Dear First Pres,
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Did you remember? If you didn’t remember, there is no need to panic; you can simply take some time this evening to lift up our country and world to the Lord in prayer. I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer lately. I’m convinced that one of the reasons we don’t pray more often is because we don’t expect much from God. Some of us expect more from ourselves than we do from the Lord; we just hope that God keeps us healthy and safe so that we can keep doing our thing. I imagine it’s the result of our rugged individualism – that “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” attitude. When we expect so little from God, and so much from ourselves, our prayers can turn into just another activity that good Christians are expected to do.
Of course, prayer can be so much more than that. Prayer can be the way we listen to God. Prayer can be the way we trust in the Lord. Prayer can be the way we grow in faith. Prayer can be the way that God changes our hearts toward others. Prayer can be the way we expect more from God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer than we expect from ourselves the created, redeemed, and sustained.
Therefore, let’s be a praying people. Let’s be listening to the Lord in prayer; let’s be people who, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Let’s be people who “ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to end out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). Let’s be people who “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17).
One of the ways that we can be praying together is by gathering at 6:30 a.m. on Friday mornings in the Commons. I know that there are many who cannot make it at that time, but I encourage all who can to attend.
Beloved, may we expect great things from our God. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
Blessings,
We put a bunch more faith in ourselves than we do in the Lord.
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