Psalm 50:1-15 (NIV)

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Reflection

When crisis hits we tend to go toward one of two extremes. We either try to figure things out on our own, or we cry out to God and seek His help. During these times we often “know” that God is mighty and that He loves us, yet we can get caught in the trap of merely going through the motions, bringing God our worldly offerings, while forgetting that He already owns everything we see. However, we see from this passage that what God desires more than anything are hearts that are willing to praise Him for what He has done, lives that are passionately committed to the way He has called us, and hearts that desperately turn to Him in our times of need. It is when we live like this that we are able to see God’s mighty hand rescue us and bring us again and again to a place of worship and praise.

Response

Let’s pray that we will turn to the Lord even faster when times of trouble come. Let’s ask that we would not insist on trying to figure it out on our own, but that we would return to and depend upon the only One who can rescue and save us – our Father who provides all we need and gives us His Holy Spirit to truly live.

James 5:13-18 (NIV)

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Reflection

Who do you turn to when things in your life become out of control? What do you do when you are happy? How about when you are sick? The answer to these questions all point towards God who is in control over everything and who deserves all of our worship. God remains constant through every circumstance that we encounter. As a church, we are to be a people of prayer in every instance of life. Our God, who is faithful, will hear our prayers and will pour out His Holy Spirit on us. We are to go to Him in both good times and bad, coming before Him individually and corporately. As a church, we are to pray over the sick and pray for one another. Like Elijah, let’s pray earnestly and constantly as we wait on the Lord with all kinds of requests.

Response

Isn’t it wonderful to know that we can turn to the Lord and pray in every circumstance. Whenever we turn to Him, He will pour out His Holy Spirit on us. Let’s cling on to His Word, that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. With this confidence, let’s spend some time praying over any personal concerns that we may have. Nothing is too small or too big to bring it before the Lord. Let’s ask for His will to be done in our lives.

Acts 2:24-47

24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Reflection

Powerful things happen in the church when we pray. People are saved, communities are formed, worship increases, and God’s love is lived out in real tangible ways. Through Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit, and together we get to see all the wonderful things that happen as we live this out. As we read in the passage above, devotion to prayer is the everyday reality of the church, so let’s go for it with all that we got and see what God will do.

Response

Let’s pray for a stronger devotion to prayer and for the Lord’s work through the Holy Spirit to increase in the church. We have already seen glimpses of God’s power among us through the many healings, salvations, and miracles among us. Therefore, let’s ask for this work to continue and for even more wonderful works to occur as we continue to go forward in our campuses, missional groups, workplaces, and communities.

Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Reflection

We can see from this section that prayer is fundamental in our relationship with God. Even though this set of passages is very similar to what we read in Luke 11:1-13, there are some slight differences in the details. One of which is in Jesus’ explanation on the issue of forgiveness. In Luke, Jesus does bring up the matter of asking for forgiveness while having a heart to forgive others. While in Matthew, Jesus continues this point by stressing the fact that forgiving others is actually essential in being right before God. Therefore, if we come before God with persistent and heartfelt pleas, yet we are unwilling to forgive our neighbor for even the slightest wrong, then God will not forgive our own sins. Which in turn, leaves us outside of His loving forgiveness. Yet, if we do forgive our neighbor, then we are fully apart of God’s loving care, and able to receive all of the good gifts that we need. Although the Holy Spirit is not specifically mentioned in these passages we know from other readings, as well as from our own experiences, that God loves to fill His people with His Spirit so that we may truly know Him and tell others about His unfailing love for us.

Response

Let’s pray that we would not only be people that are hungry for God’s favor and blessing over our lives, but that we would also have hearts to willingly and graciously forgive those that have wronged us. For if we try to live any other way, we may find ourselves in complete lack of the very forgiveness that sustains us and allows us to be in His presence. May God stretch our hearts in new ways, so that we can fully experience His loving grace.

Luke 11:1-13 (NIV)

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Reflection

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the disciples when they learned what it meant to pray? It is so simple, yet Jesus reminds them through the parable about the friend and the bread, that if we want to see real things happen, it is about persisting until we get what we need. In this passage, Jesus explains that God is our Father, and therefore His love for us is like that of an earthly father for his own child, but yet so much greater. When we come to Him for the things we need, God doesn’t short change us or give us things that would bring us harm. Instead, He gives us gifts that bless us. At the forefront of these good gifts is His Holy Spirit. From this we can see that God wants us to know that the most important things in this life are not the material things of this world, but that it actually starts with having His Spirit in us, leading us again and again into this place of being close to Him and dependent on His love for us. From there, God leads us fully into this life of blessing and knowing Him. This is what we need most, and what will truly sustain us through the most difficult of trials.

Response

Let’s spend some time lifting up prayers to the One that knows everything that we need. Let’s ask, seek and knock in faith for those good gifts, trusting that God will bless us, giving us His Holy Spirit, as we journey through every circumstance of our lives.