor God’s name.  Bring God’s Kingdom.  Accomplish God’s will.

    We should pray about these things because God cares about them, and we pray them in this order.  Pray about big things.  Pray about small things

•    Patterns and spontaneity
•    Intimate and reverent
•    Big and small

    And as we close, let me issue a word of caution.  In fact I think that there should be a warning label on the Lord’s Prayer.  Sincerely praying this can turn your life upside-down.  We’re praying against our natural tendency, our self-centeredness … we’re praying for God to take total control of our lives.  Wow!  May it be so.

MARANA THA

As word spread of my radiation treatments, the responses began to flood in – via E-mails, Facebook entries, Twitter posts, Cards, Telephone calls, Personal visits – everything from a simple, “Praying for you” to much more creative, imaginative expressions of support.  One particular response caught my attention. “We’re praying you through,” a friend wrote. It caused me to remember what God said to His promised people, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:1-2). My collection of words comes up short when I try to explain what it feels like to pass through six weeks of five-day-a-week radiation treatments. Whether the cancer is severe or as simple as mine, words fail one in a time like this. What I find myself needing, perhaps as much as anything else, is accompaniment on the journey.  As expressed in an earlier edition of “Manna,” I know God is with me.  Beyond that, it really helps to know friends are with me also, praying me through.  Have you prayed anyone through lately?

For more from Dan Crawford, go to Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Manna at www.discipleallnations.org/blog.

In recounting all the miraculous things that God did in starting churches out of Faith Baptist Church in Saskatoon, Henry Blackaby has said, “And God was never late.” But he adds that his wife would say, “He was never a minute early either.” God often tests and develops our faith with the timing of answered prayers. He sometimes answers long after it seems to be too late.

I wonder how Martha and Mary felt at the raising of Lazarus. You know they rejoiced more than they ever had in their lives. But they were not rejoicing until the end of the ordeal. Until then it seemed like the Lord was too late. John 11:5,6 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so when he heard Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” Be sure that God will come through in the crisis you are facing right now, even if you are standing at the graveside of your hopes. Keep praying and boost your faith with praise, even while it seems too late for God to work.

Ever since I was a student at Moody Bible Institute, I have had a burden for revival in Chicago. When I was Director of Promotions for Channel 38, I still had this burden for the city and in the early to mid 1980's we were able to heavily promote this work of the Lord through the media, Billboards, radio etc.

More than ever before, I feel the Lord wants to send a Move of the Holy Spirit throughout Chicagoland, and our ministry, Sunlite Broadcasting is in the process of developing a one hour video special called "Well Springs of Revival" Here is the rough draft about the Project

For decades, when someone would mention the city of Chicago, the name Al Capone, the notorious gangster, would come to the minds of millions around the world.

There is no question that from its very founding in 1840, Sin did abound in the Windy City, but the Bible says "where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound" The Scriptures also tell us "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19)

There were unseen dark spiritual forces at work from the beginning. Drunkenness, vice, gambling, prostitution, murder and violence on the city's streets were a result and thousands of Chicagoans were in dange of being ensnared by this spirit.

Fortunately and since the The Spirit of the Lord began moving in powerful ways throughout Chicago. Spirit led men and women were inspired to distribute Bibles to the early settlers, to witness to them of their need of the Savior in their lives. This was the work of the Chicago Bible Society and the Chicago Bible Work .

Evangelist DL Moody started a Sunday School for poor children who lived in the Sands area, a virtual den of iniquity. Educator and Urban Missionary Emma Dryer founded the Chicago Bible Work and with her teams of young women evangelized families in the area. They went door to door with Bibles and prayed for those who were sick and impoverished.

In the 1890's the Salvation Army established a Citadel on the near north side. They held open air meetings and ministered to thousands including derelicts and others bound by sin. It is said that at these meetings, the Army prayed for those bound by the demonic and the captives were set free.

In 1886 The Moody Bible institute was formed and there are hundreds of testimonies from the early days of students doing the work of the Lord, led by the Spirit.

The Lord also led many to found churches and evangelistic outreaches in the city. Famous evangelists such as Gypsy Smith, Billy Sunday and later Billy Graham held meetings where thousands made a decision for Christ.

Sadly, with the exception of Billy Graham, the legacies of these men and women, the Churches, including Stone Church (which founded Channel 38 in 1976) are now forgotten, and those early well springs of revival have been ignored.

We at Sunlite Broadcasting believe it is time to unplug those springs and let the flow of the spirit from them begin again so that Chicago will once again experience a mighty spiritual revival. To this end, with the Lord's help, we plan to produce mini documentaries of these men and women, trusting that it will inspire many throughout Chicagoland to "Go and do Likewise" For this we ask for your prayers. Allan Winters, President Sunlite Broadcasting Network

Thanksgiving is a good time to encourage our grandchildren to be thankful for the many good things they experience.Help them make a list of their home, food, clothing, school, friends, church, toys and the opportunities they enjoy for which they can be thankful. Gratitude always improves ones attitude. Send your grandchildren a Thanksgiving card, email or call them to let them know you thank God for them, you are thankful they are your grandchildren and you are praying for them. ¹   

Another Thanksgiving Idea

Before dinner, ask your guests to write down something they are grateful for on a piece of paper and place it in a bowl in the middle of the table. Later, pass the bowl around and have each guest read one note aloud while everyone guesses who wrote it. “Some may be obvious, but others will surprise you-that is the fun of it.” ²

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done." I Chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

¹  This is an excerpt from the book Grandparenting with a Purpose, Seasonal Suggestions for Connecting to your Grandchildren, page 95. The book is available on a special Christmas offer at http://www.gdptpr.com.

²  Taken from “20 simple solutions for Turkey Day headaches." Nov. 2012 dashrecipes.com/thanksgiving

By Lillian Penner 

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 236 | Wed 13 Nov 2013

BURMA (Myanmar): CONSTITUTION IS OBSTACLE TO PEACE

by Elizabeth Kendal

Adoniram and Ann Judson arrived in Burma as pioneer missionaries in 1813. Adoniram Judson endured grief upon grief, severe hardship, dangers, persecutions and imprisonment to translate the Bible into the Burmese language and led many to Christ. At that time, Burma was a feudal society, dominated by ethnic Burmese (Bama) Buddhists who treated the other mostly animist ethnic nations amongst them as serfs or slaves. In 1885 the British annexed Burma into British-administered India, introducing democracy and capitalism and improving the situation for the ethnic minorities. Burma gained independence in 1948 but the promise of autonomy for ethnic nations was never honoured. Ever since, the ethnic nations have been resisting a return to the old order of brutal Burmese-Buddhist domination complete with exploitation, repression, crippling discrimination and violent persecution. The Burmese-Buddhist regime views this resistance as grounds for war.

On 2 September 2013, 200 soldiers of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) raided Nhka Ga village in Kachin State, killing two men and torturing ten others, including the Rev Ram Me. One man, bound and severely tortured, was forced to watch his 29-year-old wife being raped in front of him. On 2 October Tatmadaw soldiers attacked two villages in the south of Kachin State. Around 1000 villagers fled as mortars rained down on their homes. Hundreds of Kachin civilians sought refuge in a local church where soldiers held them hostage for three days while their homes were looted. The stress of captivity proved fatal for one 76-year-old woman. On 30 October a pack of Tatmadaw soldiers - including a captain and a lieutenant-colonel - gang-raped a 15-year-old Kachin girl over the course of the day before handing her back to her parents. Officially, the junta is fighting the Kachin Army because it has resisted calls to disarm and dissolve. In truth, the regime covets the Kachins' resource-rich lands and is prepared to ethnically cleanse the Kachin to get it.

On Monday 4 November, 107 representatives and witnesses from Burma's various ethnic rebel armies came together in Myitkyina, the capital of the northern Kachin State, for two days of talks aimed at brokering a multilateral peace agreement. A joint statement was issued on Tuesday 5 November, announcing that an agreement had been made in principle to sign a nationwide cease-fire agreement and to establish a framework for political dialogue. Whilst the next meeting is scheduled for December, Lt-Gen Myint Soe has already conceded that a nationwide ceasefire will probably not eventuate. The regime envisages a peace that is in accordance with the 2008 constitution and this is not the peace the ethnic nations are seeking. They want autonomy within a confederation.

The 2008 constitution was written under military rule and serves military interests by ensuring the heavily invested Burmese-Buddhist military remains in control. The 2008 constitution stands as an obstacle to peace because it mandates the centralisation of government and military against the interests and wishes of the long-marginalised and severely persecuted ethnic-religious minorities. It even contains 'exception clauses' that give the military the legal right to deprive people of fundamental human rights and even orchestrate a military coup if the military deems it necessary for the purpose of safeguarding the constitution. On Saturday 6 October 2013 the regime issued a statement - or possibly a threat - warning that the state and the people will be in 'serious danger and face consequences beyond expectation' if the 2008 constitution is scrapped.

Many observers believe the military engages in talks only so it can consolidate its forward positions and that the regime sponsors talks so it can gain legitimacy and foreign investment. The reality is there will never be peace in Burma until the Burmese-Buddhist regime respects the rights of the ethnic nations to have autonomy in their lands where they seek to preserve their language and culture and practise their faith freely in peace and security. Most of Burma's Christians belong to ethnic nations: the Kachin, Chin, Lisu and Lahu are overwhelming Christian and the Karen (the largest ethnic nation after the Burmese) is around 40 percent Christian.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL -

* intervene to direct all political dialogue, both what takes place in public and what happens secretly; may God's will be done in spite of the schemes of 'men'. 'There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD' (Proverbs 21:30 NIV).

* embolden world leaders of conscience to 'Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.' (Proverbs 31:8,9 NIV).

* bless his faithful people, providing them with protection, comfort, advocates and all their basic daily needs; may peace and security be realised.

Also - PLEASE CONTINUE TO COVER PAKISTAN IN PRAYER

There has been a massive escalation in threats against Christian institutions since the 1 November drone assassination of Hakeemullah Mehsud, head of the Pakistani Taliban. Pray that the Lord of Hosts will defend his Church; that God will be their shield and fortress. ' ... whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. . . . no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed . . .' (Isaiah 54:15b, 17a ESV)


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

CONSTITUTION OBSTRUCTS PEACE IN BURMA (Myanmar)

Representatives from Burma's various ethnic rebel armies came together in Myitkyina, Kachin State, on 4 November for two days of talks aimed at brokering a multilateral peace agreement with the regime. The parties have agreed in principle to sign a nationwide cease-fire and to establish a framework for political dialogue. The main obstacle to peace will be the 2008 constitution written by the military to serve the military's interests. It mandates centralisation while the long-marginalised and persecuted ethnic nations are seeking autonomy in a confederation. The Burmese army continues to wage war and commit gross human rights abuses and violence against the Christian Kachin as punishment for their resistance to Burmese-Buddhist exploitation. Talks will resume in December. Please pray for believers and that God will bring peace to Burma.


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

We suggest that churches and fellowships using the Summary above might also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of  'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' 
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email

to join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

Prayer - 4

LET’S PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

based on John 17:1,6-12,15,17-18,20-23

    I’d like to introduce you to Naomi Peters.  Naomi was a member of Graystone Presbyterian Church years ago back when I was active in that congregation.  Naomi was a widow, who had raised a couple of kids.  She lived a very simple lifestyle, partly because, I suspect, she had very little to live on. 

    But Naomi was a woman of prayer.  She was what we would call a prayer warrior.  She’d spend chunks of time each day in conversation with God. 

    Upon learning that I was going off to Seminary she sat down with me one evening to talk about it.  She apologized for not being able to provide any monetary support … however she promised to pray for me each day that I was in Seminary.  And she did. 

    3½ years later, after graduating from G.C.T.S. and Princeton Theological Seminary, I was ordained at Graystone Church … and Naomi was there to share in the celebration.
    Seminary was tough.  Greek, Hebrew, Theology were extremely difficult.  But I honestly believe that one of the major influences of my completing those 2 graduate degrees was Naomi Peters interceding for me in prayer. 

    I want to challenge you today to become intercessory pray-ers.

    I suspect that one of the most important things we do when we gather on Sunday mornings is the Prayers Of The People.  It’s when we pray for each other.  We intercede for each other.

    We’re in the 4th week of a 5-part series on prayer.  We’re learning essential lessons about prayer from Jesus.  And today’s study is all about intercessory prayer.  In fact, our text this morning is one long intercessory prayer that Jesus prayed.  He prayed this prayer for His disciples … and He prayed it for you. 

    Jesus is praying to His Heavenly Father, and He’s talking specifically about His disciples, but then He adds something that ought to give each one of us goose bumps.  “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.” (John 17:20)

    So my question is … “have you believed in Jesus because of the message in this Book?”  Because if you have, then Jesus was looking down the corridor of time and He’s interceding for you. 
    But there’s something else I find amazing about this prayer that we’re going to be looking at … it’s the selflessness of it.  Think of the context.  Jesus and His disciples have finished eating the Last Supper and are about to head out to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

    Jesus knows that His arrest, His torture, His crucifixion are only hours away.  And facing that unimaginable pain, He unleashes one long intercessory prayer for you and for me.  Amazingly unselfish. 

    Some Bible scholars refer to this prayer as the real Lord’s Prayer.  They call it the real Lord’s Prayer because that title has been given to another prayer, “Our Father, who art in Heaven …,” which we commonly refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. 

    But Bible scholars say, “no, that the ‘disciple’s prayer.’  That’s the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray.  If you want the prayer that Jesus Himself prayed, the real Lord’s Prayer, it’s found in John 17.”

    So, listen to Good News this morning, from the Gospel of John, to you who have gathered here at Community Church.  Within your hearing, now comes the Word of the Lord.

    “After Jesus finished saying this … (for the past 3 chapters Jesus has been doing some powerful teaching, I mean John 14 is the greatest chapter in the Bible).
    “After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father … I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world.  They belonged to you, and you gave them to me.  They have obeyed your word, and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you.  I gave them the message that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.

    ‘I pray for them … and my glory is shown through them. … I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.  Holy Father!  Keep them safe by the power of your name. … While I was with them, I kept them safe … I protected them ….  I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. … Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth.  I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. … 

    ‘I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.  I pray that they may all be one.  Father!  May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.  I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.’”
                                                             (John 17:1,6-12,15,17-18,20-23)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen

    Jesus had been giving His disciples their final instructions.  Some really good stuff, and then, with them still sitting around the table, Jesus breaks into prayer.  In one breath He’s talking to them, and then in the very next breath, He’s talking to His Heavenly Father. 

    Picture this … they’re all sitting there listening in on His prayer.  What does this tell us about how we learn to intercede? … We learn how to intercede by hanging out with people who are interceding.

    Isn’t that how we learn how to talk?  When you were a little toddler, how’d you learn how to talk?  You learned how to talk by being surrounded by talking people.  You listened and you listened and you listened and one day you decided to give it a shot yourself. 

    What were the 1st words out of your mouth? … “I’m sick and tired of smashed squash … somebody order a pizza!”  No, you said something like, “Mama.”  You might not have even been looking at Mom when you said it.  You may have been looking at Daddy and said “Mama.”  But no one cared … they thought you were brilliant. 
    “Did you hear what he/she just said?  ‘Mama!’”

    When you become an intercessory pray-er, you don’t have to say anything brilliant.  You don’t even have to speak in full sentences.  You listen to other people talk to God, and you think, “I’m going to try that.”  People learn how to pray by praying.

    So if you’re one of those individuals who think, “Well, I just don’t pray out loud.”  Then how are the people around you going to learn how to pray?

    If we took that attitude in regards to talking, “hey, I just don’t talk out loud at home” … our kids would never have learned to talk! 

    So the way we learn to pray intercessory prayers is by listening to others … and then jumping in. 

    Now I know that some of you are already tuning me out because you’re thinking, I could never do this.  I get in a group and there’s somebody who prays this flowery prayer … and I feel awkward trying to do that.

    Well, how would you like to be one of the disciples?  You’re Peter, James, or John, and you’re listening to the Son of God talk to the Father, and then Jesus looks at you and says, “okay, it’s your turn.” 

    So don’t be intimidated.  The way we learn how to pray, is by listening to others interceding to God.
    Here’s a 2nd question … who do we intercede for?  

    How many of you have ever used a drive through window at a fast food restaurant? … How many of you have ever used a drive through teller at a bank? … How many of you have ever used a drive through car wash? … How many have ever used a drive through pray-er? …

    There’s a Church down in Aurora that once a year provides drive through praying.  The Fourth Street United Methodist Church sits on a busy street and they get a couple of their members standing out front with placards … “Free Prayer.” 

    People pull into their parking lot, roll down their windows, state their concern, and someone reaches in, puts a hand on their shoulder, and prays for them. 

    When I read about that, I thought … what a neat idea!  I could see us doing this.  We have Kirchoff Road, for Heaven’s sakes!  Put out the free prayer signs … and pray for the people as they drive through. 

    Here’s a better idea … how about instead of praying for a handful of strangers once a year, what if every day we interceded for the significant people in our lives? 

    Who did Jesus pray for?  He prayed for His disciples.  “I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world. 
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me.  They have obeyed your word, and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you.  I gave them the message that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.  I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you.” (John 17:6-9)

    Jesus is praying for His close friends, who also happen to be the future leaders of the Church, so I guess we could argue that He’s praying for Christian leaders. 

    And we read a few verses later that He’s looking down the corridor of time, and praying for all who would become His followers … He’s praying for unbelievers who will become believers.

    Here are some categories of people to pray for …

•    Friends
•    Christian leaders
•    Unbelievers

    Let me make an observation here.  I think most of our intercessory prayer ends up being for “squeaky wheel” people.  Right?  “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”  We apply the “grease” of our intercessory prayers mostly for people who have major problems. 
    Stop and think about it.  Who do you pray for?  I’m guessing for many of us, in order to get onto our prayer lists something bad has to happen.  Right?

    In order for you to recognize that there’s something that needs to be prayed for … somebody’s got to lose their job, or have a heart attack, or suffer chronic pain … and then it dawns on us … we better pray for them. 

    I’m not saying we shouldn’t be praying for people in those sorts of situations … I’m just saying that we ought to be praying for significant people in our lives even when they’re not in dire straits. 

    Years ago I went to a leadership conference.  I don’t remember who the speakers were.  I don’t remember the subjects covered.  But I’ve never forgotten one of the points that was made.  One of the habits that successful people practice is that they can separate the important from that which is merely urgent.  

    You see, many of us get caught up with that which is merely urgent, while important things get left undone. 

    There are 4 kinds of activities in our lives.  On one end there are activities that are both important and urgent.  For example, if it’s April 14th and we haven’t paid our taxes yet … it would be a good idea to do so.  That’s important and it’s urgent.  We have 24 hours to get those taxes in the mail. 
    At the other end are those activities that are unimportant and non-urgent … and unfortunately that’s where we spend a lot of our time.  For example, reading the newspaper.  The newspaper was out on the end of our driveway this morning.  Whether or not I read that newspaper today is neither important nor urgent. 

    It’s a nice thing to do, if I have the time.  But it’s not critical and it’s not pressing. 

    Now between those extremes are 2 other activities.  There are those that are unimportant, but they seem to be urgent.  They’re screaming at us … “Do this!”  Even though the reality is they’re not that important. 

    We’re out and about doing some chores and the Bears are playing, and we keep looking at our watch, “I got to make it back for the 4th quarter.”  We’re racing against the clock.  It’s urgent … but is it important?

    No!  No, if we miss the 4th quarter, if we miss the game, it’s not a life and death situation.  Unimportant, but screamingly urgent. 

    But there’s a final category … and it’s the most important of all.  This separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls; this is the practice of highly effective people.  They know how to attend to those important activities, but not seemingly urgent.  Let me give you an example. 
    Brushing your teeth.  (I got Pam’s attention, she’s nodding her head.)  Brushing your teeth is important.  It’s an important thing to do.  Is it urgent if we don’t brush our teeth today?  Will they fall out by bedtime?  Probably not.  It’s not a screamingly urgent thing.

    However, if we neglect them day after day after day, because it’s not urgent … it’ll become urgent, and they may fall out. 

    So, what does all this have to do with intercessory prayer?  Intercessory prayer is one of those important, but not seemingly urgent activities. 

    There are times when it’s urgent.  There are times when there’s a crisis is going on in the life of a loved one or a friend … and we better pray and we better pray right away. 

    But I want to talk to you about those times when there’s no crisis, and yet it’s still critically important to be praying for the significant people in our lives.  It’s one of those important, but non-urgent activities; because if we don’t do it, it may become urgent along the way.

    So how do we decide who those significant people are?  For me, I have a list, because if I don’t write names down, I may not remember to pray for them until a crisis comes along.  And here’s how I do my list; and if this is helpful for you, great. 
    I put my prayer list in my computer.  I have 5 categories of significant people in my life. 

•    Family members (obvious one)
•    Friends
•    Neighbors
•    Leaders here at Church
•    Government leaders (Scripture tells us to do that)

    So I have these categories on my computer, and then I put in specific names.  These are my significant people to pray for.  If you do this you may have 20 people on your list, you may have 50. 

    As I pray my intercessory prayers I start down the list.  I may only have 5 or 10 minutes to pray, so I highlight the last person I pray for.  And then, that’s where I pick up when I start praying again.  And I go down several more names, praying for that group of people. 

    Now for me, my best time is right after lunch.  It’s a break in the day, that’s pretty much uninterrupted.  (And by the way, if I skip a day, or even a week, of intercessory prayer I don’t beat myself up.  I don’t go on a guilt trip.  I just go back to my list and pick up where I left off.)  This is how I do my intercessory praying. 

    Please don’t misunderstand, I always praying for those crisis situations, which I intercede for. 
    But at the same time there are important concerns in the lives of significant people in my life and if I’m not praying for them systematically those important things will be forgotten. 

    So, what are the important things that we ought to be praying for?  I’m glad you asked, because that’s our last question.  What should we intercede for?

    If you’re not praying for something urgent; someone facing surgery, a couple having marital difficulties … if there’s not a crisis, what do you intercede for?

    I see at least 3 major things in Jesus’ intercessory prayer.  Here’s the 1st one, and you’ll want to jot these down because these are the things that we need to be praying for with those significant people in our lives.

    #1 … salvation.  People’s relationship with God.  Listen to how Jesus begins His prayer.  “After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come.  Give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you.  For you gave him authority over all people, so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.  And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.’” (John 17:1-3)

    What topic is foremost in Jesus’ mind as He begins His intercessory prayer? …
    Salvation … eternal life pops up several times here.  Jesus wants people to know God, and His saving grace. 

    So what ought to be a prime concern for us as we intercede for our family?  What ought to be a prime concern of us as we intercede for our neighbors?  It should be that they come to faith in Jesus. 

    Let me tell you about De Witt Talmage.  He was like the Billy Graham of the early 1900’s.  He pastored the Brooklyn Tabernacle that had a sanctuary that held 5,000 people, and each week every seat was filled.  He preached to packed crowds.

    His sermons were printed in newspapers across the country with an estimated 25 million readers.  And as a result many people came to faith in Jesus through De Witt Talmage’s ministry. 

    So how did he come to faith?  As I was reading about him I learned that he was the youngest of 12 kids.  And every Saturday afternoon his mother, Catharine, would disappear for a couple of hours.  And the kids would wonder, “Where did Mom go?”

    What do you think?  The woman has 12 kids!  She’s taking a much deserved break.  Well, it wasn’t until after she passed and her kids read her journals that they understood where Mom had been going every Saturday afternoon for 2 hours, week after week, year after year.
    She had been going to a neighbor’s house where 5 Moms had gathered together every Saturday afternoon to pray for their kids … specifically that their children would come to faith in Jesus. 

    And not surprisingly, all 12 Talmage kids, did … through their Mom’s intercessory prayers. 

    When I hear a story like that, it encourages me, because there are a number of people on my intercessory prayer list who have not come to faith.  They need salvation.  So here’s what I pray for them.  I pray that God would bring circumstances into their lives that would create a sense of need. 

    Even if it’s trials and tribulations … if that’s what it takes, I say “God, turn their hearts to you.”  I pray that I might have an opportunity, and be bold in my conversations about the Lord.  I pray that other believers would cross their path.  I’m praying for individuals’ salvation. 

    And let me point out, when Scripture uses the word “salvation” it’s not just talking about the initial moment when someone comes to faith. 

    Salvation is a bigger word.  It refers to every aspect of our spiritual lives.  When Jesus talks about eternal life He defines it as “knowing God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.”
    So when I pray for salvation, when I pray for eternal life for people, I’m also praying for all spiritual aspects in their lives.  I pray that they would study the Scriptures.  “Lord, help them get into the Bible and nourish them with it.”

    I pray that they’d be generous stewards with the resources that God has given them.  I pray that they would have an opportunity to share their faith. 

    And then 2ndly … I pray for protection.  Now when we normally think of protection it’s usually for safe travel, or from disease, or for job security.  Things like that. 

    But when Jesus prays for protection for His friends He has something else in mind. 

    “And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.  Holy Father!  Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one.  While I was with them, I kept them safe ….  I protected them. … And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness.  I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One.” (John 17:13-15)
    As Jesus prayed this prayer of protection, what was He praying that His friends would be protected from? …  A wicked world, the Evil One.

    Think of the people who will be on your list; the 10, 20, 50 people.  As you’re praying for them, pray for protection. 

    As you’re looking at their names, ask yourself, “What kind of temptation do they face on a daily basis?  What bad habits do they struggle with?  What idols in their lives push God into the corner?  What negative influences are they blind to?  God, protect them from those things.”

    Do you see how this works?  This reminds me of Simon Peter.  On the night that Jesus was arrested … Peter denied knowing Jesus 3 times. (Matthew 26:69-75) 

    Peter messed up.  But fortunately for him it wasn’t a train wreck that destroyed his life.  Fortunately for Peter he didn’t turn away from the Savior entirely. 

    Peter repented of his sin.  He was extremely remorseful.  And Jesus reinstated him into a leadership position.  So what kept Peter at this horrible moment in his life from throwing in the towel completely?

    It was Jesus’ intercession on his behalf.  In the middle of the Last Supper Jesus prays for Simon Peter.
    “Simon, Simon!  Listen!  Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail.  And when you turn back to me, you must strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)

    “Peter, you’re a going to take a direct hit from Satan himself.  But when it’s all over you’re going to be still standing … because I’m praying for you.”

    This is one of those important areas, even though we don’t think of it as urgent, to pray for God’s protection from the Evil One, for God’s protection from temptation, for the people on our list.   

    There’s one final thing that we find Jesus praying for … relationships.  Lucy, from the old Peanuts comic strip, said it best … “I love humanity … it’s people I can’t stand.”

    Jesus knows that one of the greatest challenges we face in this world is getting along with other people.  And so when He intercedes for His close friends He prays hard that they’ll get along with each other. 

    He prays that they’ll resolve conflicts, that they’ll strive for unity, that they’ll value oneness.  As I read the closing paragraph of this prayer, note how many times Jesus uses the word “one.”
    “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.  I pray that they may all be one.  Father!  May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.  I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.”
                                                                        (John 17:20-23)

    What should we be praying for as we intercede for the people on our prayer list?  We need to be praying for the relationships in their lives … for oneness. 

    If you’re praying for a married person it’s a good thing to be praying for their relationship with their spouse.  Don’t wait for a crisis, pray it now.  If they’re working in a difficult job, pray for their relationship with their boss, and co-workers. 

    No person is an island.  Everybody is connected to other people.  So when we’re interceding for those on our prayer list, begin by praying for relationships. 

    Who wants to be an intercessor? … This is a privilege.  This is how we communicate value to others.  We’re standing in front of Almighty God petitioning for someone else.  It’s an incredible ministry.  It’s an amazing privilege. 
    So, how do we learn to be intercessory pray-ers?  By being around people who are doing it, and at some point we jump in.

    Who do we pray for?  Not just those who have an impending crisis.  That’s a great place to begin, but create a list of people that you’re going to systematically pray for: family, friends, neighbors.

    And what do we pray for?  We pray for salvation, meaning all things spiritual.  We pray for protection from sin and temptation and the Evil One.  And we pray for the relationships that are going on in their lives. 

    Let’s be intercessors.  In fact, we’re all going to do it right now for 1 minute.  The truth of the matter is, you can be an intercessor wherever you are.  You’re standing in line at Jewel, and there are ½ dozen people ahead of you, so you have some time.  Say to God, “I’m going to pray for the next person you bring into my mind, whoever that is.”  And God will bring somebody into your mind, I guarantee it.

    So right now, who is God putting on the screen of your mind?  Whoever that is, you have 1 minute to pray for them.  Pray for salvation.  Pray for protection.  Pray for relationships.  You’re going to be an intercessor for the next 60 seconds.  Let’s pray ….   

MARANA THA