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PRAYER 

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was so eager to get in touch with the people of his country that he gave his personal mobile phone number out during a speech, and urged ordinary Indonesians to contact him directly with any complaints about the government's administration. The Indonesian people took him at his word. In four days, his phone line crashed because constituents had sent over 15,000 text messages and thousands of phone calls. 

The President is not giving up on getting direct feedback from the people. He immediately set up a new hotline. Critics say they do not expect the hotline to change much, because there will still be disappointment in the process. They say the hotline is a ploy to gauge public support for the President. One Presidential aide insists the hotline is about making sure public service is being done. 

Whether or not the new hotline policy will really institute change is yet to be seen, but other provincial leaders are following the President's lead. One Indonesian citizen named Wempi likes the new openness. He said, "We know that the President is busy with state matters but we, the small people, also deserve his attention." 

—http://www.channelnewsasis.com, Indonesian president creates new hotline after cell phone crashed, June 16, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

No one person could handle the concerns of millions of people, but God can. 

Psalms 119:149 (NASB) "Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances." 

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PRAYER 

More Americans pray about health issues than money problems. According to a Newsweek Poll, 70% of Americans say that they often pray for the health of a family member, while only 27% pray for financial or career success. 

—Newsweek, November 10, 2003, p. 48-49. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

James 5:13-16 (HCSB) "Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. [14] Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. [15] The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. [16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful." 

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PRAYER 

A lack of rainfall over portions of the American heartland has created drought conditions and a high risk of fire. The governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, who is also a Baptist minister, decided to ask the citizens of the state to do something about the dry conditions. He asked Arkansans to pray for rain and to keep praying for the wet stuff. 

The day after the governor issued his proclamation the state received some moisture. The Governor said he didn't think his call for prayer was responsible, saying his call was for long-term prayer, not just one day. Huckabee said, "We don't need it this one day. We need a sustained rain." He added, "We really do not sustained and prolonged rain... not Noah and the flood-type of rain... all in 40 days, but we would like seriously to hope and pray for significant rainfall over the next few months to try to get us back up to normal levels." 

—http://www.arkansanews.com/archive, More rain needed, governor says, urging continued prayer, January 11, 2006. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Colossians 4:2 (NKJV) "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;" 

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PRAYER 

Actor Stephen Baldwin says Tom Cruise is on the list of celebrities he prays for on a regular basis. Baldwin and Cruise starred together in the 1989 motion picture Born on the Fourth of July. Baldwin says Cruise is a "very different guy" from the person he knew then. He said, "That regular Joe quality seems to have been lost. When you buy enough of your own hype, then it's not who you are anymore." Baldwin added, "I'd love to break bread with him and pray with him, and I'd love for the Holy Spirit of God to reveal the truth to him." 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14626179/. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Ephesians 6:18 (CEV) "Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people." 

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PRAYER 

When Bill Lacovara and his son Rocky went fishing recently, they caught more than they bargained for. They spotted a flowered plastic shopping bag floating in the water and waded out to retrieve it. Inside they found 300 letters sent to New Jersey minister, containing prayer requests. Many of the letters were addressed to the minister, while many more said "Altar," leading Lacovara to believe that the letters were intended to be placed on the altar of a church and prayed over by the minister and congregation. 

Lacovara learned the minister died two years ago, but has no idea how the letters wound up in the ocean. He speculates someone might have been cleaning the minister's old home. Instead of just throwing the letters away, they may have decided to send them out to sea in order to bless those who had made the requests. The requests dating back as far as 1973 covered a large range of concerns. The majority asked for God's help in personal problems or for forgiveness. 

Lacovara said most of the letters were unopened. He said, "This is just a hint of what really happens. How many letters like this all over the world aren't being opened or answered?" 

—http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061103/ap_on_re_us/unanswered_prayers_7; Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Letters containing prayer requests may go unanswered, but God answers all prayers. 

1 John 5:14-15 (GW) "We are confident that God listens to us if we ask for anything that has his approval. [15] We know that he listens to our requests. So we know that we already have what we ask him for." 

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PRAYER 

Speaking at a church in Florida about his new book, Prayer: Does it Make any Difference? author Phillip Yancey, said, God does not want pretty prayers. Instead, He wants people to pour their hearts out and talk to Him like they would talk to a close friend. Yancey said while researching his book, he read other books on prayer. He says many of them were preachy and made ordinary people feel inadequate. Yancey wanted to write a book about prayer that didn't make people feel inferior. 

Yancey said prayer is not meant to eliminate suffering nor impress God. In the Bible, He found examples of prayers that changed God's decisions, and others that changed the person praying. Yancey said the most important thing he learned writing on prayer is that prayer is not a chore like calisthenics. He said, "I used to think if I did it long enough and right enough, that God would approve." He added, "I came to see prayer as more of a spiritual privilege. Prayer is an essential part of doing God's work in the world." 

—St. Petersburg Times, December 6, 2006. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Psalms 86:4-6 (CEV) "Make my heart glad! I serve you, and my prayer is sincere. [5] You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you. [6] Please listen, Lord! Answer my prayer for help." 

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PRAYER 

Does God answer prayer? Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning says he sought divine intervention in the AFC Championship game between the Colt and New England Patriots, just before the Patriots began the final drive of the game. Shortly thereafter, the game ended with an interception thrown by Tom Brady, handing the victory to Indianapolis. After the Colt's 38-34 victory earned them a trip to Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Manning told reporters, "I said a little prayer on that last drive. I don't know if you're supposed to pray for stuff like that, but I said a little prayer." 

Colts team chaplain Ken Johnson said he was "praying feverishly" during the game, and believes divine intervention played a role in the outcome. Johnson said "I do believe God is up in heaven looking down on this game. God is concerned about his people and the things his people are concerned about here." 

—http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5981704&nav=menu35_1. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

1 John 5:14-15 (CEV) "We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him. [15] And if we know that God listens when we pray, we are sure that our prayers have already been answered." 

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PRAYER 

Everything is computerized these days—even running shoes! Hoping to impact the sneaker industry, Adidas plans to introduce what it calls the world's first computerized "smart shoe." The company says the new shoe will automatically and continually adjust itself to a runner's individual size, pace, and fatigue level, as well as adapt to changes in the terrain around it. 

The new computerized running shoe uses a sensor, a microprocessor, and a motorized cable system to keep up with the changing needs of the wearer. The sensor under the heel measures compression and decides whether the shoe is too soft or too firm. The information is sent to the processor, and while the shoe is in the air, the cable adjusts the heel cushion. The whole system weighs less than 40 grams and includes a replaceable lithium battery estimated to be good for 100 hours of running. Users can turn the shoe's brain off to conserve the batteries. The chip also shuts itself off if a runner walks for more than ten minutes. The computerized running shoes are expected to sell for about $250 a pair. 

—http://usatoday, Adidas puts computer on new footing, March 2, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

This computer chip can respond to a runner's needs, providing a custom experience for the exercise session. Today, consumers have come to expect manufacturers to respond to their needs, now they will have the response in real time with a shoe that morphs as it is being used. 

To a much greater measure, that is the kind of experience Christians have enjoyed for years in their relationships with God. Not only did God make us, but He knows us individually and is prepared to meet our needs, all we have to do is ask. 

Matthew 6:8 (TEV) "...Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him." 

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PRAYER 

Years of drought have left portions of western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming parched. Residents of the area are so concerned about the lack of rain that they are turning to God for help. Sixty people attended a 45-minute prayer session in Torrington, Wyoming recently, and they plan to pray together again next month. 

Dean Kenner who helped organize the prayer meeting, farms 600 acres of sugar beets, alfalfa, corn, beans, and sunflowers near Mitchell, Nebraska. He said, "It shows our dependence on God." He added, "We want to show unity as people, not just as church or just farmers, not as any one group. We are all in this together and it is time to come together, no matter what denomination or walk of life, and recognize God as our source of strength and pray for rain." 

Some parts of western Nebraska have seen some rain recently, but Kenner says they need a lot more moisture. He has set his sights on the depth of the need, saying, "Our prayer is not just for more rain. Our prayer is for the reservoirs to fill and get us out of this drought." 

—Associated Press, Neb. Panhandle Residents Pray for Rain, April 12, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us," 

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PRAYER 

According to Newsweek Magazine, "80% of Americans think that praying for the sick improves their chances of recovery." 

—Newsweek, Nov 10, 2003, p. 46. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

James 5:14 (NASB) "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;" 

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PRAYER 

We've all heard of the boy who cried wolf, but have you heard about the television set that was sending out a distress signal? A contingent of local police, civil air patrol, and search and rescue personnel visited 20 year-old Chris van Rossman at his Corvallis, Oregon apartment. They were seeking the source of an emergency signal that had been received by satellite. 

Authorities had expected to find a boat or small plane with a malfunctioning emergency locator transponder emitting the international distress signal at 121.5 MHz. They were surprised to find that Rossman's television set was sending the distress signal that had been picked up by satellite and routed to the Air Force Rescue Center in Langley Air Base in Virginia. 

Rossman was told to keep his television turned off in order to avoid paying a $10,000 fine for "willingly broadcasting a false distress signal." Rossman said, "They'd never seen signal come that strong from a home appliance. They were quite surprised. I think we all were."The manufacturer of the television offered Rossman a replacement set so he won't miss any of his favorite programs. 

—Reuters, TV Emits Distress Signal, Triggers Search, October 19, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Just as these officials responded to the distress signal, God responds to ours. He hears us. He cares about us and He answers our prayers. 

Isaiah 58:9 (NLT) Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. 

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PRAYER 

In "The Servant Leader: Transforming Your Heart, Head, Hands & Habits", Blanchard and Hodges write, "Just suppose prayer was your first response instead of your last resort when facing a new challenge or an old temptation." 

—"The Servant Leader", p. 91. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Philippians 4:6-7 (HCSB) "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
 
 

PRAYER WALK 

Baptist ministers don’t normally perform last rites for the dying nor do they offer prayers for the dead. Pastor Fred Raney recently spent two weeks walking the wooded areas of East Texas, reading Scripture and praying over the recovered remains of each of the astronauts from the space shuttle Columbia. 

Raney is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Hemphill, Texas. He also served as a chaplain for the workers who recovered the remains of the Columbia crewmembers. 

Raney says his goal was to treat the deceased with dignity and provide comfort for those left behind. He says, “My main purpose in going was to be able to let the families know we were there for the people they loved—that we remembered them and honored them.” 

Once Raney was assigned as a chaplain to the team recovering the remains of the crew, he prayed that all seven crewmembers would be found. Raney feels God worked a miracle. He says, “First, it was a miracle that no one on the ground was injured when the debris fell. Then it was a miracle that we were able to recover all the astronauts.” 

Raney adds, “God used this event to touch lives. Even though I already knew it, it brought home to me that life is like a vapor—literally. It caused people to search their hearts and examine their faith—to think about life and about eternal life.” 

The executive director of the Baptist General Convention, Charles Wade says Raney acted as the Holy Spirit, allowing the presence of Christ “ to transform a scene of suffering into holy ground. “ 

—Associated Baptist Press, Pastor walks Texas woods to pray over remains of Columbia crew, by Ken Camp. March 6, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Psalm 34:18 NIV “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
 
 

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PRAYER 

A new display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C. contains letters written to the President by children. The letters include a note from a young girl who wanted to keep her father home during World War II, young women who wanted the army to save Elvis Presley's sideburns, and a young man seeking federal help to keep his room clean. Each of the young people made their requests to the one person they thought could make those things happen: the President of the United States. 

President George W. Bush mentioned one of the letters when he eulogized former president Ronald Reagan. He told about seventh-grader Andy Smith of Irmo, South Carolina, who sought President Reagan's help after his mother declared his bedroom a "disaster area." In a neatly typed note, Andy wrote, "I would like to request federal funds to hire a crew to clean up my room." 

President Reagan took the time to send Andy a handwritten, tongue-in-cheek reply. He noted a new government effort known as the Private Sector Initiative Program which had been set up to encourage volunteers to tackle local programs rather than relying on government assistance. The President wrote, "I'm sure your mother was fully justified in proclaiming your room a disaster. Therefore you are in a position to launch another volunteer program to go along with more than 3,000 already under way in our nation. Congratulations." 

—Associated Press. Kids Plead, Advise in letters to Presidents. By Carl Hartman, June 13, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell 

While we know the Lord wants to hear from us, sometimes we ask the Lord to do things he has equipped us to do ourselves. 

James 4:3 (NIV) “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” 

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PRAYER 

A new federal law threatening the loss of education funding has the majority of America’s schools declaring that they allow prayer wherever and however the Constitution permits. The law requires school districts to prove that they have no policy stifling court-protected prayer by students or teachers. Districts that do not comply risk losing a share of elementary and secondary money totaling $23 billion. 

Initial responses due April 15th showed some states still had dozens of school out of compliance, while other states failed to reply. Officials in those states insist the problem is paperwork, and not trouble over prayer policies. The state of North Carolina got the last of its certifications in early May. In mid April California listed 133 of its 1200 districts out of compliance, but had reduced the number to 55 by early May. Indiana, Nevada and New Hampshire had not reported, nor had the District of Columbia. In all 42 states had certified all their schools in early May. 

Education Department spokeswoman, Susan Aspey said, “we’re not at the point where we’re talking about taking funding away from schools or States. The goal all along has been to make sure local school districts do not have any policies in place that sanction religion—or policies that prohibit voluntary religious expression by students.” The states are being asked to that they have no policy preventing participation in “constitutionally protected prayer.” 

According to recent decisions, prayer is permitted in school provided it occurs outside of class instruction and is not initiated by school officials. Federal officials say students may pray during recess and teachers can hold a Bible study at lunch, but teachers may not lead their class in prayer or try to persuade students to join religious activities. Many defenders of church-state separation, and advocates of religious expression say they are not sure how meaningful the school’s written promises will be. 

—Associated Press, May 13, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

There is a huge difference between freedom FROM religion and freedom OF religion. I’m grateful that the government is taking steps to see that schools are in compliance with the constitution. I have never been as alarmed by the fact that prayer is not permitted in Public Schools as I have by the fact that prayer is often not practiced in private homes. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

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PRAYER 

A religious radio station in Great Britain is dedicating a special spot to Prime Minister Tony Blair. The staff is encouraging believers to set aside time to pray for Mr. Blair, asking the Lord to give him wisdom, insight, and favor with world leaders. Listeners are also asked to pray the Lord would provide Mr. Blair with the power to resist the temptation to "cheat, lie, or act for personal gain." 

A spokesman says: "The Prime Minister has an unenviable role as leader, decision-maker, and diplomat on the national and international stages. His decisions will affect us all and will shape the present and the future." The radio station expects thousands of people to participate over the next year. 

—http://www.ananova.com/news, January 21, 2002, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Prayer is the first and best way to change the world. Surely, many more of our leaders need our prayers! 

2 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone-for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness." 

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A supermarket in Staffordshire, England has become the first in that country to have a prayer box installed. Shoppers at the Asda market can now drop off a prayer request when they pick up their groceries. 

The prayer box is the idea of a group representing 40 churches of all denominations in the area, known as Churches Together. The group wanted to give anyone, from any background the opportunity to offer a prayer. Special slips are available at the customer service desk for people who want a prayer for themselves or someone else. The slips can be signed or left anonymous. 

John Marshal, pastor of Church Lane Evangelical Church says each church in the group has agreed to set up a team to collect requests each week, and pray for them. Marshall admits there are some people who feel a prayer request box is controversial, but he adds, “Everybody needs to pray or have someone pray for them as some time in their life. But this is an opportunity for people to offer prayers…” 

It is a blessing to be prayed for…and it is a blessing to pray for others. 

—www.expressandstar.com, Supermarket to have prayer box, BY Rita Congers, March 28, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Colossians 4:2 NASB “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” 

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PRAYER 

After the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, Gilbert Brown was a hot commodity. Jacksonville offered him an extra million dollars to put his 325 pound body into their uniform, but Brown decided to stay in Green Bay. 

Why would he turn down a million dollars? A tearful little girl in an autograph signing session asked him to stay. 

--(Nando News, 2-23-1997, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

James 4:2 "…yet ye have not, because ye ask not." 

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PRAYER 

Andrew Newberg, and other doctors from the University of Pennsylvania, recently authored a study entitled "Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science & the Biology of Belief" in which they demonstrated that praying actually changes the physiology of the brain that can be detected by neuroimaging. They suggest there is a mind body connection present when people pray that can be used with hypnotherapy to help people with chronic illnesses. 

—http://member.compuserve.com/health/special.jsp?floc=MM7-Mon_am-mm2slot2_link Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

They could be right, I don't know. I just know that when we pray, God listens and sometimes He acts in response to our prayer and does more than relax us or change our brain chemistry, or help us with chronic pain-He brings glory to Himself. 

John 14:13 NIV "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." 

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PRAYER 

Billy Kim is the newly elected Baptist World Alliance President and the pastor of a 13,000 member church, the Suwon Church in South Korea. In his comments after his election, he said, "If I had to do it all over, I would do more praying and less preaching." 

—Religion Today, 1-13-2000 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

When we preach, people listen, but when we pray, God listens. When we preach, people act, but when we pray, God acts. 

" …if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you." (Matthew 17:20 NASB) 

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PRAYER 

Esther Hill stood in an open market weeping over the city. As she did, she prayed, "I join your Son Jesus in weeping over this city." Those tears changed her life, and the people she wept for. 

When she returned to West Virginia, she challenged others to join her in doing something about the spiritual condition of Mongolia that at the time, had only 3 or 4 known believers. 

Seven years later, Christians were planting churches in Mongolia and Mongolians were converting to Christ in record numbers. 

What did Esther and her friends do that made such an impact on this unreached people group? They prayed. 

—The Commission, November 2001, p. 36 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Isaiah 65:24 NASB "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." 

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PRAYER 

For many, computers are the bane of spiritual life, but a growing number of people are discovering the Internet is quite suitable for prayer. People are using the Internet for prayer in many ways. Some are sending out prayer requests by e-mail, offering prayer instruction online, and enlisting millions to pray for global causes through postings on various websites. Over 15,000 web-based prayer circles, the virtual counterpart of physical prayer circles have popped up on line over the past few years. 

Even mainline denominations are taking prayer on-line. Churches have begun sending weekly e-mail to their members asking them to pray for fellow members and friends who are ill, unemployed, or grieving. The associate pastor of Georgetown Presbyterian Church Merritt Schatz says using e-mail prayer lists is more accurate than the “telephone tree.” Schatz says the problem with phones is that “by the time it gets through many people, the story changes.” 

Chad Nykamp who works with www.crosswalk.com, a Christian evangelical Web site says Internet prayer sites are popular because “in our busy, go-go society, both believers and non-believers need a sense of connectedness and support in good and bad times.” 

—www.washingtonpost.com, Web Opens New Windows on Prayer, Caryle Murphy. Sunday March 2, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Whether it is done online or across a table, there is no substitute for prayer in the Christian’s life. It is our lifeline. It is our duty. And it is our joy. 

James 5:16 NASB “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” 

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PRAYER 

For sixty years the members of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Mount Carmel, TN prayed for Joe Arnott to come to Christ. Even though he wasn't a Christian, he was a religious man and attended Sunday School and Church for all those years, but never accepted Christ as his Savior and Lord. 

Several church members witnessed to him, but his answer was always the same, "I'm not ready yet." No one gave up, they kept praying for him. 

March 5, 2000 their prayers were answered. Arnott made a public profession of his faith. The congregation wept as they watched 60 years of prayers walk the isle to give his life to Jesus. Seeing what was happening, the men in his Sunday School class followed Arnott down the aisle and stood with him as he made his decision. 

His pastor, Benny Keck said, "I suppose fewer words will ever sound sweeter to my ears than hearing Joe say, 'I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God." 

—BP, 5-12-2000 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

James 4:2 You do not have because you do not ask. 

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For thirteen extraordinary days in October of 1962, the world stood on the brink of an unthinkable catastrophe. Across the globe, people anxiously awaited the outcome of a harrowing political, diplomatic and military confrontation that threatened to end in an apocalyptic nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. 

There is an interesting late night scene in the movie that chronicles the events, "Thirteen Days." Kenny O'Donnell, an advisor and friend of President Kennedy, is walking down the street and passes a Catholic church. There is a long line of people in front of the church. He looks to see why people are lined up when he sees a sign that says, "Confessions 24 hours. Pray for peace." 

Kenny stops. Pauses. And then gets in line. 

God's ear is always open when we come to him in prayer. We don't have to wait in line, and we don't have to wait for catastrophe. Under any circumstance prayer is always the best thing to do. 

—Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Dave Bootsma 

Psalm 18:6 NIV "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." 

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PRAYER 

Have you ever hurt so much you couldn't pray? In his book, When God Interrupts, M. Craig Barnes writes about a time his pain paralyzed his prayer life. After thirty-six hours of hard labor, his wife started hemorrhaging and the fetal monitor alarm went off. Doctors and nurses swarmed into the room and Craig was asked to leave. He resisted, but ultimately, he placed his family in the hands of medical professionals and he walked into a cold, lonely waiting room. 

Time stood still, and Craig knew he should pray, but he couldn't. His fear was overwhelming-it looked like he was about to lose his wife and his child. 

But even when he couldn't pray, his fear turned to calm. Eventually the nurse walked in the room to tell him all was well. In the book, Barnes wrote, "My fear of losing family had become gratitude for receiving it back. When I held my daughter for the first time, that gratitude turned into an overwhelming love. I'll never forget that moment when I met her and fell in love with her at the same time." 

—When God Interrupts, p. 36-37 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Romans 8:26 KJV "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." 

For more information on When God Interrupts, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0830819797/fm082-20
 
 

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PRAYER 

In May, 1999 the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that students in Duval, County Florida could no longer decide whether or not to have student-led prayers in their graduation ceremonies. According to Chief Justice Joseph Hatchett, a policy that allows prayer "coerces objecting students to participate in prayer." 

—religiontoday.com, May 14, 1999 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Interesting. Does the same logic follow that to allow condom distribution in schools will "coerce objecting students" to participate in sex? Since when is "allowing" and "coercion" the same thing? 

But really, the compelling question today isn't whether students can pray at school or not, but whether they are taught to pray and honor God at home by godly parents. That's the real issue. 

Deut. 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: [5] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: [7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. [8] And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. [9] And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." 

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PRAYER 

In Melvindale, Michigan, the ACLU is threatening to sue the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park school district because the husband of the School Board's president, Rev. Don Wolan is leading the football team in a time of prayer before games. 

"The Supreme Court has been very clear on this exact issue," said Kary Moss, executive director of the Michigan ACLU. "He's probably leaving us no other option but to sue." 

In June 2000, the Supreme court ruled 6-3 against allowing prayer before football games in a case involving the Santa Fe, Texas School board. Some criticized the Supreme Court decision because "pre-kickoff prayer had become a cherished Bible Belt tradition." 

A Bible Belt tradition? Is that the best argument for prayer critics of the Supreme Court can come up with? Personally, I could care less about Bible Belt traditions! If prayer is just a tradition, then sign me up with those who say we can do without it. 

Prayer is a lifeline to God, not a religious tradition. It is how mortal man connects with an Immortal God, who loves us. 

—http://detnews.com/2000/schools/0011/03/d01-143373.htm Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Luke 18:10-14 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 

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PRAYER 

In a letter to the editor of the Detroit News, Cassandra George Sturges of Ypsilanti, Michigan wrote: 

"On Sept. 11, I acknowledged George W. Bush as my president and knelt in prayer to ask God to lead him with wisdom, courage and compassion. A part of me felt responsible for what happened because I wondered how things might have been if I had prayed for him sooner." 

—http://detnews.com/2001/editorial/0110/16/a08-319603.htm Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Regardless of our political agendas, we need to pray for our leaders, especially during times of crisis. Like Sturges is. 

1 Tim. 2:2 NLT says, "Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity." 

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PRAYER 

In her book, Dancing in the Desert, Marsha Crockett writes “I sit at my desk in the midst of the technology that literally wraps itself around me, and stare at the computer screen for I don't know how long—long enough to sense a discontentment buried deep inside me. Without words, I ask God, ‘What is it?’ I shift my eyes to the slender statuette of a faceless woman standing tall and straight, draped in deep purple from head to toe, her head slightly bowed. In her hands she cradles a basket holding three white blossoms— peace lilies. 

This figurine symbolizes for me the act of prayer, not the kind of prayer that brings a basket full of concerns, requests and an agenda to God but rather the kind of prayer I pray on days like today when I simply come to God empty, thirsty for his touch, his voice, his presence.” 

—Dancing in the Desert, Page 19 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Psalm 73:28 NIV “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” 

For more information on Dancing in the Desert, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0830823840/fm082-20
 
 

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PRAYER 

It was a nightmare Lt. Shane Osborn couldn't wake up from. After two "fly bys" the Chinese pilot hit the number 1 propeller and sheered off the nose cone of the EP-3E surveillance plane he was flying. 

Immediately, the plane rolled 130 degrees and plunged 7500 feet. The sluggish EP-3E was almost inverted at this position, a maneuver usually reserved for smaller, more nimble aircraft. The noise in the aircraft was deafening, the vibrations unnerving, but the Naval officer took control of the situation and his aircraft. 

At first, he thought he'd have to ditch the aircraft into the ocean, but after he had control of the plane, made at least 15 "mayday" distress calls, but no one answered., so he sat the plane down on Hainan. 

When asked about the radio transmission, Osborn said, "I know we were transmitting. So I can't tell you what (the Chinese) heard and what they didn't because I wasn't in their tower." 

—http://detnews.com/2001/nation/0104/15/a06-212479.htm Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Though we don't always have our prayers answered the way we want, we do have a God that hears our distress calls. 

Jeremiah 29:12 KJV "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." 

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PRAYER 

Robert Preston Taylor had reason to pray. During World War II, he served as a chaplain in battle, participated in the Bataan Death March and spent more than three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. 

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, they also dropped bombs on Manila, where Taylor was stationed. Later, Taylor would receive the silver star for helping rescue the bodies of five fallen soldiers. 

Taylor knew more hardship. He was one of only 4000 that ended the Bataan Death March out of the 80,000 that began it. During the march, the prisoners were forced to walk 55 miles without food or water. 

In the POW camp, worship, including burial rites were outlawed, but Taylor continued to minister. When the guards discovered that Taylor was smuggling supplies in to the soldiers they put him in a 4-by-5-foot bamboo cell to live, where he had to compete with the mosquitoes and maggots for space. They left him there for two months. 

Taylor prayed, "Lord, if you still have a purpose for me, let me live." On one of the few occasions his captors let him out of the box, he leaned on a bamboo stick to support himself and quoted scripture to the troops. When he asked the POWs to bow for prayer, the guards threw him back into the box. Taylor was near death. 

The POW's began a prayer vigil, praying for their Chaplain around the clock for two weeks. God answered their prayers and Taylor recovered. 

In a chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on November 9, 2000 Brigadier Gen. Jim Spivey, a church history professor, told Taylor's story to challenge the student body. He said, "Taylor's recovery became a symbol of hope throughout the camp. They saw God answered prayer in the miracle of his recovery, and a revival broke out in that POW camp." 

Sometimes God is honored by keeping His people from suffering. Other times His is honored by sustaining them in their suffering and inspiring others to greatness because of it. 

—Baptist Press Tuesday 11/28/00 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Job 42:10 "After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." [NIV] 

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PRAYER 

The Canadian Coast Guard had some strong words of advice after a diver drifted 10 kilometers with the tide as dozens of people desperately searched for him. "Call us quickly—the quicker it is the better," said marine controller Marc Proulx. The search for the 64-year-old man was hampered because his partners in the dive boat waited an hour and 45 minutes to call for help after he was swept away in a strong ebb tide. 

"They tried to search for him themselves," said Proulx. "Maybe they were embarrassed. I don't think they are his best buddies by now." 

Calling for help as soon as possible is always a good idea, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. Why is prayer usually our last resort instead of our first option? How far do we have to "drift" before we call on God to help us? 

—The Vancouver Province, January 8, 1999, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Dave Bootsma 

"As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. [17] Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice." Psalm 55:16-17 

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PRAYER 

The murder rate in New York City has dropped significantly in the last ten years, and a primary reason could be prayer. A New York City policeman recently told a group of British Christians that since the introduction of a 24-hour prayer clock a decade ago the annual murder caseload has fallen from 2,600 to 600. 

Detective Donald Sanchez said some of the credit could go to former Mayor Giuliani's tough stand on crime, but he added, "God is sovereign. He places people in office and government." He said he believes God put Mayor Giuliani in office to be the right man at the right time. 

The Christian Prayer Association in the United Kingdom has seen overall crime decrease by 45 percent since a program of prayer and social action was begun there. 

—www.charismnews.com/online, February 11, 2002., Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell 

Crime is a constant concern in our world. We spend millions of dollars building new jails, hiring police officers, and implementing crime control programs. Perhaps it is time we returned to a straight-forward defense, prayer. Responsible social actions opens doors of opportunity for individuals to be involved. Prayer reminds us, we need God's involvement to solve the problems society faces. With God's help, all things are possible. 

Philippians 4:5-7. NIV "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

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PRAYER 

The news media reported that many churches across America were filled the Sunday following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. No doubt families sought comfort and encouragement praying and returning to the House of the Lord. Many Christians also seemed to sense the Lord speaking through the tragic events in New York and Washington. 

During these days of recovery and healing, the World needs to hear what the Lord is saying. In the book of I Kings, the prophet Elijah experienced the voice of the Lord in a unique way. Elijah was depressed, and lonely after the Lords victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb, the mountain of the Lord, seeking guidance. The Lord instructed the prophet to stand on the mountain as God passed by. 

A strong wind battered the mountains, and broke the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Next, an earthquake shook the mountain's foundation, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire burned across the mountain, but the Lord was not in the great fire either. Following the fire, there came the sound of a gentle breeze. Elijah stepped out of the cave, and only then did he hear the voice of God speaking to him. (1 Kings 19:9-18) 

The Lord may not be speaking through the horrific events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as much as He is using those events to call people to the quiet times of prayer. During these times of prayer, we need to listen to the still small voice of God as He speaks comfort, healing, and direction to those who listen. 

—Stories on CNN, SRN Radio news, and the Albuquerque Journal, Monday, September 17, 2001. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell 

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PRAYER 

The sign in front of First Baptist Church of Kenner Louisiana read, “This week I’m doing missionary work in Iraq; I’m praying.” Joe McKeever, pastor of the church says with the beginning of war against Iraq, “Prayer is not the least or the last thing we can do, but the first, the best, and the most.” 

McKeever says he has seen that President George Bush does not live by the polls. He says, Mr. Bush has not changed his ways though millions continue to protest the conflict in Iraq. McKeever says he would rather the President listen to God about the current situation. He adds, “Personally, I would distrust a President who checked each morning to see what his critics were saying before planning his actions. I pray for the President, that God will show him the way, and that he will have courage to walk in it.” 

While McKeever recognizes some people are frightened by that prayer, he adds, “We will not sit idly by and do nothing while the Middle East is in fire; we will pray. We will not wring our hands or march in the streets or hyperventilate over the news; we will pray.” 

—www.Lifeway.com, Praying about Iraq—and Revival, by Joe McKeever, March 28, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell 

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NASB “First of all, then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 

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PRAYER 

Traditionally, Jews who hope to have their prayers answered or their wishes come true have written them down and hung them on the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. Now an Israeli mobile phone company is offering the devout a new way to send their prayers: text messaging. For the equivalent of $1.20 a month, prayers can be sent by text and placed in the stone crevasses of the ancient wall. 

Israeli cell phone users can send their high-tech prayers to the Wailing Wall by dialing 1-8-1-8. Jewish tradition holds those numbers symbolize life. The messages are received on a computer, collated, and faxed to a rabbi at the Western Wall who is paid by the cellular company to tear off each message and insert it between the stones of the ancient wall. 

So far 30,000 text messages have been received. Gal Wagner, an official of the company says, “Not everyone has the means or time to get there. We promise to put the message in the Western Wall within 24 hours of it being sent.” So far the text message service is only available within the nation of Israel. 

—Reuters, September 26, 2003, Israelis Send text Prayers to Western Wall. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, we do not need text messaging, ancient walls or rabbis to ensure our prayers are heard. 

Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 

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PRAYER 

When Lindsey Crittenden started to pray, she didn't know what she believed or if she was a believer but one Sunday morning, in the midst of a personal storm, she walked into a church and started to pray. She figured that church wouldn't hurt, and besides she might just meet some nice people there. 

Later, when she learned that her mother was dying of cancer, that decision would become a source of strength to her. She said, "Prayer didn't keep my mother from dying, but it gave me a way to be with her through the chemo and the hospital stays when I visited her nightly to talk and rub her feet." 

—Reader's Digest, April 2002, p. 101 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Psalm 3:4 NIV "To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill." 

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PRAYER 

When people in Sanford North Carolina dial the phone number they saw in the new movie, “Bruce Almighty,” they may think that they are going to talk with Bruce. They won’t be speaking to the character played by Jim Carrey, instead they will be dialing Bruce MacInnes, pastor of Turner’s Chapel Church. 

In the motion picture, Carrey portrays a mortal who receives the powers of the Almighty. When the character of God attempts to reach Carrey’s character; he leaves a phone number on Carrey’s pager. Instead of the usual 555-movie prefix, God’s exchange in the movie is 776. 

Depending on the area code, the number connects callers with one of two families in Florida. It also works Arkansas, Colorado, and South Carolina, as well as MacInnes’ church. 

When MacInnes checked the answering machine at the church last Sunday, he noticed nine calls had been received. MacInnes says, “They were all hang ups except one who said something about God and laughed. One of MacInnes’ neighbors said they recognized the number when they saw it. The neighbor’s daughter’s boyfriend called the number and was surprised when “Bruce” answered. 

MacInnes admits most callers don’t say anything, but he hopes the message will provide an opportunity to talk to someone. He says, “I had a call (Tuesday) from a man who asked to talk to God. I told him if he was serious I would be happy to talk with him about God, and if he wasn’t serious he could just hang up. He hung up.” 

A spokeswoman for the film’s producers says they picked the number because it does not exist in Buffalo New York where the movie was set. 

—Associated Press, May 28, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

The bad news is God doesn’t have a phone number. The good news is, He doesn’t need one. All anyone who wants to talk to God has to do is pray. 

Psalm 86:7 NASB “In the day of my trouble I shall call upon Thee, For Thou wilt answer me.” 

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PRAYER 

When the editors of NEWSWEEK asked President Bush, "What's the role of prayer and faith in this [his response to the events of 9-11]?" Our president responded, "I have never felt more confident about something in my life. And I believe a lot of it has to do with the prayers of the people." 

But it isn't just the prayers of Americans that strengthens Bush, he told Jim Angle of FOXNews.com, "I start with being on bended knee every morning. Seriously." Commerce Secretary Don Evans said, "That's where he gets his comfort. That's where he gets his balance. That's where he gets his perspective." 

—NEWSWEEK, December 3, 2001, p. 30; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,37967,00.html 

Prayer makes a difference. 

Psalm 18:3 NIV "I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." 

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PRAYER 

With flames leaping closer to her South Surrey (British Columbia) home, a recording on the 911 emergency line asked Jeni Lewandowski to hold. 

"My wife was panicking," said her husband Hilmar. "There were propane tanks in our garage. She thought it might explode." Lewandowski thought she had dialed a wrong number. 

"You don't expect to call 911 and hear a message," she said. So she hung up and called again. 

"All operators are busy. Please hold on and wait for the next available operator," the message said. She hung up and dialed a telephone company operator, who, after a couple of delays, connected her to the Surrey fire department. 

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum promised to investigate. "It's always been indicated that you never get put on hold when you dial 911," he said. "Every second counts. We'll look into this." 

—the Vancouver Province, January 18, 2001, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Dave Bootsma 

When we come to God in prayer, we never have to worry that he is unavailable. He is always there in our time of need. 

Psalm 50:15 NIV "and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." 

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REVIVAL PRAYER 

Jim Cymbala began at the Brooklyn Tabernacle as an ill-equipped, under-educated, time-strapped preacher who led a second congregation in New Jersey. The Brooklyn church had no money to pay him, a ramshackle building, and barely enough attendance to bother with weekly meetings. 

Today, the Tabernacle hosts around 6,000 spirited worshipers. The difference came when Jim, in a moment of desperation, set aside his planned message and called the church to pray. The weekly prayer meeting, not the Sunday worship, became the focal point of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. 

Jim's belief that "God can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him" (p. 19) guides his work. It is Prayer, not preaching that brings Revival. 

"and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14 NASB) 

—From "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Heart of His People" available online at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310211883/fm082-20

 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jack Allen 

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SCHOOL PRAYER 

Jason Niemeyer was allowed to join 190 classmates on the football field at Oroville High School June 10, 1999 but the school barred him from speaking, the Scripps McClatchy news service said. The speech wasn't "at all up-front and in-your-face religious," he said. One version refers to "a friend who has personally helped me to achieve my goals, and I give Him the praise and glory for that." Niemeyer achieved a grade-point average above 4.0. 

—ReligionToday.com June 11, 1999 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Though he earned the right to address his peers at his commencement, Jason could not, because he wanted to give God the praise and glory for helping Him achieve his goals.
 
 

PRAYER/MIRACLES 

Early Sunday morning, July 28,2002, 9 miners were freed from a flooded mine in Pennsylvania. Later, that morning, a few miles down the road, members of the Sipesville Church of the Brethren spent part of their Sunday morning worship service talking about God’s hand in the rescue effort. 

Fred Slagle sang the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness told the congregation, “The saving of those miners is definitely a miracle of God. His timing is perfect—with the drill breaking and everything.” Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker recognized God’s hand in the events during a Sunday news conference. He said, “ Had we not run into that drill bit problem, we would have gone down there, hit the ceiling and run into water. And God knows what would have happened.” Slagle said, “ We have all been praying for them; we have been down on our knees. I’ve been thinking of Daniel 5, how God holds your very next breath in His hand. He is so faithful in taking care of our needs.” 

Leslie Mayhugh, whose husband and father were rescued from the mine, summed up the feelings of everyone saying, “ Everyone should just grab their loved ones, hug them, kiss them, and pray to God. Tell Him thank you very much, that He has performed a miracle.” 

—Crosswalk.com News Channel, July 29,2002. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Luke 18:1 NIV “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” 

PRAYER 

Please pray for Bro. Dusit and the members of Krabi Baptist Church, who are doing what they can to minister in the wake of the Tsunami triggered by the December 26, 2004 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia which devastated Asia. "Doing what they can" involves building oversized caskets that can be used to bury the dead. Southern Baptists are helping to resource the members of Krabi Baptist Church. The coordinator for Southern Baptist disaster relief in Asia said, "We want to give supplies to the church to facilitate aid to these areas so people will understand that this aid is coming from the ministry and care of Thai Baptists." 

—http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19808 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Pray for the members of Krabi Baptist Church that they can help meet the physical needs of these unfortunate people. And then when you've finished that prayer pray that they can help meet their spiritual needs too. 

Matthew 25:45 (NASB) "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

With the difficulties in the economy, a church in Alabama decided the best thing they could offer the unemployed in their community was prayer. Tim Childress, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Sylacauga sponsored a prayer table during a local job fair and found many people wanted to pray. Childers said, “At one point the line for prayer was longer than any line for jobs.”

Responding to the need, Childers and his church rented a local high school auditorium and filled it with representatives from dozens of local churches, all united with a message of hope and comfort for those who were hurting. The purpose of the prayer time was to let the jobless know they were not alone, and to pray that the economy turns around sometime soon. One job and prayer seeker, Sherry Bentley said, “Prayer changes things, so we believe in power of prayer and so we’re praying that God changes things.”

Afterwards Pastor Childers remarked, “You can weather a lot of storms if you know somebody cares, particularly if they know that God cares.”

--Sylacauga Prays for Jobless, February 25, 2009; http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/sylacauga_prays_for_the_jobless/61178/;
 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Philippians 4:6 CEV “Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.”

PRAYER

A Dutch artist has set up a local telephone number in the Netherlands, and is urging people to call and leave a message for God. Johan van der Dong says he set up a phone number with voicemail to give people an opportunity to pause and contemplate life.

Callers who use the number will hear “Hi you are speaking to God. I’m not in right now
so leave a message after the beep.”Van der Dong says “Like praying, leaving a 
voicemail message is a way to organize your thoughts.”He adds, ”It’s a perfect combination for some contemplation.”

--Leave God a message at his Dutch answering service, 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090302/od_nm/us_dutch_god_odd ; March 2, 2009,
 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

I think I’d rather just talk to God personally. I never had to leave a message with Him.

1John:15 GNB “He hears us whenever we ask him; and since we know this is true, we know also that he gives us what we ask from him.” 

Who hasn’t ever found it difficult to find the time to pray on a regular basis? There is always time to pray when the chips are down, but on a regular basis? That can be more difficult. Well never fear! Now you can outsource your prayer life. For $3.50 per month at InformationAgePrayer.com you can have the Lord’s Prayer recited for you daily. Catholics can purchase a “Complete Rosary Package” for nearly $50. 

--World Magazine, April 25, 2009, p. 14 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

We have the opportunity to converse with the sovereign Lord of the universe and we outsource it to a computer. I would say something is lacking in our faith.

Matthew 6:9 (YLT) thus therefore pray ye: `Our Father who art in the heavens! hallowed be Thy name. 

In his book Invitation to a Journey, Robert Mulholland writes, “Prayer is the act by which the people of God become incorporated into the presence and action of God in the world. Prayer becomes a sacrificial offering of ourselves to God, to become agents of God’s presence and action in the daily events and situations of our lives. How different this is from the idea of prayer as asking God to change our situation without any involvement on our part!”

-- Invitation to a Journey, 109. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Proverbs 15:8 (NKJV) “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.” 

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NAB) “and if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land.” 

Florida Governor Charlie Crist says that he believes the power of prayer has protected the Sunshine State. He recently told a group of realtors he thinks the state has been hurricane free thanks to prayer notes placed on the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Many believe the site has a direct link to heaven and therefore, provides the best place for prayers. Governor Crist says he left the first note during a trade mission to Israel in 2007. The following year he gave the note to a state senator who visited Jerusalem, and this year he sent a note with a friend. The notes said, “Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and difficulties. Charlie.”

In his comments to the group, Crist asked each one to say a prayer too. The governor says he cannot take credit for Florida being spared from hurricanes. He said, “Time goes on – May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December – no hurricanes. Thank God.”

Governor: Prayer at Western Wall Has Spared Florida from Hurricanes, http://yentit.com/chassidish/orlando-fl---governor-prayer-at-western-wall-has-spared-florida-from-hurricanes; August 21, 2009,  Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and  Jim Sandell

Psalm 17:6 (CEV) I pray to you, God, because you will help me.  Listen and answer my prayer! 

Alongside the highway outside of Phoenix, there is a regular Bazaar. Enterprising merchants set up shop to sell cheap trinkets and homemade food to motorists. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from six to ten AM Matthew Cordell opens a booth and offers to pray for passing drivers. “His tent is so popular that some commuters are complaining that it causes traffic jams backing up cars for miles.” 

Evidently, there is a real need for prayer and a listening ear in the Arizona community. 

-- World, October 10, 2009. P. 17 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Philippians 4:6 (NASB) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

Like most young couples, Rick and Karen were financially challenged.  Actually, it was worse than that, they put everything they had, and then some, into a down payment for their starter home.  They were in debt up to their eyeballs.  Karen carefully kept the books down to the last penny, she had too.  Their financial survival depended upon her ability to stretch every dollar and keep track of every dime.  However, this month she’d made a simple math error, forgetting to carry the 1 and now they were in big trouble. They needed $100.00 or they would begin to bounce checks.

Rick didn’t get mad when Karen told him about the problem.  He could tell that Karen felt terrible.  “I don’t know what else to do either,” Rick said, “Except to pray.”  After they finished praying, Rick hugged his bride, “Everything will be OK,” Rick said, and he went back to work outside.

As he was changing the spark plugs in the family Volkswagen, Rick noticed a bill lying on the ground. Immediately, he reached to pick up the dollar thinking 1 down, 99 to go, but to his utter amazement there were two zeroes after the one on the bill.  God had answered their prayer, and He’d done it in dramatic fashion just five minutes after they prayed it.

--Soul Shaping: Disciplines that Conform you to the Image of Christ, p. 36 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson For more information on Soul Shaping, go to www.soulshaping.net

Matthew 7:7 (CEV) “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”

At 64 years old, Robert was a confirmed bachelor if there ever was one.  He’d learned to be content with his situation and never thought he’d find love and get married.  One summer evening in 1988 he was enjoying a moment of solitude, reflecting upon his upcoming retirement and praying about his future.  Out of the silence, God spoke to him.  Not in an audible voice, but in a real way nonetheless.  God told him that he was to marry Nell, a Sunday School teacher in his church.

Robert started remodeling his home, preparing for his upcoming wedding.  He enlarged the closet space and got rid of the water bed.  He did all of this without talking to Nell.  He felt like God had answered his prayer, so he began doing the things he felt like he needed to do.  In January of ’89, he finally got up enough nerve to talk to Nell and ask her out on a date.  “I felt like a 15-year-old and was shaking all over.”  Robert said.

As they were waiting for their food, Robert said, “Nell, God has told me I am to get married.”  She looked at him funny and calmly said, “Well, I’m sure He has someone in mind for you.”  “Yes,” Robert said, “He wants me to marry you.”  Nell didn’t get up and run out of the room, instead, she said, “I’ll have to pray about it.”  In the eighteen years since her husband passed, Nell hadn’t given marriage a second thought. 

On May 26 of that year, they were married.  “I had always heard that marriages were made in heaven,” Robert said, “now I believe it is true.  This is the happiest time of my life”

--Soul Shaping: Disciplines that Conform you to the Image of Christ, p. 82-83 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson. For more information on Soul Shaping, go to www.soulshaping.net

What if Robert had passed the voice of God off as a silly premonition? Sometimes, we have to put feet to our prayers and go after what we’ve asked for.

Matthew 7:7 (CEV) “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”

 PRAYER

Every day, come rain or shine, Bill hits the pavement and puts in three to five miles jogging. He’s was the picture of health up until the moment that he almost died.

One morning, after his run, he started itching all over his body, was light-headed and had a growing sense of fatigue and dread.  He lay down on the den floor and elevated his feet, trying to force blood to his brain.  Instead of lessening his symptoms, this intensified them.  He tried to get up.  He couldn’t. He was in trouble, serious trouble.  He cried out to God, “Help me make it to the phone.”  He drug himself across the floor into the other room to the foot of the desk when he remembered that the buttons on the phone were broken—he’d managed to make it across the room, but to no avail.  I can’t believe it, he thought.  I’m going to die because I crawled to the wrong phone. About the time he was going to give up, he sensed God telling him to reach for the phone anyway.  He didn’t have the strength to just grab it, so he walked his fingers up the desk and grasped the phone.  “I don’t know if I dialed 911 or if there was an automatic signal,” Bill said, “but within minutes fire rescue was in my home.”

“Lieutenant, I can’t get a pulse.”  The EMT said.  Bill wanted to say, “Try the other wrist,” but he couldn’t muster the strength. They sized up the situation and gave him a shot of epinephrine for anaphylactic shock and transported him to the hospital.  No one knows for sure what caused the reaction, but today Bill carries an Epipen with him everywhere he goes and wears a Medic Alert bracelet with the inscription “exercise induced anaphylaxis,” and he avoids exercising with three hours of eating smoked meats. 

When he got home from the hospital, he walked over to the desk and picked up the phone that had saved his life.  He tried to dial out on it, but was unsuccessful.  The phone was broke.  It didn’t work.  It didn’t before, and it hasn’t since. The only time it worked was the time his life was depending on it—the time God used it to answer his prayer.

--Soul Shaping: Disciplines that Conform you to the Image of Christ, p. 38 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson. For more information on Soul Shaping, go to www.soulshaping.net

Matthew 7:7 (CEV) “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”

Have you ever notice how much of our prayer life consists of asking God for stuff?

In Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a relentless God, Francis Chan writes “The best things in life are gifts from the one who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?”

--Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a relentless God, p. 62. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Mark 1:35 (HCSB) “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.”

Though there is a growing movement to pray for outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens as he suffers from cancer, Hitchens insists believers do not need to pray for him.  Hitchens contends in his latest book that organized religion is the main source of hatred in the world today. In an interview Hitchens said he was glad people were praying for his recovery but he would never  turn from his beliefs while still lucid. 

In June 2010 Hitchens as diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, the same disease that claimed the life of his father.   Though Hitchens seems largely unaffected by the prayers earlier, in an article appearing in Vanity Fair magazine in October, the atheist said prayer presented him with a “secular problem.” He asked, “What if I pulled through and the pious faction contentedly claimed that their prayers had been answered? That would be irritating.” He added asked believers not to trouble “deaf heaven” with your prayers, “Unless, of course it makes you feel better.”

--Hitchens: Don’t Trouble ‘Deaf Heaven’ With Prayers For Me, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100907/hitchens-dont-trouble-deaf-heaven-with-prayers-for-me/index.html;  September 7, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Romans 12:16-18 (CEV) “Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. (17) Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, (18) and do your best to live at peace with everyone.”

Lt. Louie Zamperini and his two raft partners were in their sixth day floating in the Pacific without water. “On the sixth day without water, the men recognized that they weren’t going to last much longer.” Desperate, they took desperate measures. “They bowed their heads together as Louie prayed.” 

“The next day, by divine intervention or the fickle humors of the tropics, the sky broke open and rain poured down. Twice more the water ran out, twice more they prayed, and twice more the rain came. The showers gave them just enough water to last a short while longer.” 

--Hillenbrand, Laura; Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. New York; Random House; 2010 ch. 14 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The miracles kept on coming and the aviators survived 47 days afloat in the Pacific Ocean. After experiencing Japanese POW camps until the end of the war, they survived the war as well. “Give us this day, our daily bread.” 

Matthew 6:11 (NIV) Give us today our daily bread. 

The news that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had been shot in Tucson Arizona shocked the nation. Afterwards a survey conducted by Fox News examined opinions held by Americans about the event. One of the most interesting results from that survey indicated most Americans believed prayer played a role in Giffords’ remarkable recovery. The poll found 77 percent of American voters said they believed prayer literally helped Giffords survive the shooting. Seventeen percent said they did not think prayer played a role, and six percent were not sure the role prayer had. 

When the results were broken down, they revealed most of the people who believed prayer played a role in Giffords’ survival were white born–again Christians. 91 percent of those who believed prayer impacted her recovery regularly attended religious services, and 91 percent of black respondents said they thought prayer was important in Giffords’ recovery. Women were more likely than men to attribute the congresswoman’s survival to prayer. Political affiliation appeared to have only a small impact on the results. 84 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats agreed that prayer saved Giffords’ life. 

--Poll: 8 in 10 Say prayer saved Giffords, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110121/poll-8-in-10-say-prayer-saved-giffords / January 21, 2011,  Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 5:15-16 (HCSB) “The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (16) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” 

A question and answer session at a Desiring God conference turned into somewhat of a confession session for both the audience and the panel leading the discussion. Earlier in the conference well-known speaker, Francis Chan had spoken about God’s faithfulness in hearing and answering prayers. The talk apparently discouraged some of the pastors attending. During the panel discussion, many spoke of difficulties in their prayer lives. One person said, ”It’s caused me to struggle in my ministry and in leading people because I don’t feel like even though I do it that I can see the specific intervening of the hand of God.” Another said, “If you abide in me and my Word abides in you, ask what you will and it will be done. This never happens in my ministry.”

Chan struggled to find the right words, but said, “I want to be careful because we’re talking about Scriptures here and all of my belief in what prayer does comes from the Scriptures. I think there should be even more answers to prayer because of what I read in the Scriptures.” Pastor John Piper agreed with Cahn and challenging pastors to examine their lives.” He added, “It’s either give up on Him and go sell insurance…or say I’ll trust you (God).’”

Pastors Confess to Weak Prayer Lives, Doubts, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110203/pastors-confess-to-weak-prayer-lives-doubts; February 3, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

This is a difficult topic, and one we all can relate to. The challenge we all face is to continue in the face of adversity, and to continue to put our entire trust in the Lord.

Hebrews 3:12-13 (CEV) My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God.   (13) You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 

If you had the opportunity to address intelligent life forms for outer space, what would you say or ask? That is the question posed in an essay contest sponsored by Arizona State University. Lucy Hawking devised the contest to inspire students from the area to explore questions such as: Are we alone in the universe? or Is life on earth a freak phenomenon?  The contest stipulates essays must answer one of two questions, what would you say to extraterrestrial if earthlings are contacted from outer space? Or If you had to speak for humanity, what would you say?
Hawking, the daughter of famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, stressed the contest is designed to be fun and spark the imaginations of children because they are naturally curious anyway. The winning essays will be sent into space. Radio signals will bounce the winning messages off the moon during an April event on ASU’s Tempe Campus.

Students write to aliens for essay contest, http://www.allvoices.com/news/8321440-students-write-to-aliens-for-essay-contest, February 27, 2011, Illustraton by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Curiosity is a healthy thing, and I applaud Hawking for her ingenuity. No doubt these who participate will learning something, but they won’t get their questions answered.  That can only happen when we pray to God.

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (HCSB) (2) “The LORD who made the earth, the LORD who forms it to establish it, Yahweh is His name, says this: (3) Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. 

Governor Rick Perry of Texas used the Easter weekend of 2001 to call people in his state to ask God for much needed rain. Since the beginning of the year, the Texas Forest Service has responded to more than 800 fires that have damaged some 5,000 structures and blackened more than 1.4 million acres. Dry vegetation have fueled the wildfires in Texas have after a long period of severe drought and water shortages. The fires have called thousands of firefighters into active duty. Two of them died fighting the blazes.

Meteorologists say even two inches of rain would be soaked up so quickly it would hardly make a difference. They say a shift in the overall weather pattern is needed. In his declaration, Governor Perry said, “I..under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three day period from Friday, April 22, 2011 to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas.” The declaration urged Texans of all faiths and traditions to pray “for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal and robust way of life.”

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Prayer days for Rain Amid Wildfires, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/23/texas-governor-asks-residents-pray-rain-amid-extreme-drought; April 22, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Matthew 21:21-22 (CEV) (21) But Jesus said to them, "If you have faith and don't doubt, I promise that you can do what I did to this tree. And you will be able to do even more. You can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will. (22) If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for." 

Pope Benedict XVI may soon be making the first phone call into space in the history of the papacy. NASA officials are arranging for the Pope to make the call to two Italian astronauts onboard the space station. Whether the call will actually occur depends on whether or not the space shuttle Endeavor launches as planned and the Pope's schedule permits.

Such logistical problems are no problem for the true God. Communicating with Him requires no scheduled arrangements or weather circumstances. The Pope may have difficulty speaking to those astronauts, but Jesus can speak to them any time He pleases.

--Space.com- http://www.space.com/11464-pope-calling-space-station-astronauts.html?
utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed) Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Miguel Martinez

Deuteronomy 5:27-28(NASB)   27 'Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.'  28 "The LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

As he looked around at the situation in the country, Texas Governor Rick Perry decided it was time to call for prayer. Governor Perry scheduled a prayer event at Reliant Stadium in Houston, and invited everyone including the nation’s 49 other governors.  In his invitation, Perry described the event in biblical terms saying, “Given the trials that beset our nation and world, from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and continued debasement of our culture, I believe it is time to convene the leaders from each of United States in a day of prayer and fasting, like that described in the book of Joel.”

Though Perry said the event would be non-denominational and apolitical, only two of the nation’s governors responded immediately. Many others declined the invitation citing scheduling conflicts though one signed a proclamation supporting the event and others proclaimed days of prayer in their own states. A few declined saying they had not gotten around to looking at their schedules that far in advance. Mark Jones, a professor of government at Rice University said he wasn’t surprised by the response. He suggested the reasons could be political.  Though Jones predicted the event will be well attended, he thought Republican candidates feared losing support from moderates, and added, “For a democrat there is nothing to be gained by attending, and politically its best for them to quietly decline.”

--2 of 49 governors accept invitation to Perry’s prayer rally, http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/2-of-49-other-governors-accept-invitation-to-1468141.php ; July 15, 2011. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 

Long before the books closed on 2011, the year was one of the costliest in terms of natural disasters in the United States. During the first nine months of the year, there were ten natural disasters with losses of more than $1 billion or more. Though there have been single disasters such as Hurricane Katrina that made other years more costly, authorities said 2011 had seen more individual disasters since they began keep track of the cost in 1980.

There are no definitive answers as to why 2011 has been so extreme. Still weather researchers say the year included a blizzard that stretched from late January to the early days of February, an outbreak of more than 100 tornados in the south in April, flooding in the spring and summer, Hurricane Irene in August, as well as a Summer and Fall filled with devastating wildfires in the southwest and Texas. The drain on the economy at a time when money was already tight worried many more experts. In the nation’s capital, lawmakers worked hard to get disaster relief legislation passed making federal assistance available to the stricken parts of the country as soon as possible. 

--A record year for Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters, http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-record-year-for-billion-dollar-weather-disasters-55251 ; September 8, 2011, Illustraton by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (CEV) (13) Suppose I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat the crops or make my people suffer with deadly diseases. (14) If my own people will humbly pray and turn back to me and stop sinning, then I will answer them from heaven. I will forgive them and make their land fertile once again. 

A Kentucky pastor shocked lawmakers when he opened a recent session of the state legislature. Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort and a professor at Southern In the session, the Governor was scheduled to speak to lawmakers explaining why he wanted them to expand gambling in the state. In his prayer, Pastor York prayed specifically against the expansion, asking lawmakers and the governor “never resort to leverage vice and avarice to pay our bills.”

Some of those present accused the pastor of trying to use prayer to encourage lawmakers to make decision consistent with God’s “eternal character and will.” York told reporters that if he is invited back, he will pray what is on his mind. He said, “It strikes me that they really want (in the legislature) is a meaningless prayer. If you pray a meaningless prayer, no one objects, But if you pray something meaningful, something that really is the desire of your heart, or if you even pray in the name of Jesus, there are some members who object.” 

--Pastor not inclined to ‘meaningless prayer’, http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1522860 ; January 26, 2012,  Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Matthew 6:7-8 (GW) “When you pray, don't ramble like heathens who think they'll be heard if they talk a lot. (8) Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

A food pantry in Indiana recently lost the opportunity to distribute federal food items because the agency that administers the federal program for the state department of health said the pantry asked clients to pray.  Paul Brock who operates Community provisions of Jackson County said he will not change the way he operates the agency because he never requires clients to pray with him or one of the other volunteers.  Brock told a local paper that they ask clients if they want to have someone pray with them, and if they refuse, they still get food.

The administering agency, Gleaners Food Bank, says federal regulations state that no religious service or teachings can be required in conjunction with receiving service. Since many food pantries have ties to churches, they suggest that faith based operations offer brochures or set aside a separate room for prayer while complying with regulations.  Brock said his agency serves 90 to 100 families a week, and the loss impacts about 15 percent of their program. He plans to appeal the decision to the state health department, and added, ”I’m just a nobody trying to help people out. I also believe in the power of prayer. Prayer’s not the sole answer, but it can’t hurt.”

--Pantry loses federal food over prayer, http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/pantry-loses-federal-food-over-prayer ; March 12, 2012, Submitted by Jim Sandell.

Isaiah 58:7-8 (CEV) (7) Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless. Give clothes to those in need; don't turn away your relatives. (8) Then your light will shine like the dawning sun, and you will quickly be healed. Your honesty will protect you as you advance, and the glory of the LORD will defend you from behind. 

One of the cities hit hard by a tornado outbreak in Spring 2012, was East Bernstadt, Kentucky. Five people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a twister swept through the area. Though everyone will remember the day, Jason Jackson says he will always look back on the way the Lord intervened in the life of his family that day. Jackson was one of those injured by the storm, but the father of two says he was fortunate to be alive.

Jackson had just arrived home from work, when his children Brooke, 6, and Jacob, 3, asked him about a rumbling noise from outside. When Jackson opened the door, the tornado was right in front of him. With no time to run or find a place to hide, the father of two grabbed his children and hit the floor. He began to pray that God would keep his children safe. 

The next thing he knew, all three were blown out through a hole in the wall. He managed to hold onto his son, but the tornado ripped his daughter from his grasp.  Jackson said he blacked out after that and came to about 100 yards away with his son sitting on him and patting him on the face to wake him up. He feared for his daughter, but was overjoyed to find her safe at a sister’s home a few doors away.  Jackson said, as he dove for the floor he cried, “God, I don’t ask you for a whole lot..but just this one time I’m going to ask you just don’t let this hurt my babies. Just don’t let this hurt my babies.”  Now that the family is recovering, Jackson is sure God answered his prayers that afternoon.

--Kentucky tornado victim’s miracle survival, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57391081/kentucky-tornado-victims-miracle-survival;  March 5, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 7:7 (HCSB) “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 

During World War II, England instituted the "Big Ben Minute,” as a catalyst to enlist citizen to prayer for the defeat of Germany’s Third Reich. Now the president of a Christian publishing company in Maryland is calling on the people of the United States to begin a daily minute of prayer to defeat evil in this land. Brad Fenichel, founder of Saddle Mountain Communications, recently released a book entitled, “The Big Ben Moment,” which provides an insider’s look at how the prayer movement of that day changed the direction of the war. Many people of faith believed the moment of prayer was partly responsible for allied victory. In the preface, Fenichel includes an interview from a Nazi officer who told interrogators that Germany did not have a counter measure for the Silent Minute.

Fenichel says believers of all denominations observe the National Day of Prayer every May, but he fells a regularly observed prayer time is needed, especially in a critical election year such as 2012.  He says America needs a time such as the British observed when they stopped to pray when the chimes of Big Ben would ring at 9PM.  Fenichel says those who have a relationship with God should not have a problem recognizing the need to pray, asking the Lord to “humbly, sincerely, relentlessly, and concertedly – to intervene and work His miracles.” He added, “it’s imperative that we reach into the same arsenal of history and discover the weapon that defeated Adolph Hitler.” 

--Time for US to Have its “Big Ben Minute’ to defeat Evil?, April 17, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Mark 11:24 CEV  Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith. 

After the Advertising Standards Authority in England ordered a Christian group in the town of Bath to stop advertising that “God can heal,” a group of believers in Parliament wrote the group asking them to prove that prayer does not work. In an attempt to overturn a ban on advertising claims about God’s ability to heal, a letter sent on behalf of the group Christians in Parliament asked the ASA to “produce ‘indisputable scientific evidence’” that prayer would not work. 

The members of Parliament sent the note to support after the Healing on the Streets ministry was told to stop distributing pamphlets from their website asking if people needed healing, and then promising God could heal.  In the open letter Parliament members Gary Streeter, Gavin Shuker, and Tim Farron said “they would “be the first to accept that prayed for people do not always get healed, but sometimes they do.’”  The group said that was really all the group of believers form Bath were claiming in their ads.   Mr. Streeter added a personal note telling how he had received divine healing for an injured hand at a church meeting.  He added, “After that prayer meeting, my hand was immediately free from pain and has been ever since.”

--Christian MPs take stand on divine healing, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-17533574; April 1, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 5:15-16 (MSG) (15) Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out. (16) Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. 

Many Christians across the country set aside the first Thursday in May as the National day of Reason.”   The date began in competition to the National Day of Prayer when the groups decided to offer some Americans an alternative.  Those who observe the day encourage others to spend the day performing community service projects or helping their friends and neighbors. These groups claim they want to support reason as the way to solve the country’s problems. 

The official website for the national Day of Prayer says the first Thursday in May is not political, nor exclusively Christian.  It says the day is offered to everyone regardless of affiliation, to celebrate their faith through prayer.  It belongs to all Americans and is not owned or sponsored by one group in particular.   Lauren Anderson Youngblood, a spokesperson for the Secular Coalition for America, says the day is about raising awareness and making everyone feel included.  Youngblood said, “We’re not specifically against prayer, yet we wanted to offer an alternative so that many Americans would not feel like second class citizens when the nation is told to pray.” 

--National Day of Reason set to Compete With 2012 Day of Prayer,  http://www.christianpost.com/news/national-day-of-reason-set-to-compete-with-2012-day-of-prayer-74125; April 25, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Isaiah 1:18 (ESV) “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 

Recent political upheaval in the nation of Egypt has left many believers in that country and around the world fearful of what might happen next. There are many concerns about the future of religious expression in that country after the newly elected president takes office. Despite concerns, one seminary professor from New Orleans says the thing to do is remember than God is still in control and He asks us to pray, not worry. Coptic Christians make up about ten percent of Egypt’s population, and they are concerned with the results of the recent election. Most of them supported the candidate that lost in a close runoff election. Many have fled the country because of the uncertainty.

Professor Mike Edens from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary said he is convinced that the Lord that can and will still work in the nation. He said when things don’t go the way we would like, the key is prayer. He urged Christians in Egypt and every country to pray for the leaders, as the Bible instructs. Edens, a former missionary, said, "The living God is not limited to using only people who acknowledge Him for His purposes in world government. He is the only God and is moving the world of people toward an appointment with Him," --Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Seminary Prof: God is still in control in Egypt, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=38134 ; June 25, 2012, 

Philippians 4:6 GNB  Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. 

PRAYER

When sixth-grader Genaro Coronado organized a “See You at the Pole” event at his school, he envisioned being joined by two dozen or so students.   He was excited that morning at he headed to school because he had been praying and asking the Lord to bring out other students. When Coronado arrived, he was the only one there, so he waited and silently prayed, asking the Lord to send more people.  After a few minutes, a female classmate joined Coronado, and they began to pray for their school, their classmates, their city, and more. As the minutes, passed five more students eventually joined them, and they continued to pray around the flagpole.  Afterward, Coronado walked away happy, and promised to be back next year because he had seen God answer prayer firsthand. Coronado said, “I was just waiting. I knew God was going to do something.”  He added,”"It felt weird kinda, but I just prayed that God would bring me more people. And he did."— Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Power of prayer: Sixth-grader finds faith at school flag pole, by Marvin Hurst, http://www.kens5.com/news/The-power-of-prayer-San-Antonio-sixth-grader-takes-a-stand-171359221.html, Accessed September 27, 2012.

Matthew 21:22 (HCSB) And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” 

After the 2012 shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, many suggestions have been made to prevent such occurrences in the future. One of the most unique approaches has come from Texas Governor, Rick Perry. He recommended prayer as a way to combat violence in the United States. He said evil has many ways of getting into the minds of people, and new laws will not stop it. Perry said, “As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be. Let us all return to our places of worship and pray for help. Above all, let us pray for our children.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Says Prayer, Not Gun Control, Key to Ending Violence, by Katherine Weber, http://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-gov-rick-perry-says-prayer-not-gun-control-key-to-ending-violence-88454, Accessed January 17, 2013.

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 

After John Hinckly, Jr. shot President Reagan, Reagan woke up in the hospital recovery room with his wife Nancy at his side looking down at him and extremely upset. Reagan always joked with Nancy when she was upset, so he said, “Honey, I forgot to duck.” That’s what the great fighter Jack Dempsey said to his wife the night he was beaten by Gene Tunney for the heavyweight championship. Reagan’s humor in the hospital became legendary.

Unknown to many at the time was that when President Reagan was in the ER he prayed for Jim Brady and the others who had been shot. He later said that he couldn’t ask God to heal Jim and the others while feeling hatred for the man who shot them, so he asked God to help the man deal with whatever demons had made him shoot them. --Jim L. Wilson and Steve Long
 

--Peggy Noonan, When Character Was King

Prayer isn’t complicated. It’s talking to God about life.

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV) (44) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45) so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

Joshua Venuthurapalli says he was a young man headed for trouble, but his life changed because Jesus answered his prayer and sent angels to protect him. Joshua’s father died when he was only a child. Though he was born into the Hindu high-caste Brahmin, without a father figure he soon became involved in gang activities. Joshua also developed a relationship with a man named Mr. Samuel, who was a Christian and shared the gospel with him though Joshua didn’t pay much attention.  One evening, everything changed when members of a rival gang were looking to eliminate Joshua’s gang. Several of them started pursuing Joshua, and he was quickly trapped with no way of escape. He began praying to his Hindu gods, but nothing happened. As the gang members got closer, he suddenly remembered what Mr. Samuel had told him about Jesus. He prayed and asked Jesus to help him. When he opened his eyes, Joshua was surprised to see that there was no one else around him. The gang members had left. 

A few days later he learned that the gang members were planning to kill Joshua, but were intimated and frightened by several muscular men standing near him. Joshua says he never saw those “rescuers,” but they were real to his attackers. He also knew Jesus had sent his angels to protect him. After that he left the gang, and gave his life to Jesus. Joshua says, “I realized that the Lord really sent His angels to save me. I gave up the leadership of the gang and learned more about the Bible.”—  Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Under attack, a Hindu prays to Jesus, and angels intervene, by Mark Ellis, http://blog.godreports.com/2013/04/under-attack-a-hindu-prays-to-jesus-and-angels-intervene, Accessed April 12, 2013.

Psalm 91:14 (ESV) “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 

When Mary Owen set out to climb Mount Hood in Oregon, she expected to make the ascent and return quickly. She filed the proper paperwork and set out alone to conquer the mountain. On her climb, a storm struck, and white-out conditions forced her to turn around. She got lost descending the mountain and ended up making a shelter in a canyon. When she tried to climb out the next morning, she fell 40 feet, hurting her leg and ankle. Due to the injuries, Owen decided to wait to be rescued, but quickly began to wonder why no one seemed to be searching for her.  She used the survival skills she had learned and waited. Then on the fifth night, Owen sensed that things were about to get better. She spotted an airplane the next day, and then dreamed that she would be rescued by a helicopter. The next day, that is exactly what happened. Owen told reporters that at first she could feel that no-one was praying for her, but after a couple of days, she began to sense that people were praying and that was an encouragement. She said, “I woke up with this sense of peace from thousands of people praying for me. It was really, really powerful.” 

Rescued Hiker  says she could feel people’s prayers—  Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
Mary Owen details week-long survival on Mt. Hood, by Wayne Havrelly, http://www.kgw.com/news/Mary-Owen-details-week-long-survival-on-Mt-Hood--200807991.html, Accessed March 31. 2013.

James 5:16 (ESV) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 

A South Florida church provides “instant salvation” for busy motorists by offering a drive-thru prayer service. If you need a quick prayer, you drive up to the window and a clergy member will pray for you, and then you are back on the road. 

Out of the 24-hour day (1440 minutes), are we so busy in our own lives that we need a drive-thru prayer service?. –Jim L. Wilson and Joe Lam

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/drive-thru-prayer-delivers-god-150007732--abc-news-topstories.html

Colossians 4:2 (ESV) Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 

In Feb 2014, the news surfaced, about Judge Ciavarella, who had sentenced, around 3,000 children to months of detention after they had committed minor infractions. This corrupt judge was later sentenced to 28 years in prison for accepting $2.2 million as a finder’s fee for the construction of a for-profit facility, the same facility to which he had been sending these 3000 so-called delinquents. Corrupt judges, like this one, do not fear God or man. –Jim L. Wilson and Marla Harper

http://nypost.com/2014/02/23/film-details-teens-struggles-in-state-detention-in-payoff-scandal/

However, the Bible indicates, that even a corrupt judge will respond to the persistent pleas of people.

Luke 18:1-8 (HCSB) He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged: (2) “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect man. (3) And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ (4) “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, (5) yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’” (6) Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. (7) Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay ?to help? them? (8) I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?” 

When a brain tumor took away Dorothy Holm’s ability to speak, she picked up index cards and began filling them with what appeared to be random sequences of letters. When Dorothy passed away in 1996, her 11-year-old granddaughter, Janna kept the cards, thinking they might be some kind of coded message. Holm waited eighteen more years before finally finding the meaning of the letters. As a teenager, she thought the letters might be song lyrics, or a secret message to the grandchildren, but eventually gave up when she could not figure out the meaning.  Not long ago, she posted a picture of one of the cards on an Internet site, and had an answer within fifteen minutes. Someone using the site recognized the letters OFWAIHHBTN as the first letter of the words in the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Holm said she was relieved to have an answer, even if she will never know what the letters stand for. She said, “It’s nice to know that they were prayers, and kind of gave some insight into what she was thinking and what she focused on in her last couple weeks. I don’t care if a little bit of it never gets solved. It’s OK to have a little bit of mystery.”  —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Internet Community Helps Crack Grandma's Code (prayer), By Amy Forliti,
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/internet-community-helps-crack-grandmas-code-21630824, Accessed January 23, 2014.

Matthew 6:9-13 (HCSB) (9) “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. (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 do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.] 

In a Georgia, a mall security guard and later, the management told a women’s power walking group they could not pray before beginning their walk. However, a North Carolina Diner the owner offers a 15 percent discount to all who pray or meditate before their meal.

While the Georgia mall management believes allowing a group of women to pray before walking is bad for business, the diner owner believes it is good for everyone. Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

--The Week, August 15, 2014, p. 4

Truth is, while one group may reward public prayer, while another forbids it—no one can stop believers from praying as they go through life—unless they choose not to pray.

Ephesians 6:18 (HCSB) Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 

Joan Baez was a 1960’s style activist, who was always working on a cause. During the Vietnam War she traveled to Hanoi and was caught up in an American bombing campaign on the North Vietnamese capital that lasted 12 days. “We spent the whole time in the basement of our hotel. I thought I was going to die. But I learned something—when the flames start coming toward you, everyone starts praying, even the atheists.” -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, September 19, 2014, p. 10

Jonah 2:7-9 (HCSB) As my life was fading away, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came to You, to Your holy temple. (8) Those who cling to worthless idols forsake faithful love, (9) but as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD! 

The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was one of the cities expected to fall under the control of pro-Russian separatists in the current conflict in that region. Instead, the city remains relatively peaceful and safe. Many people there say that is because of a prayer group that meets daily to pray for city. One of the prayer group members, Nadia, says the city is under God’s wing of protection. The group started praying for their city when the current turmoil began and has continued to grow. Now, nearly 200 people gather to pray each day, regardless of weather or other factors. Nadia says it is common for people from different religious backgrounds to pray alongside each other.  She says she hopes that the group will continue to pray daily even after the conflict ends. She adds, “These students understand that they are fighting for their future on their knees. I would like to come here every morning. Maybe even until the Lord returns."—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Prayer draws 'God's wing of protection' over Ukrainian city, By Marc Ira Hooks,  http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=43062&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0730 , Accessed July 30, 2014.

Psalm 6:9 (HCSB) The LORD has heard my plea for help; the LORD accepts my prayer. 

Piedmont High School in Alabama had a long tradition of allowing public prayers before sporting events. After receiving a complaint from a local resident, the school announced that the practice would have to stop. The school said fans and players could still pray on their own, but the sound system could not be used.  In response to the statement, a large of parents and students gathered on the field, held hands in a circle before the game to act as their own loudspeaker. The group was so large that it spanned from sideline to sideline and 60 yards down the field. The group recited the Lord’s Prayer together before the game.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Piedmont ends prayer using stadium public address system,  http://www.local12.com/news/features/around-the-web/stories/piedmont-ends-prayer-using-stadium-public-address-system-wkrc.shtml, Accessed November 17, 2014.
 

1 Peter 3:12 (NKJV) “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 

For believers there has never been any doubt that prayer can heal the sick. Now, medical research from hospitals and universities has also shown that belief in God is good for people, and that helps people live longer, healthier, and happier lives.  Dr. Harold Koenig from Duke University says an analysis of 1,500 reputable studies found that people who are more religious and pray have better mental and physical health. On top of that, studies looking at a link between regular worship attendance and health show that regular churchgoers live longer. On average, there is a seven-year difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly. Koenig says part of the difference is that involvement in a faith community helps people cope with stress better and they experience greater well-being because they have more hope. Koenig said the studies found that prayer has a remarkable effect on patients with hearing and visual deficiencies. He added, “They have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and probably better cardiovascular functioning.”--Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Science Proves the Healing Power of Prayer,
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/prayer-health-faith-medicine/2015/03/31/id/635623, Accessed March 31, 2015.

James 5:16 (HCSB) (16) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. 
 

PRAYER

Growing up in Romania, Izabella knew that authorities did not allow people to go to church, have a bible, or openly talk about God. When she was seven years old, she and her brother found a Bible hidden in the floor of their house, but neither of them knew what the book was. A few years later, someone invited her to go to an underground church, and she and her brother attended. Izabella was surprised when the pastor read from a big book, and she heard a story she knew from the book they had found hidden in the floor.  Izabella asked the pastor about prayer because she wanted to pray for snow. He said just talk to God like He is your best friend. Tell him what’s on your mind and he will answer. 

Izabella prayed for months, but no snow came. She asked the pastor again, and he told her that God might have something different in mind. After Christmas, some trucks came to their town with boxes for the children from Operation Christmas Child. When Izabella opened her box she was drawn to a small globe-shaped object inside. When she shook it, beautiful snow flurries lit up the inside. She knew God had answered her prayer in a way that made her feel His warm smile. She said, “It felt like it was snowing all around me.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Children in communist Romania found Bible hidden under floor; God answered prayer in unexpected way, By Mark Ellis, http://blog.godreports.com/2015/06/children-in-communist-romania-found-bible-hidden-under-floor-god-answered-prayer-in-unexpected-way,  Accessed June 10, 2015.

Philippians 4:6 (HCSB) (6) Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition 
 

Prayer

Just before Christmas in 2015, Stephen Roseman posted a picture on Facebook of a dog with the caption "badly burned and disfigured trying to save his family from a house fire. One like=one prayer, one share=ten prayers." Thousands of users responded.

The good news is that the dog is OK, but it was not because of gullible people liking or sharing the post, it was because there was never anything wrong with the dog in the first place—the picture was of a dog with a slice of deli meat on its face, not of an injured animal. —Jim L. Wilson

-- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/millions-of-prayers-go-out-to-dog-afflicted-with-ham-on-face_5684177ce4b06fa68881b2e8?cps=gravity_2377_9112421761054179687

While it is tempting to say that those who liked or shared the post have egg on their face for praying for a dog with ham on its face, I’d rather just comment that God is always ready to hear the prayers of His people.

Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB) “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.”

Prayer

In “Giving & Receiving,” Bryan Catherman writes, “It is clear that God wants us to communicate with Him.  He desires that we pray and ask him to meet our needs.  He wants to provide for us.  In order that we recognize his goodness, God directs us to ask and become keenly aware of him before he delivers his blessing.  He yearns for us to bring our needs to his attention.  If this were not the case, Jesus would not have told us to ask, seek, and knock.” —Jim L. Wilson

Living the Sermon on the Mount, 85.

Matthew 7:7 (HCSB) “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For more information on Living the Sermon on the Mount, go to: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1523787473/fm082-20

PRAYER

Employees at a Dutch Brothers coffee stand in Vancouver Washington stopped and prayed with a woman whose husband had died the night before. Another customer saw the workers consoling the woman while she was at the drive-through and shared it through social media. Barbara Danner said, “When the DB guys and gals noticed she was falling apart, they stopped everything and prayed for her for several minutes, invited her to come back for prayer and support, as well as anything else that she might need.” —Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell.

Photo of Dutch Bros. workers praying with customer goes viral, By Nate Hanson,http://www.king5.com/features/photo-of-dutch-bros-workers-praying-with-customer-goes-viral/97843697, Accessed March 23, 2016.

James 5:16 (HCSB) “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

PRAYER

A church in downtown Detroit is working to encourage the renewal of the area by introducing a spiritual component. ST. John’s Episcopal Church is located next door to Comerica Park and has a prime location, so they installed a wooden prayer wall, 9 feet high. The church says the wall is a way for them to connect to the community and provide spiritual input to the area. Church member Joel Alff was inspired to complete the project after he saw a similar structure designed to resemble the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Alff presented the idea to the church and then enlisted a neighbor to help build it. The church will collect the prayer requests from the structure and pray over them. Alff said, “I’d like to do it when people are going to the games, so people and see it. We’re serious. You put your prayer in there, we’re going to pray awfully hard that it gets answered.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Detroit church raises prayer wall amid downtown crowd, By Mark Hicks, http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/religion/2016/04/02/detroit-church-raises-prayer-wall-amid-downtown-crowd/82548766, Accessed April 2, 2016.

James 5:16 (HCSB) “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

PRAYER

Colonel Sanders has made it so you never have to be without the taste of fried chicken, either the original flavor or the hot and spicy version. The flavor comes in a nail polish. After using it on your nails, the taste of the chicken is literally at your fingertips the rest of the day. You will never be far from your chicken.

That is not something most of us would care about. However, there is something else, or perhaps I should say, someone, who is at your fingertips 24/7. Jesus, our friend who sticks closer than a brother is always there for us to talk to. That is much more attractive than having nails that are Finger Licking Good. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World, May 28, 2016 p. 22

Proverbs 18:24 (HCSB) “A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.”

PRAYER

In early 2015, doctors diagnosed Mark Hall with kidney cancer. Before the news, he was on top of the world. His band, Casting Crowns had experienced great success in the recent months and years, his family was doing well, the accolades were stacking up, but none of that prepared him to hear those three words, “You have cancer.”

Mark prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. Being a youth pastor, Mark had taught countless lessons on trusting God through the difficult times, to have faith when the world around you crumbles, the power of prayer, and the need for support during hard times. This time the tables were turned and Mark would have to practice what he preached.

Mark said, “You never speak louder to the world about your faith than when you’re in a storm.” This was his storm, and his faith would have the chance to speak volumes, especially to those who were in a storm of their own.

Mark had surgery to remove the kidney, and by a miracle of God, the cancer had not spread. His faith through his storm has encouraged and helped countless numbers of people. –Jim L. Wilson and Eric Gibbs

--https://www.guideposts.org/comfort-hope/what-cancer-taught-casting-crowns-mark-hall?nopaging=1

Philippians 4:6–7 (HCSB) “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

PRAYER

When Louisville Kentucky hosted the Challenge Conference, organizers set up temporary prayer stations around city hoping to make a lasting impact. The Evangelical Free Church of America hosts the student conference every two years. They spend the time between conferences to plan prayer stations or prayer walks in the host city so there is some impact when the conference ends. In Louisville, hundreds of students set up eight prayer stations around the city, and planned service projects to clean up local parks. Outreach Director Nic Schrieber said it was not a coincidence that they brought the prayer stations at a time when the city’s homicide rate was soaring. He said, “There have been people who just broke down crying, because they’re so thankful at this specific time, were praying for them.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Prayer stations pop up in Louisville, By Kasey Cunningham,http://www.wave3.com/story/32378869/prayer-stations-pop-up-in-the-city, Accessed July 5, 2016.

James 5:16 (HCSB)  “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

PRAYER

In March 2016, Dominic Liples was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of brain cancer that affected the muscles on one side of his body. His family requested prayer for their son. They know the survival rate for his kind of cancer is not good, and treatment is usually very effective. His mother and father, Ken and Kira, work to kept everyone up-to-date with the latest news. They said Dominic has become an inspiration to many adults because he is not discouraged, and continuing to trust in Jesus through his ordeal. Kira said she is not sure how long she will have Dominic and she needs God to intervene. She added, ”Prayer is all I ask for, because it’s the only thing that will help.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Social Media Rallies Prayer for Young Boy, By Dan Van Veen,

http://penews.org/features/social-media-rallies-prayer-for-young-boy, Accessed July 27, 2016.

James 5:16 (HCSB) “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

PRAYER

If travelers at the airport in Stuttgart, Germany feel a little nervous before a flight, all they have to do is step into a booth and listen to prayer. The prayer booth located in Terminal 3 features 300 prayers from various religious backgrounds offered in 65 languages, including a Jewish prayer and the Lord’s Prayer for Christians. The booth, designed by a Berlin artist is small and only accommodates one person at a time, but all of the prayers are free.–Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

German Airport Offers Prayer Booth in 65 Languages, http://www.klove.com/news/2017/05/05/German-Airport-Offers-Prayer-Booth-In-65-Languages, Accessed May 6, 2017.

Philippians 4:6 (CSB) “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

PRAYER

Dawlat Abouna is a deacon in St. George's Church in Bagdad, Iraq. He comes from a family with a rich history of Christianity. Recently Mindy Belz asked him about their worship services. With so much turmoil in Iraq how is the church doing?

His answer was both surprising and encouraging. “We have started two new groups here at the church—one to pray for our persecuted brothers in the North, and one to pray for our enemies.”

I have never heard of a prayer meeting specifically to pray for enemies. The enemy of the church in Iraq is formidable yet this church has a group specifically dedicated to praying for their enemies.

This might be something the church in America could emulate. Perhaps we could see a lessening of the political polarization. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Mindy Belz, “How does the Church Move the World “ World Magazine May 27, 2017 p 28

Matthew 5:10–11 (CSB) “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.”

PRAYING

In this time of polarization in our country it seems as if our society is fracturing. There is more racial and political tension today than in recent history. Social media plays some part, allowing anyone to blog, post to Facebook, or Tweet. Few of us have avoided the name calling and insults that seems to be common, even in the news media.

Mindy Belz, writing in World Magazine, calls for Christians to pause to pray before we post. She is committed to praying for others that are making her life hard. She adds, “praying for enemies has a dividend: It tends to cast out fear, Over and over in the book of Acts we see the early church praying boldly, suffering mightily, thanking its persecutors for scattering its people, and doing it all over again. It may look as if the church is being pushed around, but in reality it's how the church moves the world.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Mindy Belz, “How does the Church Move the World” World Magazine May 27, 2017 p 28

Matthew 5:44 (CSB) “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

PRAYER

One Chinese Grandma’s superstition not only didn’t give her good luck, it caused a five-hour flight delay. Hoping to bring good luck she tossed several coins into the engine of the plane she was about to board. One of the coins entered the engine and forced the delay as mechanics checked for damage.

What superstitions do you have? Maybe you wouldn’t toss a coin into a plane’s running engine, but what do you do for good luck? In our Christian world view, not even prayer is a good luck charm. Instead we are to trust the providence of God and live depending on His grace.  —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

https://world.wng.org/2017/07/quick_takes_0

Acts 17:22 (CSB) “Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.”

PRAYER

As big transportation construction projects began in New York City, Bishop John Barres is offering daily prayers to help commuters cope. The Bishop is posting one-minute spiritual messages on a video blog. The Diocese says the bishop is aware commuters are facing challenges getting to and from New York City this summer because they are using alternative stations, busses, and ferries. The prayer seems to be working because only a few problems had been reported despite dire predictions. –Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell.

Offering Daily Prayer for NYC Commuters During Transportation Project

http://www.klove.com/news/2017/07/14/Offering-Daily-Prayer-For-NYC-Commuters-During-Transportation-Project, Accessed July 16, 2017.

Romans 12:12 (CSB) “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”

PRAYER

The newest tech gadget is the smart water bottle. You use the included app to connect the bottle to your phone to keep track of how much water you are drinking. The bottle will also remind you to take a drink. Their prices run from $10 to $100.

I am not sure I need a water bottle to continually nag me to take a drink. Perhaps an app to remind me to pray, meditate, and read my Bible would be more helpful. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2017/07/28/smart-water-bottles-are-a-thing-nowshould-you-buy-one/104082720/

3 John 2 (CSB) “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.”

PRAYER

After a madman killed at least 58 people and injured more than 500 others , country music stars urged their fans to pray for the victims and their families. Artists Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Lee Brice, Dylan Scott, and Luke Combs were among those who performed at the concert and urged people to pray. Jake Owen and Jason Aldean asked people to pray for the victims. ON social media, Owens wrote, “I witnessed the most unimaginable event tonight. We are okay. Others aren’t. Please pray.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

'Pray to God': Country Music Stars Pray for Victims After Las Vegas Shooting, http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/october/country-music-stars-pray-for-victims-after-las-vegas-shooting, Accessed October 3, 2017.

Jeremiah 29:12 (CSB)

You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

PRAYER

Modern progressives have taken to ridiculing the sending of thoughts and prayers to the victims of tragedy. After the shootings at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Star Trek actor Will Wheaton tweeted, “The murdered victims were in a church. If prayers did anything, they’d still be alive,” Another said, “I’m getting sick of praying. I want to do something.”

Does prayer constitute taking meaningful, practical action? Or does invoking “thoughts and prayers” merely offer the appearance of acting?

The voice of the church must be strong, echoing the words of a South African Church leader, “Prayer is doing something. You’re petitioning the highest ruler in the universe.”—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2017/1116/Thoughts-and-prayers-For-devout-what-does-it-mean-to-pray-after-tragedy

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB) “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

PRAYER

What can science tell us about praying? Some studies have found that prayer can improve disease outcomes and prolong survival. Others have been less conclusive. But prayer has been shown to be powerful in at least one way. “It triggers the relaxation response, a state of mind-body rest that has been shown to decrease stress, heart rate and blood pressure; alleviate chronic disease symptoms; and even change gene expressions.”

I don’t find my interest in prayer fueled by any of those findings. They are meaningless to me. My experience with prayer is having conversation with a heavenly Father, who loves me, provides for me, and to whom I am eternally grateful for life, both abundant and eternal. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Time, February 26, 2018 p. 73

Psalm 5:3 (CSB)

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.

PRAYER

On July 30, 1945, Japanese torpedoes sank the USS Indianapolis. 900 sailors made it into the water alive but when rescued 5 days later only 316 survived. A new book gives an eyewitness account of the horrors of being in the sea for that period. As they watched their friends slowly die, “one man broke the silence with a prayer. Another soon followed. Soon, every still-sane man in the group had taken a turn, pleading with God for deliverance.” Lyle Umenhoffer, one of the sailors, said he “was pretty sure that any man who was an atheist when the ocean closed over the Indianapolis wasn’t one now.”

From Job sitting in the ashes to Peter sinking under the waves, men and women in the Bible called out to God in their despair. God is faithful to hear us when we call. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, Indianapolis, Simon and Schuster, July 10, 2018. Excerpted in World Magazine, July 21, 2018, p. 24

Psalm 18:6 (CSB)

I called to the Lord in my distress,

and I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

PRAYER

After sealing thousands of dollars of electronic equipment from the Mount Olive AME Zion Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, the thief left behind a note that said, "Pray 4 Me!! Sorry brothers. Save me."

Members of the church responded by praying for him. —Jim L. Wilson

https://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/church-burglar-leaves-apology-note-theft-equipment-57311451

Luke 6:27–28 (CSB)

“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

PRAYER

At 63-years-old, Mélisande Short-Colomb applied to and was accepted as a student at Georgetown University. That is a remarkable story in and of itself, but it gets better. The appeal of her story is not that she began her college career when many people are preparing for retirement, it is the reason she selected Georgetown.

The Georgetown Memory Project works to notify descendants of the “272 people sold by the university in 1838.” Short-Colomb knew that she had descended from slaves, but she didn’t know where they were enslaved. When she learned from the Georgetown Memory Project that her ancestors helped build the buildings at Georgetown, she applied, enrolled, and moved from her Louisiana home to further her education at the university.

When asked about how she felt about “living on a campus that her ancestors helped build,” Short-Colomb said, “I feel good about it. And I feel like we, who are descendants on campus now — there are three of us on campus — I feel like we are the dreams of our ancestors realized. We are prayers that are answered.”—Jim L. Wilson

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/09/19/551356878/starting-school-at-the-university-that-enslaved-her-ancestors

Ephesians 3:19–20 (CSB)

“and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us”

PRAYER

In June 2009, Asia Bibi and her family were the only Christians living in her small village in eastern Pakistan. Her Muslim neighbors were upset at having to share the village well with non-Muslims and demanded she convert to Islam. She responded, “I believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Mohammad ever do to save mankind?" The villagers filed a complaint with the police and Asia was arrested under Pakistan’s blasphemy law. Sixteen months later, she was found guilty and sentenced to hang.

After her conviction, Asia’s husband and five children asked the world to pray for her release. Her case made its way through the appeals process and each time she was denied freedom. Those in Pakistan who spoke up for her release were often killed. Threats of violence forced her family into hiding.

Advocacy groups said the one thing Asia repeatedly asked in all of their conversations with her, was for prayer. On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 3,421 days after her arrest, at her final appeal before execution, the Pakistani Supreme Court set Asia free.

Oftentimes we pray and expect God to immediately answer. Sometimes he does. But sometimes he doesn’t. In those times we can become impatient, even angry. Asia knew that God answers prayer, even if it wasn’t on the timeframe she wanted. Over the course of eight long years, Asia and those who loved her “continued in prayer and did not lose heart” and today she is free. – Jim L. Wilson & Ryan B

 https://www.christianpost.com/voice/asia-bibi-vindicated-but-still-in-danger.html

Luke 18:1–8 (CSB) “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. ² “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. ³ And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ ‘For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’ ‘ ⁶ Then the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? ⁸ I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’”

PRAYER

In March of 2017, Christine Wallace purchased a purse from Wal-Mart.  While clearing out the packaging, she found a hand written note in the bottom of the bag. To her surprise, she discovered a note in mandarin that read, “Inmates in China’s Yingshan Prison work 14 hours a day and are not allowed to rest at noon. We have to work overtime until midnight. People are beaten for not finishing their work. There’s no salt and oil in our meals. The boss pays 2,000 yuan every month for the prison to offer better food, but the food is all consumed by the prison guards. Sick inmates have to pay for their own pills. Prisons in China cannot be compared to prisons in the United States. Horse, cow, goat, pig, dog.”

Not knowing how to respond to this call for help, she sounded the alarm the only way she knew how.  She posted it on the internet, and in a matter of weeks it had almost 3 million views.  However with few clues to follow, nothing happened.  It turns out that this happens relatively frequently with the same results.  A burst of compassion leads to internet wide-hype that dissipates in weeks. —Jim L. Wilson and Eric Laudenslager

-"You buy a purse at Wal-Mart. There’s a note inside from a “Chinese prisoner.” Now what?", Rossalyn A Warren, Vox, October 10 2018, https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/10/17953106/walmart-prison-note-china-factory

I can only imagine the despair behind this letter.  How trapped and alone they must feel.  If only they knew who was near.

Exodus 3:7 (CSB) “Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings,’”

PRAYER

We have so many things to distract us from what is important. It used to be the television that kept us from the important things like prayer and bible study. According to research firm EMarketer the new biggest distraction is our mobile devices. The average adult in America will spend 3 hours 43 minutes a day on a mobile device in 2019, compared with 3 hours 35 minutes watching TV.

Add it up. That is 7 hours and 18 minutes per day. When do they find time to do the important stuff-- finding time to pray, read your bible, and other important activities? Perhaps we could turn off the TV and put down the smart phone. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, June 21, 2019 p.32

Luke 10:41–42 (CSB) The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,  but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

PRAYER

Andrew Brunson, a Presbyterian Elder had been serving as the Pastor of a small congregation in Turkey since the 1990’s. After an unsuccessful coup in Turkey, Pastor Brunson was arrested in October 2016 as one of the conspirators. The US government was finally able to secure his release in October 2018. Speaking at a pre–National Day of Prayer dinner in Washington, D.C., Pastor Brunson talked about the prayers that led to his release from detention in Turkey last year. He said, ‘There was a tsunami of prayer crashing into Turkey.’ –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, May 25, 2019  p. 16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Brunson

I like that. A tsunami of prayer. Where else could we use a tsunami of prayer?

2 Chronicles 7:14 (CSB) and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

PRAYER

While Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt found himself out of the game, with a season-ending injury, he decided to do something different with his spare time. J.J., known for his charity and Foundation work, and his tireless efforts to help and raise support for victims of Hurricane Harvey, gave out his phone number on the internet and asked fans across the country to text him. Much to his surprise, he received over 25,000 texts, which he set about trying to respond to. He told his fans, “It’s just a way for me to connect more directly with you.” What a treat for his fans to hear personally from him!

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/houston-texans-jj-watt-phone-number-text-instagram

Our heavenly Father wants us to communicate directly with Him through prayer.—Jim L. Wilson and Derick Wilson

Matthew 6:6 (CSB)

But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

PRAYER

Brianna Farris, A 16-year-old student at Pell City High School in Alabama has started a prayer locker at her school. The locker is located right outside the Library and she invites students to put their prayer requests in the locker. The first week she received about 10 prayers. When she gets the requests she takes them home and prays for them and then on Sundays, she takes them to church and adds them to the prayer basket.

She keeps the prayer requests in a bag where she continues to pray until there is an answer. She gets requests from students dealing with issues like anxiety, depression, and all things associated with being a teenager.

https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/state_region/alabama-student-starts-prayer-locker-at-high-school/article_d73b1267-fcee-5f7d-9162-dd28d501ccc5.html

Brianna has taken seriously the command to pray for one another. She is an example to all of us of our duty to share the sorrows and joys of others. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 Timothy 2:1 (CSB)

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,

PRAYER

In an article in the Wall Street Journal, columnist Elizabeth Bernstein has written about the benefits of prayer. The onset of the Coronavirus pandemic has increased worldwide interest in prayer. Google searches for prayer has skyrocketed. She interviewed numerous people who have turned to prayer to handle the anxiety and fear.

Some researchers say their studies on prayer show it can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or flight response. It can make you less reactive to negative emotions and less angry.

Other research has shown that the most effective prayer results comes from those who view God in a positive light and themselves as a co-laborer with God.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-science-of-prayer-11589720400

I do not think we need scientific research to convince us of the value of prayer, but it is nice to see our experience with prayer confirmed. When a Christian prays, he is talking to his heavenly father and sees himself as a co-laborer with Christ. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (CSB) “For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

PRAYER

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller says,  “Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.”

— Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller, p. 48

Psalm 16:11 (CSB)

You reveal the path of life to me;

in your presence is abundant joy;

at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

PRAYER

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller says,  “One important sign of an engaged heart is awe before the greatness of God and before the privilege of prayer.”

— Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller, p. 126.

Psalm 140:13 (CSB)

Surely the righteous will praise your name;

the upright will live in your presence.

PRAYER

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller says,  “The famous statement of Jesus to the church in Laodicea—“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev 3: 20)—is often used to call nonbelievers to have faith in Christ. However, an invitation to dining in ancient times was an offer of friendship. Jesus is calling believers to intimate communion with him—to prayer.”

— Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller, p. 128

Revelation 3:20 (CSB)

See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

PRAYER

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller says,  “It is a simple fact that the nearer we get to supreme beauty or intelligence or purity, the more we are aware of our own unsightliness, dullness, and impurity.”

— Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller, p. 134-5.

Isaiah 6:1–5 (CSB)

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another:

      Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies;

      his glory fills the whole earth.

The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

Then I said:

      Woe is me for I am ruined

      because I am a man of unclean lips

      and live among a people of unclean lips,

      and because my eyes have seen the King,

      the LORD of Armies.

PRAYER

How much time do you spend connected to the Internet? When the Pew Research Center researched this issue, they found that 44% of American adults, aged 18-49 years old are almost always online.

-- https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/26/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-are-almost-constantly-online/.

I wonder what results Pew Research would get if they asked the question how many of us are almost always prayerful?

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB)

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER

In You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times, Max Lucado writes, “God’s sovereignty doesn’t negate our responsibility. Just the opposite. It empowers it. When we trust God, we think more clearly and react more decisively.”

You’ll Get Through This, page 150.

Nehemiah 4:9 (CSB)

So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.