Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.” Acts 12:5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “When God’s people pray, things happen.”

 

In Acts Chapter 12 we read the story of the time King Herod launched a massive wave of persecution against the young church in Jerusalem. As the persecution unfolded, Herod had the Apostle James executed and he had Peter arrested and imprisoned.

 

Meanwhile, the church prayed. In this case they prayed specifically for Peter’s deliverance, and the Bible says that they prayed “earnestly”. The Greek word for earnestly is “ektenos” and it’s the same word that was used to describe the prayer of Jesus in Luke 22:44 when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He prayed so hard that He broke out in a sweat that was like drops of blood. Literally He was praying so hard that He was sweating blood. That’s how hard the church was praying for Peter.

 

Not only did they pray hard, but they stuck with it. The implication in the passage is that they were praying like that for an extended period of time. To do anything “earnestly” means to do it with fervor, passion, intensity, determination, and steadfastness. When God’s people come together and pray like that, and they stick with it, stuff happens.

 

In Peter’s case, while the people were praying so hard, an angel of the Lord appeared in Peter’s jail cell and there was a Holy Spirit led jailbreak. The doors swung open, the guards who were in the cell with Peter (and who Peter was actually chained to) fell into a deep sleep, the chains fell away, and Peter simply walked out of the jail a free man.

 

When God’s people pray – really pray – things happen. There may not be a miraculous deliverance from a jail cell in the middle of the night, but there could be. Or, there could be a modern day equivalent.

 

We know this to be true at Oak Hill Baptist Church. Oak Hill is one of those churches that still has a weekly prayer meeting. I make that statement with just a hint of sadness because there are so many churches today that do not have regular weekly prayer meetings. Instead, if they meet at all in mid-week, it’s a mid-week service that might include a little bit of prayer time at the end but is not exclusively, or even primarily, a prayer meeting.

 

I’m not bragging about us or to being critical of them. I only want to make the point that group prayer is vitally important, and I believe a church needs to have at least one regular meeting each week that is dedicated primarily to the ministry of intercessory prayer.

 

At our group prayer meetings we pray long and we pray hard; we pray for ourselves and we pray for others, (many of whom we don’t even know). We send people letters signed by everyone at the prayer meeting letting them know that they were prayed for. And we routinely see answers to those prayers – small answers and sometimes big answers.

 

Effective individual prayer is a powerful thing. Effective group prayer is even more powerful because when God’s people pray, things happen – and when they pray together, even more things happen.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty; The Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.” Psalm 93:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God is in control”

 

During those times when we do stop to think about the importance of praying effectively, it’s usually because we’re faced with some pressing need or dire set of circumstances. It’s when times are tough that we’re moved to hunker down and really pray hard, and that’s also when we most desperately want our prayers to be effective.

 

In such times it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by events and so that’s when we need to remind ourselves of the great truth David so emphatically stated in Psalm 93:1, “The Lord reigns!”

 

To “reign” means to rule and to exercise sovereign control; it is to command and dominate – and that describes God. He is in absolute and total control over everything in the universe, and that includes the circumstances of our lives. That was David’s point in Psalm 93:1.

 

In the rest of the Psalm he paints a picture of how, not only do the worst events of the world not diminish God, they actually lift Him up. The illustration David used is that of floods and pounding waves and mighty breakers of the sea, and he affirms that God is greater than it all. His reference to the forces of nature is simply an allusion to the problems of life and his point is that God reigns supreme over all of it.

 

Therefore, rather than allowing circumstances to shake him (even really bad circumstances) David instead chose to lift his eyes to God. He reminded himself that God is in firm control over all of creation, and that includes the circumstances of his life.

 

It also includes the circumstances of your life.

 

Whatever it is you’re facing today I encourage you to remember that God reigns supreme over all of it. Go to Him in prayer. Affirm you confidence in His Sovereignty. Then simply trust that He is in control.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Pray for wisdom to know who to help, when to help, and how to help.”

 

Most Christians I know are kind, compassionate and generous. They are people who truly care about others and who are willing and eager to help those in need. But the fact is that there’s a world full of need. Nobody can give to every cause and nobody can be everywhere all the time doing everything for everyone.

 

Sometimes it seems as if there’s a homeless person with a cardboard sign standing at every major intersection in town. Do you give money to all of them? If you do you’ll quickly be broke. There are hungry children in refugee camps in Somalia, church buildings that need to be built in Sierra Leone, Bibles that need to be distributed in China, and the list goes on. You can’t give to all of those causes, so how do you decide?

 

Likewise, there are endless ways in which you can invest your time and energy helping others. But you only have so much time and energy you can give. Where do you draw the line and how to you make those decisions? Proverbs 3 contains several principles that are helpful in sorting through this very common dilemma.

 

First, as a starting place, verse 27 tells us that if the Lord has brought this issue to your attention, that’s a pretty good indication that He might want you to do something about it. However, the Proverbs are mostly principles that provide basic guidelines, not direct commands intended to apply verbatim in every situation. Discretion and discernment is still needed.

 

Second, in verses 9-10, we’re told to honor the Lord with our wealth. In other words, we are to use some of what He blessed us with as a means of blessing others. I would argue that this includes not just our money, but also our time and our skills.

 

Third, verses 5-6 show us how all of this ties into the subject of effective prayer:

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

In other words, take the situation to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you understand who He wants you to help, how He wants you to help them, and when He wants you to help them.

 

Then make the best decision you can and just walk it out. Don’t wait for a handwritten message from God to appear in the clouds; and don’t expect an audible voice to boom out specific instructions. If the situation involves a person in need of assistance – be it money, food, or your time and assistance – it’s probably time sensitive and therefore will require prompt action on your part if you are going to be used by God in this situation.

 

So to sum up, God has brought the situation to your attention; you have considered whether or not you have the assets or the skills to be of assistance if God so directs; and you have prayed about it. Now make your best decision, yes or no, and just do what you believe God has told you to do.  And if you believe the answer is “no”, it’s ok, don’t second-guess yourself. You can’t do everything for everyone, and God doesn’t expect you to.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Seek both correction and affirmation from God.”

 

What do you do when people are critical of you or if they disagree with you on some important matter? This question is especially important if it pertains to an issue of morality and righteousness. What do you do if a person is challenging you in that area?

 

The first thing we should do in such cases is go God in prayer and ask Him to reveal to us if there is any truth in what the other person is saying. When we do that, sometimes (and much to our surprise), we discover that there is some element of truth to the criticism or challenge.

 

Maybe what the other person is saying about us isn’t entirely accurate, but many times there’s at least a grain of truth to it. If so, we need to see it and make the necessary adjustments. If what the other person is critical of me about has even an element of truth in it, I need to know that, I need to acknowledge it, and I need to correct it. King David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 can be very helpful in such cases.

 

But also, not only will such a prayer help us to see when we’re wrong, it can also help us to see when we’re right too. This prayer invites God to help us re-examine our position on the issue. Then, upon examination, if you find that your position is correct and justified, you have the boldness and the confidence to stand by it and defend it.

 

Unfortunately, far too frequently Christians just automatically assume that they’re right and the other side is wrong, and they don’t even make any serious attempt to let God speak to them about it.

 

What King David’s prayer does for us is it helps us to acknowledge that we are not always right and sometimes we do not see things clearly, but God is always right and He does always see things clearly. So we invite Him to search us and reveal to us any attitude or position that needs to be corrected or adjusted – or to affirm for us that we are indeed correct, and that then gives us permission and boldness to stand our ground.

 

I encourage you to develop the habit of always seeking both correction and affirmation from God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Jeremiah 12:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Go ahead and ask God the hard questions, bring Him your complaints, He can handle it.”

 

Many times we come to God in prayer with the mistaken assumption that we have to be prim and proper, like well-behaved kids in Sunday school. We have to mind our “P’s” and “Q’s” and be careful not to voice any complaints or ask any questions that could come across as being in the least bit challenging.

 

That thinking is cute, it’s just not Biblical. Oh to be sure, we do need to approach God with the respect He deserves. But we’re also free to express our frustrations and our lack of understanding. It’s ok to ask hard questions and to complain – not just about the things of this life, but even about God Himself and about His ways.

 

King David did it. Take a trip through the Psalms. Many of them are “Psalms of Worship”, but many others are what we call “Psalms of Lament”. They’re filled with wailing and even whining, and lots of questions.

 

Job did it too. “I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me. Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?” Job 10:3

 

“Does it please you to oppress me … while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?” Wow! That’s heavy sarcasm. And Job got away with that?

 

In Jeremiah’s case God was in the process of bringing severe punishment as a form of discipline against the Jews for their idolatry and long-term unfaithfulness. While Jeremiah didn’t question the fact that the Jews clearly deserved the punishment, what did confuse him was that God was using the pagan nations (who were much worse in their sinfulness), as His instruments to punish and discipline the Jews.

 

Jeremiah’s complaint / accusation (which he expressed several times in the book of Jeremiah), was that it seemed pretty unfair of God to use the more sinful pagans to punish the less sinful people of God, and so Jeremiah asked God to do a little explaining. “Yet I would speak with you about your justice …”

 

The lesson here is that you can speak freely to God. He knows what you’re thinking and feeling anyway so it’s not as if you’re hiding anything from Him by being prim and proper, saying cute little Sunday school prayers, when in reality you’re raging inside and you want to shake your fist at Him. So be honest with Him. Tell Him what you think and what you feel. Question Him. Ask Him for explanations. He can handle it. He might not give you the answers you’re looking for, but He can handle your questions. And again, He already knows how you’re feeling anyway.

 

So go ahead and get it off your chest. Tell Him all about it. It’ll probably make you feel better and who knows, you may even get some answers.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.” James 5:16-18 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Our prayers for each other are powerful and effective.”

 

In his book “Moving Mountains”, John Eldredge tells the story of Agnes Sanford, a woman who was a great prayer warrior and who seemed to be especially effective when it came to praying about other people’s health issues. Agnes seemed to be more effective at praying for their healing than the people themselves were.

 

The reason Agnes’ prayers for the healing of others tended to be so effective is that the sick person invariably, and naturally, focused their prayers on the sickness, but Agnes focused her prayers on the Healer. When the sick person prayed, they would focus almost exclusively on how they were feeling and what they were experiencing in their lives as a result of the sickness. When Agnes prayed she looked right past the sickness (might not even mention it at all), and she focused her prayers instead on the power, and majesty, and awesomeness, and mercy of Jesus.

 

The sick person focused on the sickness. Agnes focused on the Healer.

 

When we’re suffering or struggling in some way, it’s perfectly natural for our thoughts and prayers to focus on the pain and the suffering. But the trial we’re going through is the problem not the solution. As long as we’re focused on the problem, we often can’t see the solution. Jesus is the solution. Whatever the problem, Jesus is the answer. So we need to be focused on Him rather than on the issue we’re wrestling with.

 

That’s one of the big reasons we ask other people to pray for us. Other people aren’t so personally wrapped up in our problem and therefore they can view it from a distance. That being the case other people are often better able to focus on the Solution (Jesus) rather than on the problem itself.

 

This is why James calls us to pray for each other. He reminds us of the power and effectiveness of our prayers and he does so by citing Elijah’s great example from 1 Kings Chapter 18. James reminds us that Elijah was no different from us, he was just a man. But he was a man of great faith and he was a man of powerful and effective prayers.

 

As I mentioned in an earlier devotional this month, Elijah was a man who worked long and hard at his prayers and his prayers focused on the power of God as the solution, rather than on the problem itself, which was a limitation. So I want Elijah or Agnes Sanford (or someone who knows how to pray like them) praying for me!

 

We need to have others praying for us, especially those who really know how to pray.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “There’s nothing you’re facing that Christ cannot and will not empower you to handle.”

 

As is true for all of us, I have some things going on in my life that I wish weren’t there. And some of them seem to drag on endlessly and defy resolution. I know, I know, welcome to the club. It’s just life and we all have issues.

 

This morning in my personal Bible study I was reading the book of Philippians and I came to that great passage in Philippians chapter four where Paul wrote,

 

“… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

 

I would like to claim that I, like Paul, have learned to be content in all circumstances but in truth, I’m still working on it. Not there yet. Not even close, but working on it.

 

Although I have read that passage countless times over the years, and have been inspired by it every time, this time, with respect to the subject of effective prayer, verse 13 seemed to leap off the page at me. There’s nothing I’m facing that Christ cannot and will not empower me to handle. That’s true for you too.

 

Your circumstances could be tough, maybe very tough. There could be sickness (yours or a loved one’s); there could be financial pressures; you may have frustrations on the job and difficulties with co-workers; you may be suffering the agony of a wayward child; your neighbors could be the Adam’s Family on one side and Freddy Krueger on the other; you could be faced with multiple problems that seem to defy explanation or solution and which drag on endlessly; but one thing we know for sure is that Christ can and will empower you to deal with those issues and any others you are facing.

 

So take that understanding with you into your time of prayer. Claim Philippians 4:13 as a promise from God to you and ask Jesus to make it real in your life now. You may not suddenly receive magical insights which will lead to quick resolutions of all your most vexing problems, but you will receive the strength and hope you need in order to deal with them today. Then go back to Him tomorrow and claim that promise all over again.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of my mind was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:22-24 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You bring God great joy.”

 

I want to return again this morning to the subject of how we think about God and about prayer, because our understanding of God and of prayer is such a crucial element when it comes to effective praying.

 

Have you ever read the parable of the Prodigal Son as told by Jesus and recorded by Luke in Luke 15:14-24? If you’re not familiar with the story then I encourage you to stop reading this for a moment and take a few minutes to read that passage.

 

In the story a wealthy father had two sons. The youngest one came to him and asked for his share of the family inheritance to be given to him so he could go exploring in foreign lands. In that culture his request would have been an unthinkable insult to his father. Normally the inheritance would not go to the son until the father was dead. The son should not even have been thinking of such a thing.

 

But rather than being insulted, the father complied with the request and gave the boy the money. The son then went off into distant lands and squandered his riches on wine, women, and song. Before long he found himself destitute, filthy, hungry, and living among another man’s pigs. Finally he came to his senses and decided to return to his father, fall at his feet and begging for mercy, and then offer to become one of his father’s slaves.

 

Do you remember from yesterday’s devotional when I cited John Eldredge’s lesson that when we come to God in prayer He does not see us as orphans begging for help, or even slaves bowing before a stern master? Instead we are dearly loved children coming to a kind and benevolent Father who takes great delight in us.

 

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son the returning son was acting like a begging orphan, or a disobedient slave seeking his master’s forgiveness. But the father in the story (intended by Jesus to be a picture of our Heavenly Father) acts just like a good, loving, compassionate, and merciful human father would if his wayward child suddenly returned to him contrite and asking for forgiveness. He was overflowing with joy, weeping in thanksgiving that His child had come back to Him, and ready to accept the boy back into the fold as the much-loved son that he is.

 

That’s your position before God the Father. Even if you have messed up; even if you have sinned greatly; He wants you back and He is overjoyed when you return to Him.

 

As you come to God in prayer don’t ever forget that it brings Him great joy to see you coming to Him and it brings Him even more joy to treat you like the much-loved child you are.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Your Father in heaven cares deeply about you and He wants you to come to Him with your requests.”

 

As I noted yesterday, in my current reading of the book of Isaiah I’m discovering it to be a rich treasure trove of insights regarding effective prayer. How we think about God, and how we think about the ministry of prayer, determines how we will pray. Isaiah helps us to gain a clearer and more accurate understanding of who God is, what He is like, and who we are to Him.

 

In Isaiah 55:1-2 we read an invitation issued by God to us through Isaiah. Essentially He is inviting us to come to Him to talk about our needs and concerns and requests, and to have them met. We are to come to Him with the understanding that He cares, that He has what we need, and that He is eager and willing to help us.

 

Jesus spoke of this great truth also, as did the Apostle Paul. Here are just three examples from the New Testament.

 

Jesus said: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11

 

Paul wrote: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

 

And of course, in case you are tired and suffering and struggling, there is always that great invitation from Jesus in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

 

The point is that when we come to God in prayer we are welcome. He wants us there and He is happy we have come to Him. To paraphrase a lesson John Eldredge teaches in his book “Moving Mountains”, we don’t come to our Father in heaven as orphans, sitting outside the city gates begging and pleading for His help. Nor to we come to Him as servants, tentatively making a request of the Master and hoping we’re not annoying Him.

 

Instead, we come as much loved children who are heirs of our Father’s kingdom and entitled to a share of the blessings contained within the household. And our Father is more than happy to share them with us.

 

That understanding should shape the way we pray. God is happy you have come to Him; He is deeply concerned about every aspect of your life and wants to be involved in it; and He is eager to meet your needs in the way that is best and at the time that is right. So go ahead and talk to Him about everything that is going on. He wants you to.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t forget who God is, and who you are to Him.”

 

To pray effectively it’s essential that we come to God remembering who He is, and who we are to Him.

 

In my personal Bible study I’m currently reading through the Old Testament book of Isaiah. As I always do, each month I go through my days with our devotional theme for the month held lightly in the back of my mind. That way as I read the Bible and other Christian books, as I write sermons and Bible studies, as I pay attention to news reports and as I listen to conversations, I’m constantly picking up thoughts and ideas for the devotional messages.

 

As I’ve been reading through Isaiah in recent days I’ve been shocked to discover how many of the verses and passages apply to the subject of effective praying. For instance, consider this passage from Isaiah 41:9-13:

 

“I took you from the ends of the earth, from the farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.”

 

God spoke those words specifically to His chosen people, the nation of Israel, but they are true for you and me too. He called you to be His own. You are His servant and He has a plan and a purpose for you. So do not fear, for He is with you. Do not be dismayed, for He is your God. He will help you and strengthen you. He will uphold you with His powerful right hand. The enemies who come against you are also coming against Him, and that’s bad for them. The problems you’re facing, He intends to help you with, and that’s good for you. So do not fear, for He is committed to helping you.

 

That’s the God you have come to in prayer. He is powerful, He loves you, He is committed to your best interests, and He is determined to help you. Got it? Now you’re ready to pray.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim