Crowds
of
people
came
to
hear
[Jesus]
and
to
be
healed
of
their
sickness.
But
he
often
withdrew
to
lonely
places
and
prayed
(Luke
5:15b-‐16).1
I believe that the eternal fruit that has happened in our midst this past year has been due to God's grace unfolded first through prayer and then the efforts of many people! LORD, a big thanks for Pastor John Mark challenging us to grow in this area.
It’s been a privilege to serve our church in the area of prayer; God has done so much in the way of building this ministry these past twelve months – over a dozen weekly prayer groups, hundreds of people getting the Monday Prayer Feed, a weekly blog on prayer, etc. But I believe God wants to continue to lengthen, widen and deepen this ministry of prayer at Apex Baptist. Private prayer brings public power! Please join with me in praying towards that end.
A relationship with the Father and the ability to bring the needs of others to God’s throne of grace and mercy are among the greatest gifts God has given to mankind (Heb 4:16). However, in order to function in these capacities, times of solitude with the LORD are absolutely essential.
We must publicly worship and pray, consistently proclaim the wonders of God, and do the daily tasks of life and work; however, vital to all these things are times of solitude with God. And yet how few of us strongly desire these quiet times with the LORD of life or quickly turn them into an obligation, a reading assignment, or study session.
Isaiah 26:9 declares that one day God will have a people who say, “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.” Wow! LORD, help me to have that type of a heart! May I follow in Jesus’ footsteps, especially as mentioned above.
Jesus withstood the many demands that pressed upon his life in order to have times of solitude with God. As followers of Jesus, if we are too busy for regular times of solitude, our lives and values are out of priority. In fact these quite times, away from the press of life, are essential for sustaining our effectiveness and quality of life in God.
Unfortunately, our alone times with God are easily stolen from us by things of lesser value. But what could be better than to sit quietly in God's presence, fellowshipping with him? I wonder how different things would be, if our question was not "How much time must I spend alone with God?" but rather, "How much time am I allowed to spend?"
Maintaining regular times of solitude in our lives is the gray door that few walk through, because it is unappealing. Yet behind that door are the glory of God and the life of God and the key to all that is good and holy. In our natural body, it is the unseen organs that are the most vital to the life of the body; so also is it with the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12ff). Praying 1 See also Mark 1:35, Matt. 14:23, and Luke 9:18. often in secret (Matt 6:5-‐15) is definitely a vital but hidden ‘organ that pumps blood’ into every area of our individual and community lives.
FRIDAY PRAYER PROMPTS
1. Lord, continue to build ABC into a house of prayer; help our leaders to:
a. Seek your heart above all else (Jer 10:21).
b. Not cave into the pressures of life (Matt 26:40) or the demands of ministry (Acts 6:1-‐7) that call them away from prayer and the preaching of your Word.
2. Thank you LORD for the dozens of people that serve our Treasured Friends, our ministry to our shut-‐ins. May we care for them with your heart of love and continue to see them as precious in your sight and vital to our church.
3. 2014 National Day of Prayer: LORD, use our church to gather and serve the great Apex area on May 1st.
a. LORD, we want to at least double the churches and people involved in this event from last year.
b. Give Pastor John Mark, Peter Dubbelman and those serving with them favor with the pastors of other churches, as they approach them to join this effort.
4. Prayer Guide: God we want to utter your prayers that usher in your kingdom to our lives, our families, our church, ...
a. Use this booklet for that purpose; don’t let the words on the page be dry and lifeless. Help us to pray your prayers, straight from the Bible and your heart and purposes.
b. Give Peter and those who assist him in this effort your heart in these matters.
5. LORD may your administrative blessing be on our church:
a. Help us to do things ‘decently and in order’.
b. Keep our people safe as they travel in our vehicles on mission for you.
c. Pour open the windows of heaven upon us with such a blessing that we are not able to contain it.
d. May our people work as unto you in the kitchen, maintenance, housekeeping, security, transportation, … areas of our church.
e. Strengthen and protect us through the Sunday morning safety and security ministry of our church.
f. Help us to be wise stewards of the resources your give us.
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