Prayer
April 19th, 2010 by Todd JohnsonFollowing Sunday’s sermon on prayer, I was approached with the request to end this week of concerted prayer with a 24 hour period of continuous prayer. There’s no way in the world that I’m going to discourage such a request.
So on Saturday April 24th from 8:00 AM until 8:00 AM on Sunday the 25th, all that would like to participate can come at anytime and spend an hour in prayer. There is a room next to the Commons Bookstore on the Church grounds.. and you will find at least one person in there at all times over the 24 hours.
I’m encouraged with the response to Sunday’s message.. and I’m anticipating God to respond to His praying people in ways that are going to amaze us!!!
You can find more information on the City, our church’s online network.
Come and pray ..
“The power of prayer has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!’”
- J. Hudson Taylor
Anticipating a move of God in our hearts!
Sunday morning, I was leaving church after 2nd service when I called Mrs. Action (unable to attend, anticipating listening to the morning’s service later online) when she asked the simple question- “how was the study?” I responded, “Ummmmm….”
We know what to expect from Crossroads Church as far as sound and effective Bible teaching (which is why Crossroads draws congregants from a 50+ mile radius multiple times each week). Sunday morning’s sermon was no different. However, I drove away with the thought that, even more than usual, THAT study was only as good as the response I have in my daily approach to prayer. The pastor did his part to prepare, pray and preach that sermon- but that particular study is only as good/effective as WE (the hearers) make it in our everyday lives. The normal responses to a service at Crossroads just don’t seem to suffice to sum up this past Sunday’s study- “It was convicting/I was blessed by it/I had never really thought of that subject that way/He really brought out of that passage things I hadn’t seen before” all apply to Sunday morning- but I think those statements pale in light of my personal response from Monday to Saturday to that study.
So I answered Mrs. Action, “You just have to listen to it. It was as good as we make it. The pastor did HIS part, but the true quality of that study is completely dependent on us.”
TJ- sorry for the rant. I’m taking you up on your challenge tho.
Well said, Mr. Action.
Looking forward to the 24-hour prayer time.
Thanks Todd for not backing down on this one…I was convicted, encouraged, and also reminded of the powerful weapon I have the privilege to wield, yet more often than not it is kept safely inactive in its sheath. On my knees is the most violent posture I can take against the sin in my own heart. And as you said everything within and without is fighting to keep me from it, making it all the more evident that is where I need to be. Let the violence ensue!
Owen – WELL SAID!!!
“On my knees is the most violent posture I can take against the sin in my own heart” …
I like that!!!
Good comments, Brothers.
Yes, thank you for the challenge to, not only pray, but to do it on our knees. I know there’s danger in posturing a certain way. Our stupid, evil hearts may think by doing something physical we’re “working” for God’s favor, or only doing “outward” rituals, when God wants the heart.
But, we’re not disembodied spirits! What we do with our flesh reveals and sometimes can influence our hearts. We shake-hands, wink, smile, hug, kiss, salute, to make a statement to ourselves and others what is inside us.
To lower our heads, and get on our knees expresses that we are lower, that we are approaching Someone great. It reminds our flesh and our hearts of who we are and Who He is.
To be honest, I hadn’t been on my knees for a while, and it’s been good to remember this.
What they all said.
My first reaction to Todd’s challenge on Sun. was, EXCITEMENT!!! Thinking how many of us would do it, and the wonderful results we are going to have from praying like that. (Stronghold)
Being I cannot be there, to pray the 24 hrs of prayer, but I will make a commitment to pray here at home. Within those 24 hrs. of prayer, I assure you, it will be more than an hour.
Maybe at a later time, Todd may ask us to share some of those broken strongholds that we had in our lives, that were broken, and healed. And, as brothers, and sister in Christ, we can PRAISE HIM. What a wonder that will be!!!
Blessings to all…
So I’ve been reading my way thru my one year Bible. I just finished Joshua who fought many battles and won some great victories, but left behind were some pockets of resistance, strongholds if you will. Then last week Pastor teaches on prayer especially for breaking strongholds of the enemy in our lives. Now in my daily reading I come to Gideon. I love Gideon because he is just a regular guy. God comes to him and says that He wants him to go fight the super huge powerful enemy. His response is basically, “Are you talking to me? Maybe you made some mistake!” But Gideon goes with his whittled down army of 300 and what does he get? A front row seat to an amazing miracle of deliverance! The parallels to our week of prayer are pretty awesome, including my “Who me?” reaction. I am not a fighter by nature but I like the front row seat part! When I see that it is God who does the real fighting and that He brings me along just to bless me, how can I say no? Todd, I think I am going to start calling you Pastor Gideon.
So, were there any tangible results?
I’m with Crabby~~What were the tangible results? Are we following through with our commitments to pray on our knees? How much fasting and prayer have we been incorporating in our lives? What are the praise reports? Let’s edify one another and share some of God’s miraculous answers to prayer!!!
Oh, thank goodness! There IS someone out there! I just climbed over the big pile of papers in Mr. Crabby’s office to get to the computer – I’m Home Alone tonight and feeling a little like Neo in the opening scene of The Matrix.
I was thinking about the 24 hour prayer commitment and wondered if anyone else feels like I do: big chunks of prayer time at this stage of my development is like going to the gym after I’ve been away for a few months. First thing I do is check out what everyone else looks like. Next, I pick my favorite machine and work out like the devil to make up for lost time. Results: I feel like h*ll the next day and do not go back to the gym. Better I should walk around my neighborhood every morning for a few weeks to build up to the gym. After a few weeks of walking I actually start to CRAVE more exercise. I find it’s the same with prayer.
I’ve been praying daily for awhile now. Small prayers. As a result, I see God more often. He shows up in odd things like the million (okay, I exaggerate – there were only
cucumbers a friend gave to me from her garden. So I don’t know what I’m going to do with all these cukes and call another friend to see if she wants some. Well, it just so happens she does. She is also the friend I’ve been working hard to keep connected with during a challenging period in our friendship. (And, yes, I’d been praying for/about her). So I trot over to her place with the produce, we talk, and things are nudged back in the right direction. No, there wasn’t a big reconciliation scene, but there was movement towards each other. That’s a miracle. It’s the whole “patient farmer – latter rain” thing that James talks about.
Anyway, that’s my miracle. I love you guys. I love you, Lori. And now I’m going to watch Matrix Revolutions. Oh yeah. When I find Mr. Crabby in this pile of paperwork, I’ll tell him y’all said hi.
I inadvertantly figured out how to make a happy face! There were eight cucumbers.
Crabby~~I love you too! I miss you! I began to share a miracle and answered prayer when I was interrupted and had to stop, so I begin again:
It was about a month ago. I periodically check in with the Lord and ask Him to show me where I need to improve in my walk with Him. A constant prayer of mine is that the people I work with, and the customers who come in to the coffee shop where I work not only see Jesus in me, but desire Him. That can only be accomplished by the work of His Spirit, as we know.
But there are times when I just don’t see tangible results of attempting to set a good example of someone who loves the Lord. “Am I doing anything well, Lord?” It was time to check in again.
This particulare morning, I asked our double-espresso-with-one-packet-of-raw-sugar customer how he was doing. He’s a poet, so he thought long and deeply before replying, “I’m searching. Even in your neck of the woods. Do you have a couple of minutes?” I can’t tell you how excited I was to get to listen to him, and share with him the truths of the Lord. One of his counselors told him he was nothing buy a hairless ape, existing on Earth. Live and die. That’s it. I got to share how he’s fearfully and wonderfully made, created by God who has plans for him. This man finally had reached a point where he believes there is a creator prior to our conversation, so we had common ground.
But here’s part of the precious miracle of this whole thing: He wanted to talk to me, because he said he’s been observing me, and recognizes that I live what I believe. Wow. Thank you, Lord. This circumstance occurred one day after I had prayed and asked the Lord to show me if I was being of any use to His glory at that shop. Sweet (and, whew!)
He’s so good to send these edifying circumstances that are beyond “us.” I’m so thankful He is using me to reach others. What a huge responsibility we have to represent Him to our world.
Hi Lori,
That is a wonderful report! Rather than hog up blog space, I’m going to send you an email.
Crabby