Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”
Our Bible verse for today: “When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven, and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice: ‘May the Lord be praised! He has given rest to His people Israel according to all He has said. Not one of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses has failed.” 1 Kings 8:54-56 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Passionate prayer fuels enthusiastic faith”
Have you seen the movie “The War Room”? It’s a great Christian film that vividly portrays the power and effectiveness of enthusiastic, passionate, heartfelt prayer. The movie serves to remind us that when God’s people pray, things happen.
In 1 Kings Chapter eight the nation of Israel, under the leadership of King Solomon, has just completed building the temple of the Lord. Now they are in the process of dedicating it and in chapter eight, we find the king on his knees at the altar in an extended time of prayer. In the prayer Solomon reviews the history of the nation and the faithfulness of God to them, and he pleads for God’s continued blessing upon the nation. Then, he stands and addresses the people. I like the way The Message paraphrase of the Bible renders this passage:
“Having finished praying to God – all these bold and passionate prayers – Solomon stood up before God’s Altar where he had been kneeling all this time, his arms stretched to heaven. Standing, he blessed the whole congregation of Israel, blessing them at the top of his lungs.”
This was an inspiring and motivational time for them. It was followed by a magnificent worship service complete with extensive sacrifices and special offerings.
Solomon was a God-fearing and dedicated servant of both God and of the people. His enthusiastic leadership was fueled by deep, passionate, extended prayer. Prayer – sincere and meaningful and passionate, can have that effect.
I encourage you to see the movie “The War Room”. It will inspire you to pray more and better. I also encourage you to read the book. The book tells the story in even greater detail and so there’s more we can learn from it than from the movie. And then, pray. Pray a lot. Pray with enthusiasm and pray that God will increase your enthusiasm.
Finally, if your church family meets for regular times of group prayer then I encourage you to participate in it. If your church doesn’t have group prayer meetings you should start one. At Oak Hill Baptist our regular prayer meetings are Wednesday night at 6:00 and Sunday morning at 8:30. We would love to have you join us. It will boost your enthusiasm.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 