Prayer

If you look at our support update box, you will see that we have achieved our goal of 100 prayer partners and are continuing to grow! And honestly, we couldn’t be more thrilled (we of course love to see those other numbers go up too!). Not being overly dramatic, not trying to guilt anyone or make you feel bad, but we want you to know we very literally feel your prayers...and lack of prayers. That sounds harsh, but I hope you understand what I am getting at. At this season of our life, doing what we are doing, we very keenly see, feel and sense the spiritual battle raging around all.

We all know it is easy to pray for someone when they have some big thing going on, but not so easy when it is daily lifting them up in prayer. An example, Brian had a great time at ECHO, learning, fellowshipping and making connections, he sensed your prayers carrying him through the week. Even just a day or two later he could tell people weren’t praying as much and the war was in full swing.

Do you ever, like me, wonder what in the world there is to pray about today (for us, or anyone else)? Do you think, I prayed for them yesterday for this, this, and this, it’s boring to pray the same things all the time-God heard me yesterday, why do I have to keep asking? (I don’t understand why God needs us to pray, other than that He desires that close relationship, that intimacy that comes from time spent with Him.) But God has called us to be the persistent widow petitioning Him daily before the throne of grace. God calls us to trust in Him for His timing, and sometimes (oftentimes) His timing isn’t ours. So we need to knock, knock, knock on His door, seek Him, that we may find Him, and whatever we ask for in His name and His will, He will give us, we just need to receive.

Prayer is a battle-it’s hard to get started, hard to stay focused, hard to keep praying until you get an answer (especially when it is not the one we want or think should happen!)

I confess there are times when my prayer life is dry, little to non-existent, routine, not-so-intimate. How thankful I am that God’s Holy Spirit is living in me and reminding me, convicting me, always drawing me to Him, even when I feel no interest or desire to pray at all. How cool to know that as a believer I have God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, right within me at all times. Sometimes we say, just pretend Jesus is sitting next to you and tell Him... Well, we have that and more!! We have God’s Spirit IN us. Unfortunately, we too often think of the Holy Spirit as that weird uncle who comes to visit. He’s lots of fun, does cool stuff, we love having Him around- but just hope He doesn’t show up when our friends are over!

Think of some the things we wouldn’t have without the Holy Spirit:

--there would be no earth
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)
In verse 26 of Genesis 1 He says, “Let US make man in our own image...”

--there would not be human life
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

--there would be no virgin birth
And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

--there would be no Scriptures.
All Scripture is inspired by God (literally God-Breathed) 2 Tim 3:16
Those who wrote it “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” 2 Peter 1:21

--If there were no Holy Spirit, there would be no victory over Satan, no restraint of sin, no dispensing of grace for salvation, no victory in our trials, no second coming of Jesus Christ, and no participation for us in the coming kingdom of our Lord.**

What a blessing, what a gift God has given! I confess I don’t allow the Spirit to have more of me. I pray we won’t be afraid of Him, to share what and how He is working and leading us in our lives. The Spirit is moving around us all the time, imagine what He could be doing if we just acknowledged it!

Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer. Please continue to pray for us, allowing the Spirit to lead you. Remember, God knows what we need-and He loves it when we ask! Even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, bringing things to mind to lift up.

**”The Fire that Ignites-Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit” Dr. Tony Evans