Churches Join to Pray for County

Churches join to pray for County Once again this year, The Word of God is joining many churches around Washtenaw County for the 40 Days of Prayer vigil. From Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday some church will be praying each day for the Lord to transform Washtenaw County, that ‘his kingdom come, his will be done’. Our block will be from 12:01 am on Friday 2/27 to midnight on Sunday, 3/1. On Friday and Saturday evenings we will be having open prayer meetings from 7 – 8 pm at The Word of God Meeting Room, 3800 Packard, Ste. 260, and we will incorporate the 40 Days prayer into our regular prayer meeting on Sunday 3/1 at 4:30 pm at Covenant Community Church, 5171 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor.

There are several ways you can participate:

• Sign up for a 2-hour slot during our Block. Pray however you like during that time, for the whole time or just a portion of it. You can sign up online here.
• Join in an evening prayer meeting with us, or another church. Each evening the church or group in charge of the Block will hold a prayer meeting for anyone in the County. Generally these will be at 7 pm. check www.impactwashtenaw.com for details of time and location.
• Pray daily using the Seek the Lord for the City guide. These are excellent resources for giving a biblical focus for our prayer for the County. All the participating churches will be using them, and we will be joining with folks around the US who are praying for their cities using these guides, too. The booklets are available at the prayer meetings and the community office, or you can get an app by going to http://waymakers.org/

In Luke 18:7-8 Jesus says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Let’s be among those who in faith cry out day and night for the Lord to bring his justice on the earth.

40 Days of Prayer for Washtenaw County

What would happen if all the churches in Washtenaw County prayed day and night ... ? This is the seventh year that the Church in the County is joining together to offer continuous intercession for transformation. Once again churches from many different traditions and descriptions will be crying out as one for a sustained period. What might God do when his Bride gives Him no rest? May this be the start of finding out!

Just how is the 40 Days of Prayer going to work?

More than a dozen churches and ministries are taking 3 days slots, so that together we can pray day and night from Ash Wednesday, February 18 to Palm Sunday, March 29. Our focus is asking God to transform Washtenaw County and each group is organizing its portion of the vigil in its own way. However, each evening there will be an open prayer room from 7 to 8 pm hosted by a church ‘on duty’ for that day. A schedule of these will be available soon.

To further focus our prayer, we are using a booklet called Seek God for the City, which provides a prayer topic for each day. This way even when a group is not ‘on duty’, folks can pray in common with all the other brothers and sisters in the participating churches – These also allow anyone else, even if their own church is not taking a slot this year, to join in this effort. You can get the booklets at the next few prayer meetings or at the office.

There is going to be an opening Kick-off Prayer Meeting on Tuesday 2/17 and a simplified Hosanna celebration to close out the 40 Days. Details for both of these celebrations are still being worked out.

40 Days of Prayer

Joining others to pray for Washtenaw County

The Word of God is again joining with about a dozen churches to pray for Washtenaw County during the 40 Days from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. For the past several years we have taken a couple of days in a continuous 24-hour prayer vigil shared by all the churches.

This year there will not be a vigil, but participating churches are asking folks to pray a few minutes every day using the Seek God for the City prayer guide. In addition, people are ‘adopting’ a particular day and praying in some special way for the topics associated with it. In this way we can be blanketing the County in prayer asking God to blanket it with His Kingdom!

For more information, including how to adopt a day, contact the community office:  734/994-3243.

Don't settle for 'SAFE'

True confession.I spent several years as a disciple of Jesus oblivious that I reeked of arrogance born of a wrong-headed understanding of Salvation. I was grateful for being saved, of course, and I gave Him the praise for this mighty life transforming work. I knew I needed to love him with heart, soul, mind and strength and I thought that was what I was doing. But I wasn’t. Why? Because I had come to believe the highest, or more accurately the only required, form of love was service. This has little to do with affection; it has only to do with obedience and duty. This meant, though it never occurred to me at the time, that in my head I was paraphrasing John 3:16 to read something like this: “For God, who had decided it was time for humans to learn how to get into right standing with Himself, sent his obedient, dutiful Son to serve this purpose and provide a way out of sin by dying on a cross. Jesus showed his love for his Father by gritting his teeth, setting his face like flint and agreeing to serve him in this way.”

My walk with God was not enjoyable, but it was, I thought, commendable-- the honest way I conducted myself; the degree of control I exerted over my emotions and impulses; my faithful attendance at expected meetings and worship times; the amount of service I provided to the group of believers I’d chosen to commit my life to; the dutiful way I took care of my wife and children; all the things I didn’t do that the sinful world around me did. Since I was convinced that by serving God in this way I was fulfilling the 1^st commandment, I felt I was in a very secure place. I was SAFE. The wrath of God could come [at times I even wished it would] but I knew he’d protect me and deliver me into his coming Kingdom without a scratch! Come Lord Jesus!

My attitude towards all other humans was a combination of fear, judgment and confusion. I feared the power of the flesh and the devil with sort of magical thinking. I erroneously believed that the unclean automatically causes the clean to become defiled and so avoided at every turn contact with people who were sin-controlled. This of course left them with an accurate feeling that I thought I was better, more holy than them. At the same time I was honestly confused about how to share the good news since my ‘righteous’ life style precluded intersecting with those who needed to hear the message!

At one point I joined a friend who was going into the County jail and offering a time of worship and scripture study to inmates. After several months, he asked if I wanted to speak to the group. What I discovered coming out of my mouth was not a message of mercy and grace. It was the Pharisaic filth I’d been living under; a mixture of ‘This is how Jesus loved and saved me’, along with ‘and he will love you too but only if you live in such and such a manner.’ Even as I stumbled through what I was trying to say, I felt the Spirit’s heavy presence convicting my heart! ‘Pat your message has no power, because it is not true! I love each of these men in this room, regardless of what they have done. I want them to know me now, today! To experience my mercy and love now is my heart for them. Don’t ever try to tell someone I won’t love them unless…’. So began a journey for me from being the loveless but dutiful ‘older brother’, to a grateful, forgiven, undeserving, rescued prodigal sinner, saved by a loving God who above all longs for my heart to beat with affection and reciprocal love for Him.

Over the next several years the Lord slowly shaped in me a growing compassion for any who don’t yet know the beauty, the joy, the privilege of being part of the Bride of Christ. My constant prayer is that He overshadow my weaknesses (my fear of other’s negative opinion of me if, by following the leading of the Spirit and say or do something that offends) and cause me to partner with Him to extend the presence of his Kingdom (His felt mercy and love along with opportunities to dialogue about his nature).

As I examine scripture, I find there is one people group that often is on God’s heart. In fact, scripture is adamant that we focus our attention on this group with dire consequences if we do not. I believe that we, who know we have an accepting, forgiving Father, a diverse warm family, a love-motivated Bridegroom and powerful gifts from the Spirit of love are called today to look and find Him in these for whom He died. The Spirit is asking us to listen with an ear to discern which area of need mentioned in the following passages He wants us to address, and then to do the part we can.

What is the Spirit saying to you as you read?

Psalm 82:3 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Proverbs 22:16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

Ezekiel 22:28-30 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says’—when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. 30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

Amos 5:4-6, 11-13 4 This is what the LORD says to Israel: Seek me and live; 5 do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. 6 Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. 11 You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

Zechariah 7 Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting 7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the LORD 3 by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” 4 Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’” 8 And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry. 13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate. ’”

Luke 4:17-19 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Matthew 25: 31-45 The Sheep and the Goats 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Did you take time to listen? Will you talk with a trusted friend to consider where the Lord is calling you to start (or continue) to partner with Him? I believe glory awaits you as you do; the glory of seeing God at work in the lives of those around you; the glory your life brings to God as you abandon yourself to flow in gifts he’s given.

How does love contrain us? By Mike Gladieux

II Cor. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ constrains us, for we judge that if One has died for all then are all dead. And that He died for all that they who live should not henceforth live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” It is interesting that Paul says that the love of Christ constrains us. How does His love constrain us? Not by overbearing force, for sure, but by calling us out of ourselves, by wooing us to respond in kind. The purpose of His death was not just that we might be forgiven of our sins, or that we might get into heaven, or be free from the wrath to come, but so that we might walk a saintly walk. The substance of our salvation is sinless holiness. Being forgiven is the first step in that, the entrance into sanctity. The title to heaven and freedom from the wrath to come is what follows such a walk. But being saints is the essence of what He saved us for. When we stand in the light of the cross, in the realization of what a pure and selfless act of love that was, we are called on to respond in a like manner. In the light of the cross our sins are shown up for what they are. Not just our glaring faults, our gross sins, but the secret sympathy with sin that we may hold onto in our hearts. We can no longer indulge ourselves. We cannot fondle our secret resentments, hold grudges, and cling to our own petty selfishnesses. It seems so small to claim the forgiveness of our sins that He has won for us at such a price, but still cherish and prolong the life of the sins in our heart. The love of Christ constrains us to let go of them. In the light of such love we see our failure to love more clearly, and are impelled to respond accordingly.

The result of this meditation on His loving selfless sacrifice is that we must consider ourselves dead to the whole body of our sin. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives within me. And the life that I live in this body I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” He loved me enough to do this for me. He had the faith to do it for me. So nothing in my sinful nature has the right to continue. I am surely dead to sin. I was crucified with Him. So now I do not live for myself, but for Him who died for me. And the wonderful and glorious truth of God that follows: He rose for me as well! The mysterious and wonderful law of selfless love that God revealed to us in Jesus’ cross: When we die for Him we will live forever! Just as He is risen, so we will rise to new life and live with Him forever. “If any man would save his life he will lose it. But he who loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it unto eternal life.”

So the love of Christ constrains us … to holiness that is unfeigned and without hypocrisy, which proceeds from our heart of hearts and is without spot or blemish. The love of Christ constrains us to be holy, to be saints. It calls us on to fully give ourselves. It holds out also within itself the sure promise or a new and better, eternal reward. We see that this reward is contained intrinsically within a life of selfless love, and proceeds out of it according to the wonderful and mysterious law of our loving Father, revealed to us in the death and resurrection of His son.

Out of the light of the cross we can forget how seriously wrong sin is. We forget that we are actually distorting our humanity when we sin. We forget that we are living a sub-human life when we allow it to have dominion over us. “Any man who sins is a slave to sin.” And in forgetting this truth we lose sight of the glorious hope that He holds out to us. We forget how far we have fallen, and so cannot hope for a redemption that is so high and holy. But in the light of the cross we see the true nature of our sins. It cost Him so much to pay for them. They are not small, or insignificant. We cannot look at the price that He had to pay for our sins and ever think that they are not “that bad”. The awful reality of what sin is forces itself upon us inexorably. We cannot excuse our sins; we cannot coddle or indulge ourselves. We cannot deceive ourselves. Not in the light of that love, of the terrible price that He was so willing to pay. “Father if it be possible let this cup pass for me. Yet, not as I will, but as Thou will … Father if I must drink this cup, then Thy will be done.” I recall a brief flashing vision that He granted to me when I was first entering the community. I did not want to give up my old life. It had a hold on me. I saw Him lying on the cross and they were driving the nails in. There were gaping wounds in His hands. He said to me “Mike you’re making it hard on me”. Strangely, there was no guilt or shame that I felt, but a certain realization. I actually dismissed it quite easily … for a while. But I have never forgotten that. It is in fact, a simple but undeniable truth. The love of Christ constrains us to renounce our sins. It impels us to sanctity. It calls us, woos us to sanctity. We are to be holy as He is holy. We are to strive for that holiness without which no man can see God.

Quotes on Prayer

The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.

Jonathan Edwards

  More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend?

Alfred Lord Tennyson

  Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.

E M Bounds

  A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.

Leonard Ravenhill

  Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.

Andrew Murray

  Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time, before you Intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!

Andrew Murray

  Here is the great secret of success, my Christian reader. Work with all your might, but never trust in your work. Pray with all your might for the blessing in God, but work at the same time with all diligence, with all patience, with all perseverance. Pray, then, and work. Work and pray. And still again pray, and then work. And so on, all the days of your life. The result will surely be abundant blessing. Whether you see much fruit or little fruit, such kind of service will be blessed.

George Muller

  Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. If you may have everything by asking in His Name, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is.

Charles Spurgeon

  You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God...This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame.

William Booth

Living Out Loud -- Pat O'Connell

Often when I come to God with deep questions and a pen in my hand; a blank sheet of paper before me, he seems to address my heart’s concerns as I simply begin to write whatever comes to mind. The question on my heart when I recorded the following was, ‘Lord Jesus, why do I fail so often to allow the truth within to influence or be exposed to the reality without?’

Oh, how mighty, how benevolently motivated is the King, your King, Patrick. Your sovereign Lord, your kind, all knowing, all loving, all pure, all perceiving, totally real God. Keep pursuing me as the real, all human/ all God Creator that I am.

Consider what motivates. You’ve read, ‘God is love’; and as you know, Love motivates. So when you are motivated by love, you may be sure that it is I who motivates. Power motivates, greed motivates, control motivates. Fear of injury, fear of ridicule, fear of failure, fear of rejection motivate. Resist/ reject/ renounce [using my name] all sources of motivation except Love. Then stand. Stand, confident in your salvation. Stand in the limited knowledge given, content with the resultant mystery to be revealed at the proper time.

Live out-loud. Be my witness. Haven’t I made my home in you? Don’t you daily surrender to me? Haven’t we shared multiple, marvelous life-giving moments recently? So why won’t you let this light, this ongoing life in you be seen by those around you? Has any part of you bought the liar’s lie that I may be ‘right’ for you but not for another one of my creatures? If so, choose again and stand in the truth found in Acts 4:12… “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Do you disqualify your witness as not pure enough for ‘public display’? Think again. Isn’t it more attractive, more credible when you see my peace, my joy, my enthusiasm, my compassion emanating from someone who has obvious weaknesses and unanswered questions? Someone who readily agrees with Paul’s desire stated in Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Then ask the Father for grace to let your light, the life of Jesus in you shine brightly. Live out-loud!

Who are you pouring out your thoughts to?

Twittering? ? ?As an old-timer (anyone over 50 or 40 or . . .?) I've watched the twittering and texting phenomena with a bit of bewilderment.  What is twittering, what drives people to text or twitter, what do they get out of it?

The who and what are pretty easy.  A twitterer is anyone connected (seemingly constantly!) to the internet sharing what they are doing NOW.  Their thoughts about what they're doing.  What they're thinking, feeling . . .  It seems almost like forever, but first we had email, then the internet followed by Facebook.  We all used to have pure landline phones — hardwired to the phone company.  For those with a need and lots of $$$ there were satellite phones (bulky, expensive to buy, and even more expensive to use).  Finally low-priced cell phones emerged and for many cellphones have now turned out to be cheaper than 'old style' phones.  Cellphones morphed into cellphone/internet devices and the next step seemingly naturally was using the phone for texting and twittering...

What's the attraction? Why, why, why???  Why do people find it so necessary to share so much (everything!!!) about their lives with not only friends but . . . anybody who cares to take the time to look?  Why spend so much time and energy? ? ?  I'm sure that for at least some, it's just because they can.  Am I asking JUST because I'm not with IT  . . . ?

A while ago, I heard a Christian broadcaster speaking about the twittering phenomenon.  They raised the interesting thought that perhaps there is a deeper need/desire to share with friends and others.  Maybe with the crumbling of family life there is some sort of psychological need to reach out and connect to SOME sort of family, even if only an online family.  Perhaps there's an unmet need to find friends and acceptance.  THAT made a certain amount of sense to me and got me thinking about what they were saying.  

Do Christians Tweet? NOT ONLY DID IT MAKE SENSE . . . **BUT** perhaps there was a deeper reason!  Could there be a relationship between twittering and Christianity?

Scripture tells us:           rejoice always, pray constantly,           give thanks in all circumstances,          for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you   (I Thess 5:16-18)

Doesn't that sound just a bit like twittering — with God???   Scripture tells us that as we live our lives we should always practice the presence of God!

Jesus is and/or should be the most important person in our lives.  He cares about us more than anybody else in this world can!   He is always there willing to listen.  He is always there with a kind word and wisdom to help with whatever problem or issue we have to face.  He is always there to rejoice with us in good times and comfort us in bad times.  MOST importantly — what he tells us is always TRUE and exactly just what we need to hear at the moment...

Unbelievably, twittering with God the Father or Jesus or the Holy Spirit requires absolutely NO special equipment.  There are no batteries to run out.  Even those of us who never learned to type or type with so many misspellings that our messages are unintelligible —  the Lord always understands.  Not only does he understand what we're saying — more importantly he KNOWS what we really meant to say!  Typing takes time and for some can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome — twittering with God leads only to peace!  It can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone, at any age…  Twittering with God can be done while driving, at the gas pump, working, washing dishes, setting the table, cooking, in the middle of night in our beds without any need to turn the lights on or to use any electricity or any mechanical device!

I encourage you to try it!!!   Spend some moments twittering — with God.  Fill your empty time twittering — with Jesus!  Twitter away your innermost thoughts and needs — to our loving Father.   Need power to overcome some temptation or for healing?  Twitter your need to the Holy Spirit...

Try it — I'm sure you'll like it.  Better yet — make it a habit!

Count me — all a-twitter for God!

Stephen Lucchetti

IMPACT: 24/7 Prayer in our County

THE VISIONIt can be any day of the week, any time of the day or night. As you walk into the room, the first thing that strikes you is a very tangible presence of the Lord, a presence that is increasingly touching the greater community. The beautiful worship music certainly contributes to the atmosphere as a popular worship chorus is extended to a 15 or 20 minute prophetic song and prayer. About a dozen people are scattered throughout the room either worshiping along with the band, or kneeling in prayer at a seat, or pacing the aisle way, praying. The singers up front alternate with one another, often harmonizing with one another’s spontaneous, prayerful lyrics as the musicians play. Every 15 minutes or so, a prayer leader reads one of the prayers of the Apostle Paul or a Psalm or another portion of scripture, then prays the scripture for the city of Ann Arbor and the region. You join your heart to the prayer and quietly amen each point of the prayer, gripped with a burden to see even a greater measure of the spiritual breakthrough that has already begun to hit this strategic city and region since this prayer meeting began. Today, it is the worship team of one of the area’s Korean churches that is providing the offering of music to the Lord. Yesterday when you came in, it was the worship team of one of the university churches. Last week, it was one of the other community churches that led in song. As the current song comes to a close, you see another team of worship leaders preparing to take over the next two hour shift which will begin the night watch that will go all night. This team consists of “prayer missionaries” and musicians who have come from different parts of the country to focus on praying for the region for 6 months. Your heart swells with joy as you gratefully reflect on the great things God has done in unifying believers and transforming the community since the Intercessory Mission began. You were there when it was just one day each week. Then you were there when it grew to two days, three days, etc.. until today, where this kind of “Harp and Bowl” prayer occurs 24/7!   THE NEED Our community stands out spiritually among others in the region. Unfortunately, it is not in a positive sense. We have everything from abject poverty on one end of the county to idolatrous materialism in another. We have institutions that influence the entire world, but actually influene people away from Christ and holiness. The culture of death, occultism, and an anti-Christ spirit reign. Immorality is rampant, even to the point that some of our fellow pastors have fallen. Other pastors are facing major health, family, or personal battles. Ann Arbor has become known as a “pastor’s graveyard.” The absence of true mega-churches in a community our size is also telling. What is the answer?   Scripture and history point to prayer. If we want to see breakthrough, we will need to radically commit ourselves to prayer.

THE TESTIMONY Bangor, Ireland, in 555 AD, under the leadership of Comgall and Columbanus, night and day worship continued for over 300 years resulting in the thrusting forth of missionaries with apostolic power that touched all of Europe. Clairvaux, France, in 1120 AD, Bernard and 700 monks gathered to pray. This continued 24 hours a day for many years resulting in a dynamic release of the prophetic (from which we get the word clairvoyance) and evangelism across Europe.

Hernhutt, Germany, in 1727 AD, under the leadership of Count Zinzendorf, night and day intercession continued in what became known as “The Hundred Year Prayer Meeting.” For over 120 years, this single prayer meeting continued uninterrupted and birthed the first great world-wide missionary movement. It was through one of these missionaries that John Wesley experienced his conversion and himself initiated Great Awakenings in England and America.

New York, USA, in 1857, Jeremiah Lamphier, a quiet businessman, was appointed by the Dutch Reformed Church as a missionary to the central business district. The church and city were both in decline. He called a prayer meeting in the city to be held at noon each Wednesday. Eventually 5 men showed up. Two weeks later, they moved to a daily schedule of prayer. Within six months, 10,000 men were gathering to pray. This prayer meeting is often pointed to as the beginning of the Second Great Awakening, where famous evangelists such as Charles Finney and others saw over one million new believers won to Christ.

MORE RECENT EXAMPLES Jim Cymbala – Received a word from the Lord in his heart to make the prayer meeting THE priority in his church, The Brooklyn Tabernacle. The church grew from a handful of people to a congregation approaching 10,000 people that has so far planted 17 other churches in New York and across the nation.

Roy Pointer – After extensive research of Baptist churches in the United Kingdom arrived at the conclusion that wherever there was positive growth, there was one recurring factor: they were all praying churches.

David Shibley – When asked to explain how the church in which he worked as Pastor for prayer grew from 13 to 11,000 people in 9 years, he replied, “The evangelistic program of our church is the daily prayer meeting. Every morning, Monday through Friday, we meet at 5:00 AM to pray.”

David Yonghii Cho – Has mandated day and night prayer in his church for over 30 years. His church has become the largest single congregation in the world, and the church in his nation of South Korea has grown from 1.8% to 40.8% of the population in the twentieth century.

THE SCRIPTURAL CALL TO PRAYER "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’” – Mark 11:17 “The core identity of the Church now and in eternity is to be a House of Prayer” – Mike Bickle “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” – Luke 18:7-8 “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” – Isaiah 62:6-7 “ They all joined together constantly in prayer…” – Acts 1:14   I.M.P.A.C.T. Touch the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, and you will touch the world. Local IMPACT will result in international IMPACT. The brightest and the best from all over the world come to this community to study and to work, often returning to their part of the world as leaders in their countries and cultures.

That is why this ministry is called I.M.P.A.C.T. Prayer is the single most powerful force on earth. The I.M. stands for Intercessory Mission. The P.A.C.T. stands for the Pastors’ Alliance for County Transformation: a group of pastors, churches, and ministries that have united together to do whatever it will take to bring transformation to this region. We realize everything begins with prayer. Thus we have I.M.P,A.C.T!

A Practical Approach To Prayer -- Dave Mangan

When approaching the idea of a prayer time, we easily admit that it is important. Yet sometimes the most practical details of life prevent us from actually doing it. Questions like “When and where should I do it?”, “What should I say?”, “How long should it be?” can defeat us if we allow them. To combat this I would like to offer the following practical suggestions. Have a specific time Each day pick a specific time that you plan to meet the Lord and commune with Him.. Remember that God deserves your prime time when you can give Him your full attention. Exactly what time that will be will depend on your circumstances. I would highly recommend praying in the morning before you attack the world (or it attacks you). Of course we want to be conscious of God’s presence at all times of the day, but be sure to have a special time when it’s just you and Him.

How Long? How long your prayer time should be depends on your situation. But I believe that 5 or 10 minutes regularly is better that an hour every once in a while. It’s fine to start small and let it grow into whatever amount of time that you can give regularly.

Location, location, location Try to have a specific place to meet Him each day – a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. For many of us this may not be possible on a regular basis. Don’t let that stop you, take what you can get.

How to begin Begin your prayer by acknowledging God’s presence and praise Him for it, regardless of how you feel at the moment. Remember the Lord has been eagerly awaiting this moment more than you have. He intends to enjoy it. Maybe you can also.

Forgive me ... Spend some time in repentance. Ask the Lord if there is anything between Him and you. If you feel conviction about anything confess it as sin and ask for forgiveness and healing. He is happy to set you free:

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (Mark 1:40,41).

Feed on the Word Read some scripture prayerfully and allow the Lord to speak to you about it. Notice what it says. Compare your life to it. Then consider how what you can change to apply it to your life. We need to be formed by His word.

Listen Take some time to just be quiet in His presence and adore Him. Let Him speak to you.

Bring your cares to Him Bring your requests before Him. Intercede for others.

Back to praise As your time of prayer draws to a close praise Him all the more. By this time we should be able to praise Him even better than we did at the beginning.

Record His word Keep a notebook handy as you pray to record what the Lord may have said to you. You can also jot down the lessons you have learned or insights you have gained. Don’t trust your memory.

It is blessed to give Share what you are learning with someone. There is a great blessing in sharing.

One final practical suggestion I would share is don’t become a slave to practical suggestions.! The things I have shared here are good practices that can support a strong prayer life. A list like this can also be intimidating. Do what you can in your life circumstances and don’t feel bad about. Don’t evaluate it. Just do it. The approach that is described in this list is certainly not the only way to proceed or even the best way for you. I offer these suggestions as possible things that can help to jumpstart a stalled prayer life – and we all seem to stall at times.

Our life with Jesus is supposed to be dynamic and full of surprises. The problem is we have formed some bad habits that do not allow Him to act freely. Some structures, rightly applied, can help us break these habits so that Jesus might break through into our lives, and we might truly know the freedom of the children of God!

More: Problems In Prayer

Praying Is As Important as Breathing (1) -- Dave Mangan

One of the most important vehicles in maintaining any healthy relationship is communication. In our relationship with Jesus it is no different. Obviously then, prayer is an extremely important facet of our lives. We do this, not to keep God up to date or to keep Him on the ball, but rather, to grow in our relationship with Him and to be available to Him. This being the case, prayer deserves a lot of effort on our part. Even though we can all concede the importance of prayer, we also can easily confess great difficulty in doing it. Often these difficulties can get us to the point where we accept a very poor prayer life, or at least a lot less than what God wants for us.

His highest willingness Perhaps the first step in overcoming these difficulties is realizing that our attitude toward prayer may be wrong. Sometimes we can view God as someone who has laid an obstacle course before us, and if we successfully navigate it we get to speak with Him. But this attitude negates the very act of Jesus’ death and resurrection that gave us free access to the Father. I once heard Dr. Robert Cooke express this very well. He said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of His highest willingness.”

We could start then by asking the Lord to reveal to us any poor attitudes that we may have. And then we can ask Him for the grace to let them go. We need to realize that prayer is one of the most exciting things we can do. I realize that it doesn’t often feel like that. I know that is the case for me. But that doesn’t change the truth – when we are praying we have the ear of the Master of the Universe! Any problems are on our part. We need to give Him our ear as well.

Necessary for survival It could be the case that we don’t value prayer enough. I’m sure if someone were to ask us if prayer is important we would all give the correct answer. But do our actions betray us? In reality, prayer is not just a Christian accessory, it is necessary for our survival.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.” The word “keep” here does not mean “keep” in the sense of being possessive. Rather it refers to keeping a garden, making sure that all is well and that life is coming forth. Being an active participant in our life with God is the only sure way of bringing forth real life in us, for it all comes from Him.

In short, we need to pray. If you find that your prayer life is poor, don’t give up. A poor prayer life is better than no prayer life. Just let it be a springboard to a better prayer life – step by step. Let us ask the Lord to help us and to bring us to the point that we can see that praying (however much time we spend doing it) is as important as breathing.

More -- A Practical Approach To Prayer

A Practical Approach To Prayer (2)-- Dave Mangan

When approaching the idea of a prayer time, we easily admit that it is important. Yet sometimes the most practical details of life prevent us from actually doing it. Questions like “When and where should I do it?”, “What should I say?”, “How long should it be?” can defeat us if we allow them. To combat this I would like to offer the following practical suggestions. Have a specific time Each day pick a specific time that you plan to meet the Lord and commune with Him.. Remember that God deserves your prime time when you can give Him your full attention. Exactly what time that will be will depend on your circumstances. I would highly recommend praying in the morning before you attack the world (or it attacks you). Of course we want to be conscious of God’s presence at all times of the day, but be sure to have a special time when it’s just you and Him.

How Long? How long your prayer time should be depends on your situation. But I believe that 5 or 10 minutes regularly is better that an hour every once in a while. It’s fine to start small and let it grow into whatever amount of time that you can give regularly.

Location, location, location Try to have a specific place to meet Him each day – a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. For many of us this may not be possible on a regular basis. Don’t let that stop you, take what you can get.

How to begin Begin your prayer by acknowledging God’s presence and praise Him for it, regardless of how you feel at the moment. Remember the Lord has been eagerly awaiting this moment more than you have. He intends to enjoy it. Maybe you can also.

Forgive me ... Spend some time in repentance. Ask the Lord if there is anything between Him and you. If you feel conviction about anything confess it as sin and ask for forgiveness and healing. He is happy to set you free:

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (Mark 1:40,41).

Feed on the Word Read some scripture prayerfully and allow the Lord to speak to you about it. Notice what it says. Compare your life to it. Then consider how what you can change to apply it to your life. We need to be formed by His word.

Listen Take some time to just be quiet in His presence and adore Him. Let Him speak to you.

Bring your cares to Him Bring your requests before Him. Intercede for others.

Back to praise As your time of prayer draws to a close praise Him all the more. By this time we should be able to praise Him even better than we did at the beginning.

Record His word Keep a notebook handy as you pray to record what the Lord may have said to you. You can also jot down the lessons you have learned or insights you have gained. Don’t trust your memory.

It is blessed to give Share what you are learning with someone. There is a great blessing in sharing.

One final practical suggestion I would share is don’t become a slave to practical suggestions.! The things I have shared here are good practices that can support a strong prayer life. A list like this can also be intimidating. Do what you can in your life circumstances and don’t feel bad about. Don’t evaluate it. Just do it. The approach that is described in this list is certainly not the only way to proceed or even the best way for you. I offer these suggestions as possible things that can help to jumpstart a stalled prayer life – and we all seem to stall at times.

Our life with Jesus is supposed to be dynamic and full of surprises. The problem is we have formed some bad habits that do not allow Him to act freely. Some structures, rightly applied, can help us break these habits so that Jesus might break through into our lives, and we might truly know the freedom of the children of God!

More: Problems In Prayer

Problems In Prayer (3) -- Dave Mangan

As we begin to develop a life of prayer we will have many fulfilling and exciting times with the Lord. Jesus is leading us into an adventurous relationship with the Father. But it is also the case that every Christian I know or have read about confesses to having great difficulties at times. The most common problem in prayer is dryness. It’s like a desert here Dryness is that experience in prayer when you feel you’re not getting anywhere. It feels like God is very far away and your prayer doesn’t seem to be accomplishing anything. Perhaps you used to be able to pray with great freedom for an hour and the time passed quickly. Now praying for fifteen minutes is just hard work. Your attention span is very short and you are distracted very easily. You will start out trying to pray very fervently and end up very quickly thinking about the strangest things and you’re not sure how you got there. In the midst of it all, these difficulties seem insurmountable. But if we are able to respond well to this challenge, the very problems we encounter can lead us into an even more fulfilling relationship with God.

When going through these difficult periods in prayer we are met with various temptations. The most common one for me is “I’ll do it later.” But, of course, later comes and goes away, and so does prayer. Another excuse is “I’m too busy and besides my whole life is a prayer.” That sounds very good, and indeed, our whole life should be a prayer. But if we use that as an excuse it’s like saying that my whole life is a marriage so I don’t need to have time with my spouse. Another temptation is to say, “I don’t want to be a phony. God

will know my heart isn’t in it.” To that I would say who really is the phony? Is it the person who is disciplined enough to not be a slave to his emotions and to pursue that which he knows to be the correct course? Or is it the one who lets his feelings and outside circumstances determine what he does? Remember a disciple is one who is disciplined.

Lord, teach us to pray Now that we have stated the problem what can we do about it? I would suggest that you pray and ask Jesus to teach you to pray. This has become a regular prayer of mine and I suppose it always will be. Don’t stop here though; give Him something to work with. Remember that Jesus fed 5,000 people with only a few loaves and some fish. You may not have much but give Him what you have – time. At this point it’s easy to say “I don’t have any time!” It is, therefore, essential to DECIDE that prayer is important enough to do. Then make time. Arrange your day around it.

How much time? This answer to this question will vary depending on your life situation. Keep in mind that a little done faithfully is better than a lot done very seldom. As an example, let’s take 30 minutes. You may end up taking a longer or a shorter time. When faced with 30 minutes (or any amount) to spend in prayer, it seems very long when you’re already having a difficult time praying. But look at it this way. Could you spend 5 minutes praising and thanking God? That sounds easy. Then how about 5 minutes repenting from your sins and asking the Lord’s forgiveness. Could you do that? Sure. Now we may not be the best readers in the world but I’ll bet we all could read some

scripture meditatively for 10 minutes. And with all of our problems and those we are aware that others have, we could spend 5 minutes interceding. Finally, if we would take 5 more minutes in praise and thanksgiving, we would have just spent a ½ hour in prayer. When viewed from this perspective it hardly seems long at all. You can shorten or lengthen these example times depending on what amount of time you want to start with. If we could gradually increase the time for each phase of our prayer, we could grow it to where we want it to be.

Done with drooping Some people may not like the idea of structuring prayer like this, but if something is drooping don’t be afraid to prop it up. But try to not get locked into a particular structure. When your drooping prayer life is standing tall, don’t be afraid to remove the structure and, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, give it a new and more life- giving structure. Problems in prayer are, in a sense not really problems. Rather, they are an opportunities to grow in discipline, maturity, and prayer.

Healing of Vision -- Steve Thomashefski

Sometime during the months of September and October of 2003, I noticed that the vision in my right eye seemed to be progressively getting worse. I saw Dr. Gary Moss on the 14^th of October to have my eye checked. Having seen him in January of 2003, he asked why I was back so soon and I gave him the explanation. He told me in January the vision in my right eye was 20/60 and the vision in my left eye was 20/70.

After the eye exam he said something like this: “In 20 + years of practicing optometry I have never seen anything like this. Your right eye is still 20/60-70 but your left eye is 20/25! That’s like 5 lines on the chart!

He proceeded, at no charge to me, to look at and test the 3 factors that determine vision:

     1.   the depth of the eyeball;      2.   the shape of the eyeball;      3.   the condition of the lens.

The depth and shape of the eyeball (which he measured) were the same as they were for as long as I’ve been his patient. He did not have the equipment to measure the lens but after a ‘visual inspection’ he said he could see no difference from previous exams. As a scientist, he had no explanation for how my vision improved so radically!

Glory to God who “gives sight to the blind”! In part I feel like the Lord is doing in the “natural” while at the same time He is also sharpening and clarifying my vision of the “supernatural” 

Thank You Lord Jesus!

Healing Of My Back -- Betty Brice

We had gone through the Life in the Spirit Seminar and this was the evening we were to be prayed with to receive the Holy Spirit and whatever gifts the Spirit had for us. When the time came, my back hurt so much that I couldn't concentrate on what was going on.  I had injured it many years before and, because it was the vertebrae where the nerves went through to my arms, etc., it never healed properly.  I eventually had had to have carpal tunnel surgery in both wrists, but even then the symptoms weren't completely alleviated. It would be okay for a while, but with use, the pain would return and continued to get worse and worse until I had to have a series of traction treatments. I prayed a lot for healing, without success, or so it seemed. My husband and I went on the weekend, which was held at a Camp Fire Girls Camp some­place north of Linden. It was a beautiful wooded setting. There were several bunk houses, a large dining hall, the two story building where the meetings took place, and probably other buildings as well. The meetings took place on the upper floor and the lower level had the rest rooms, prayer room, and other rooms that we did not use.

During one of the talks, I went down to the rest room. On the way back up, a man that I didn't know was coming down and I heard the Lord say to me, "Ask him to pray for you." There was a little alcove halfway up where the stairs turned, so I waited there for this man to come back up. When I told him about my back and that I had heard the Lord tell me to ask him to pray for me, he said that he would get his wife. The couple introduced themselves as David and Elizabeth Rocha and they did pray for me. (They were the heads of the men's and women's group that Doug and I were later assigned to.) Nothing happened at that time and I guess I was a little disappointed.

That evening, it was announced that there was a prayer room and if anyone wanted or needed prayer they were to go there. The lady in charge of the small group that I had been assigned to, seemed concerned about me. She wanted to make sure that I had received the gift of tongues and whatever other gifts the Lord had for me. She suggested that we go over to the prayer room.

When we got there, the atmosphere of the prayer room was so thick that I had difficulty going into the room. I had to force myself to go in and then went just inside the door. There were a lot of people already there and I could see a glow down at the end of the room. It was not from a lamp and I wondered about it. (Much later, I realized that the glow was the shekina [spelling?] glory and that the thick atmosphere I had experienced was the manifest presence of the Lord.)

I sat in a chair near the door, with my back to the rest of the room, and several people gathered around me to pray for me. As they were praying, I found myself praying and entreating the Lord to heal my back. The room seemed really warm and I starting feeling something like tingles going up and down my back on both sides of my spine. It lasted for about ten minutes and all the pain went away and it never really came back. For awhile, my back would get painful, but after resting, the pain would go away. Eventually, my upper back quit hurting altogether. The vertebrae that had been injured was sore for a long time, but even the soreness went away over time.

Unfortunately, I never told anyone about it. Even now, I am sure that Dave and Elizabeth would like to know that they were God's instruments on that weekend.

Healing Of Congestive Heart Failure -- Betty Brice

In 1989 I had been diagnosed with a large lymphoma cancer which had intruded into the liver.  I had some strong chemotherapy treatment and, after that treatment, radiation.  The chemotherapy drugs apparently damaged my heart.  I had to have a pacemaker installed in 1993 and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1994.  In the fall of 1994, 1 had to have surgery.  The surgeon apparently did not give me enough medication to take care of fluid retention because a day or so after the surgery I had a very scary experience with congestive heart failure.  I was put on drugs to help my heart pump blood, and tried to be very careful about excess salt, etc., but periodically I would have to go to emergency to make sure the symptoms I was experiencing at the time weren't related to my heart. My cardiologist had left the practice and I had been assigned to another cardiologist whom I seldom saw.  At one point I was admitted to the chest pain clinic overnight and wasn't to be released until a cardiologist checked me over.  This doctor seemed energetic, well versed in his medical field and he invited me to sign up to be his client.  I felt frustrated with my situation and decided that I would like to see him.  I checked with my primary doctor and, since it was okay with him, made an appointment with this cardiologist.  I had to wait two months to see him and, before seeing him, I had to have an adenosine thallium stress test (which is a drug-induced stress test).

One Sunday near my appointment with this cardiologist, Sr. Ann Shields gave a testimony at the Word of God prayer meeting.  She said that someone had told her, several years earlier, that she should be praying with people for healing.  She did start praying in this manner but became very frustrated and discouraged because nothing ever happened.  Then one day, a man came up to her and asked her to pray for his healing and he was healed. She was very excited about it.

I had become very discouraged about the condition of my heart and had been praying that the Lord would heal the congestive heart failure.  As Ann Shields walked back to her seat, she went right past me and I quickly asked her to pray for my heart.  Sr. Ann laid her hand over my heart and prayed, "Lord, heal her heart" and went on her way. Truthfully, I did not experience anything. As far as I knew, my heart was still the same.

The following Friday, I had the adenosine thallium stress test. Then, the Monday after the test, I had an appointment with this cardiologist.  He came striding into the examining room with my file, which was about 1½ in. thick, and said, "Well, the good news is that your heart is normal." Then he started looking through the file. He seemed more and more perplexed and said, "There seems to be some wrong information in here." He said this several more times as he looked through the file. Finally, I said, "I think that the Lord has healed my heart." His response was, "Wel l l l l l l l, the good news is that your heart is normal. That test is very accurate and you can depend upon it." It took him 2 months to send a report to my doctor and then the report only showed what my heart was like before the test and what it was like after the test. There was no explanation of what had happened or why it had happened.

I saw this cardiologist once more several months later. He said, "We don't know what happened. Maybe your heart healed itself, or maybe the medication gave it time to heal, or maybe the medication itself healed it, or maybe it was God. The good news is that your heart is normal." Then he discharged me, but said they would keep my records of file and that I could come back to see him if I ever needed to.

Since that time, my doctor keeps track of my heart and lungs and there have been no sign of the congestive heart failure returning. I recognize that I have to be careful with salt and my diet, but there has been no sign of the congestive heart failure even though the condition of my heart has worsened and is now dependent upon medication and the grace of God to keep pumping. I was told that there is nothing anyone can do about it, other than medication, since it was damaged by the chemotherapy.

Betty Brice     September 18, 2003

Who Will Help Me -- Joan O'Connell

Have you ever been in a situation where you realized you were “over your head” with challenge, but didn’t know who to ask to help? Or what to ask for?  Several years ago, a friend with whom I was talking about challenges surrounding me as Director of the Christian Dance Network, encouraged me to get some prayer covering:  for me, personally, in addition to the ministry’s activities.  New idea to me, but it sounded right.  Gradually, I introduced the concept to various friends, as the Lord seemed to lead.  One by one, they agreed to pray for me.  Now, there is a small army of intercessors to whom I email periodic updates.  I try not to “blog” to them.  I send them prayer requests and occasionally, celebrations of answered prayer. 

Hearing and acting I feel I can call on them any time; I know they will be there, hear my cry for help, and back me up with prayer.  Since it’s an email relationship at this point, I can send a message day or night; they’ll receive and respond to my request when they get it.  [I trust that God can handle the potential time and space discrepancies.]

I had pre-requested prayers from my intercessors concerning a scheduled “procedure” my husband Patrick had done over Christmas vacation.  As Patrick purposefully hadn’t told many people about the surgery, I was cryptic.  The morning after the surgery, I wrote the following report, using the computer in the hospital ward “family room”:

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 4:02 PM Subject: Pat's doing well. Yea... Hey, all ~

THANK YOU for your prayers!

I left Patrick around 9pm at St Joe's - sitting up, chomping on a popsicle, pain level about a 1, and ready to snooze.  His nurse/techs were taking good care of him. He'll probably spend two nights in the hospital, so he'll be home for Christmas!

It was a long day!  Mostly because of simple issues like housekeeping, falling behind in room prep.  Pat was in the recovery room for about 4.5 hours --prolonged time, mainly because of the rooms upstairs not being ready for the number of people coming out of the OR.

Eventually, they let me go hang out with him in the recovery room (not normal, apparently).  We passed the time by my reading The Last Battle, C S Lewis. Thanks for your prayers.  All is well. Doc said there were "no surprises." That sounds like good news to me.

Bless the Lord. Blessings, Joan OC

That was written in the morning of the “recovery day.” We were told he could leave that afternoon.  But, four hours later, the recovery process began to get complicated. I felt the stress of wanting support, but not knowing where to turn.  After all, Pat wasn’t sharing widely about this situation.  So, to whom could I make my needs/Pat’s needs known?   Like others, our parents are no longer in the picture.  Our sibling relationships, if under reconstruction, are still loosely defined.  One “doesn’t want to worry the children…”

Asking for help Ironic, isn’t it?  We live in a virtual community of perhaps as many as 1000 committed, caring, praying Christians, but when the heat is on, I flounder. Who can I call? Where can I go?  Who will help?  I encouraged Patrick to phone his sharing partner/our friend Phil Tiews to give him an update.  Feeling the need for support for myself, I went down the hall, fired up the ‘family room’ computer and wrote this note to my prayer buddies.  I was no longer cryptic.  We needed back-up.

Sent: Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 8:32 PM

Subject: Hi Folks.

Actually, things turned this afternoon. We're still in hospital.

Now we need

wisdom for the doctor: shall we return to the Operating Room or wait it out?

stop the bleeding (is it bleeding or is it clots remainders?)

dissolve the clots from the operation, so that the "pee" can flow freely!

AMEN.

THANKS, all,

Bless you, Joan

I'm staying in hospital tonight.  Too much excitement to go home and the weather is lousy as well.

Bless you, Joan

Describing the effect for me of knowing that some praying people out there knew of our situation would include words like: relief, comfort, feeling “you are not alone,” strength, endurance, grace.  We did wind up in the OR again late that evening, both of us returning to Patrick’s room, where I spent the night, following the second surgery.

Practical assurance  The next day, our daughter, freshly in from Chicago for the holidays, and I were sitting with Patrick in room 314.  Phil Tiews came by and visited. After initial howdy-do’s, he walked the seeming mile to the hospital coffee shop procuring for us some ‘real’ coffee and a cinnamon roll for which everybody had declined interest, but which was subsequently consumed with enthusiasm.  The visit was reassuring.  Strengthening.  A few days later, helping bridge the gap between hospital time and home time, Barb Tiews prepared and delivered to us a simple meal from her Christmas fare. Our neighbor also brought us some homemade soup.  So practical; so helpful. Did we “need” a meal?  Perhaps we could have managed. Was it loving, kind, appreciated?  You betcha

Prompts I remember when I was in junior high school, I developed a serious case of pneumonia. I was out of school, in bed, for at least 3 weeks.  One of my fondest memories of that dreary, uncomfortable time was brief glimpse of normal life that I had when a friend came by to bring me my homework.  Although I was essentially quarantined, by parents’ orders, my friend was allowed to peek into my room and say hi.  Standing in the doorway, she looked so incredibly healthy!!  Her health gave me hope and vision for what a return to normal could mean. Strength, vigor, good color.  Quite a contrast to my status, but so refreshing.

We live in the midst of a people of faith, prayer and real life adventures.  How can we “be there” for one another?  As the Holy Spirit prompts us?  “Joan, why not give ___ a call?”  Or, “Might  __’s mom would appreciate a leave-the-house break during his nap tomorrow?” 

Does the Holy Spirit prompt you to action sometimes, according to your uniqueness?  What if we responded to those prompts more frequently?  Simple acts of kindness, extended in love, by the grace and at the urging of our Lord.  How glorious!  Amen.

As we age, wrestle with child-raising issues, encounter illness and set-backs, challenges of work or lack thereof, I pray that we’ll be attentive to the still small voice of God whispering and equipping us to reach out to one another in the simplest ways, strengthening the fabric of our life together, one cup of soup, visit, phone call, shared meal, greeting card at a time.  

[PS- Patrick is doing great now, thank you.J]

Jesus' Teaching About Answered Prayer -- Marsha Williamson

One of Jesus’ most frequent promises in the Gospels is that God will answer prayers.  Unfortunately, many Christians have lost faith in that promise and approach prayer as a means to inner peace, but not as something that will change anything.  Prayer becomes a religious exercise in “a-wishin’ and a-hopin’.” Sometimes the texts on prayer have become too familiar to us or we didn’t receive what we prayed for, so we can overlook or discount this promise.  Jesus taught some principles about prayer that are worth revisiting.

The Importance of Asking James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”  Not asking is a fairly sure way of not getting an answer.

Matthew 7:7-8 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

 He is saying the exact same thing twice, so he must really mean it.

The Manner in Which to Ask Ask confidently. We can have confidence because God is our Father, He loves us, and He wants to give us good things.  In John 16:27 Jesus explains WHY God loves us: “the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”  We have favor with God because we have accepted His Son, so He is glad to move on our behalf because that, in turn, glorifies Jesus. (Even evil people return favors.)

Be Persistent. Jesus tells the story in Luke 11:5-8 of the man who asked his friend at midnight for some bread and kept knocking until his friend got rid of him by giving him some bread.  In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells about the widow who persisted with the unjust judge until she got what she wanted.  (Those of us who have had small children know that their persistence often gets them what they want, so we can understand the dynamic here!)

Is Jesus saying we should pester God, until we wear him out?  No.  The sleeping friend/unjust judge are not symbols of God but of obstacles to getting our answers.  We need to persist because there can be spiritual blocks involved—in us, in others, or even in the heavenlies (see Daniel 10:12-13)—and persistent prayer allows God to deal with those blocks.  Do we need to understand the blocks?  Nope.  Jesus says nothing about “discovering and analyzing blocks” to get our prayers answered—he just says that OUR part is to be persistent. (If God wants us to know about any blocks, he will tell us.)

The Importance of Faith for Prayer Jesus corrected the disciples about their faith more than anything else. Correcting them for unbelief indicates that faith is something we can choose to exercise.  It is not just a feeling but a choice to believe God and his word, despite contrary data and pressures.  We need to persist not only in asking but also in believing, repeating, and confessing his promise.

Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 11:22-24, "Have faith in God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.   Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Again, Jesus makes his point twice.

We should ask God, then thank Him, then choose to believe for as long as it takes to get our answer.  (If we stop, then we are exercising a belief that nothing will happen.)

Two Main Reasons Prayer Is Not Answered “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly” (James 4:3).  If we follow Jesus’ guideline about persistent prayer but there is something wrong in what we are asking for, God will move in and adjust our prayer to make it a correct prayer.  When we are in a state of “persisting,” God can grab a hold of us because praying gives Him access to us. Therefore, asking somewhat wrongly at the outset does not have to become a block to getting our prayers answered.

“Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).  This is, I think, how most Christians fail to get their answers.  After a week, a few months, a few years, we all get tired, so it’s easy to throw in the towel and then sputter something about not understanding God’s mysterious ways and promises.  Please note that in the promises listed above, God never says WHEN He will answer the prayer—He just promises that He WILL.   Remember Monica who prayed for the conversion of her son Augustine for twenty years?  We all know how that ended. 

Conclusion According to what Jesus says about prayer and our role in it, Christians should expect ALL their prayers (or adjusted prayers) to be answered sooner or later—and I don’t mean that namby-pamby cop-out “Yeah, God answered and said no.”  George Muller, who ran an orphanage in England, kept a column in a journal of what he prayed and another column for answers.  His “answered” columns are proof the promise is true. 

He did pray, however, for the salvation of two friends for over twenty years but died without seeing that happen--you know, “unanswered prayer.”  At Muller’s funeral, one of the men gave his life to the Lord, and the other did so on his deathbed.  Muller got his prayers answered AFTER he died.  How cool is that? Remember, God didn’t say WHEN He would answer—just that He WOULD answer.  Try a journal with two columns for a few weeks and see what happens.

Pray, Don't Give Up -- Phil Tiews

¹Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ²He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. ³And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”   Luke 18:1-8

I’m not sure this is most folk’s favorite saying of Jesus.  Personally I prefer, ‘You may ask me for anything in my name, and — BAM — I will do it.’ (Jn 14:14 - sound effects supplied by me!)  By fallen nature we long for instant gratification and our culture reinforces this at every turn.  Even in the passage from Luke, Jesus says that God ‘will see that they get justice, and quickly.’  And yet that is the punch line for a parable which he tells ‘to show them that they should always pray and not give up’!

The widow in the story is sometimes described as ‘importune’.  That is an old fashioned word which means to ask insistently and repeatedly, or as the judge says, ‘to wear me out with her coming’.

What is the mathematics of prayer? In Matthew 18 Jesus tells his disciples that ‘if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.’ (Mt 18:19)  In 2 Chron 7:14 God tells us, ‘if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’  So which is it?  Just 2 of us or do we have to get the whole people to pray?  So how long is it?  Ask and it is done or pray and never give up?

I want to know the formula because I want results, and I want them with the least investment possible!  (Feel free to join in on True Confessions whenever you like!)  I like to find a bargain at the store or on the internet or at a garage sale — the thing I really wanted for less than I thought I would have to pay for it.  The same is true when it comes to prayer.  I want to see results, but I don’t want to have to pay more than absolutely necessary.  How about just finding one other person and we take a moment and ask in Jesus’ name?  Done!

Wanting what God wants God wants results, too.  And He will have them, even ‘quickly’.  My problem is that God looks for different results than I do.  I want health, provision, someone’s problems solved, a successful event, lots of people to respond, and on and on.  God wants people — people who are conformed to His Son, prepared as His Bride, united with Him forever.  This beautiful world, which He made and considers good, and everything about it, which so dominate our thoughts, is a tool and a workshop for achieving His goals.  He is going to toss it away eventually and provide a new one.  People are the only part of it made to last forever, and we are the object of His heart and His works.

I am tempted to look at prayer as a way to get a little supernatural help to deal with the things which press on me or which I desire.  For God, prayer is a way to work out His purpose of conforming me to, preparing me for, uniting me with His Son.  In the process of praying He changes my heart to be like His, He aligns my life with His purposes, He brings me to look at His face and not just the works of His hands, He reveals His power, and so much more.

More love, more power I am convinced that God wants us to walk in a lot more power and to see a lot more ‘signs and wonders’ than we do now.  This is simply because He intends the Body of Christ on the earth to more faithfully manifest the life and ministry of Christ!  He is the King and brings His reign, and when He does things happen!  I am also convinced that He is committed to His purposes IN us, as well as THROUGH us.  So, sometimes we will see immediate answers to prayer, sometimes we will have to persevere, sometimes He will heed the cry of 2 or 3, sometimes He will wait until many hearts are united.

What, then, should we do?  Pray, and then pray some more!  Pray with our faces turned toward Him and our ears open to His voice.  Pray for the things on His heart and which He has placed on ours.  Pray with warring and as well as waiting.  And this advice coming from someone who struggles to pray!

It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that ‘apart from Jesus we can do nothing’, but also that He wants us to do lots!  The key to community health and fruitfulness—prayer.  The key to ongoing effective NextGeneration outreach—prayer.  The key to Christian unity and transformation in the County—prayer.  The key to our conformation to Christ and entering into Bridal partnership with Him—you guessed it — prayer.  Not prayer as a technique but as living connection to the living God.  Jesus wants to us ‘pray and never give up’ so that we see His kingdom come quickly.

Importunity is important!            

A Prayerful Attitude -- Dave Mangan

When approaching prayer (or anything else for that matter), it is good to ask the question “Why?”  “Why am I doing this?”  “What is it supposed to accomplish in my life.” As I see it, one of the primary goals of all prayer is a changed life.  If our prayer does not affect our life then something is wrong.  After all, we do not spend time in prayer to change God or form Him, but rather, that He might change us and form us.  If this is indeed being done, we should expect to see our prayer time with the Lord spilling over into the other areas of our life.  Granted, this may take some time and we need to be patient, but it should happen.

One of the dangers, though, of having a specific prayer time each day is confining our awareness of God to that time alone.  It is easy to adopt the attitude that we have put our time in with the Lord and now we are free to do as we please.  But what we should be hungering for is the renewed mind that Paul speaks of in Romans 12:2.  We need to grow continually in our awareness of God’s presence in all the areas of our life.  As we do this we will find that we are much more able to do all things as “unto the Lord ( Col. 3:23).”

In this regard I believe that the gift of tongues is especially helpful.  When praying in tongues we do not need to bring our full attention to our prayer.  Thus, we can still give our attention to the task at hand, and yet unite ourselves to the Lord of All in active prayer.  It would be good for us to pray in tongues often – not necessarily aloud though depending on the situation.  As I have grown in praying in tongues I am finding that when I shift gears – like finishing a conversation and walking away, for example – my first inclination is to pray in tongues.   I must admit that I have embarrassed myself a few times when doing this.

A silent awareness of God’s presence is also desirable.  Our Father has chosen to unite Himself with us through Jesus by the action of the Holy Spirit.  So every action we perform, from formal prayer to taking out the garbage, is done in His presence.  As we become more and more aware of this, praise and adoration will become a way of life for us.  When I speak of an awareness of the Lord’s presence I am not necessarily meaning that we feel it.  As we know our feelings ebb and flow.  They are not always reliable.  What I mean can be described by something Bert Ghezzi often said: “I just know it with my ‘knower.’” As a married man I know that I am in union with my wife Barbara, regardless of how I am feeling at the time.  It’s the same way with the Lord.  As we grow in faith we just “know.”  It always seems to come down to faith, doesn’t it?

Let us not brand any of this as too difficult or impossible to achieve.  Jesus suffered, died, rose, and ascended so that it could happen.  It takes a lot of grace but He is generous with an abundant supply.  May we let Him have His way!