A Call to Pray

I am one who personally knows that God works through prayer.  My most recent post, But God..., dealt with a very personal journey of faith.  For just over a year, a large group of people from various churches in Ireland and abroad had been praying regarding a government policy that directly affected workers in the church, and in turn, me.  This week I learned that earlier this year, God answered this prayer in a different way than expected, but in a clearer and more secure way.  On Sunday, my personal prayer was answered with great ease, as well as with healing from those related African wounds.  God is good and I am overwhelmed.

That's just one miracle of many, and yet I believe God wants to do more.  He asks us to pray, commands it really.  

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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. 

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 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. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.  

-- James 5:13-18

Today I am praying for my friend who just got out of surgery.  I am praying for my home state which is enduring dangerous drought and heat.  I am praying for my country of residence which has suffered harsh economics, corrupt officials, and tragic religious abuses.  I am praying that His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.  I would love it if you would join me in these prayers.

Even as we pray for these situations closest to our hearts, can I urge you to pray more?  Can we also look beyond our own circles and pray for the desperate situations of the world?  I am involved with 24-7 Prayer, a network of folk all around the world who have taken the initiative to pray in faith, living lives of prayer, mission and justice. You have heard me mention them before in several posts.  Today, Rebecca Dunning posts a call for prayer for the crises in the newly formed Southern Sudan where the northern Sudanese government has ordered the destruction of all the Samaritan's Purse churches and the clearing of the Nuba Mountains.  Now even as I write this, there are news alerts about the explosion that shocked Oslo, Norway today.  This is a broken world and we cannot ignore God's call if we want to see hope brought into these situations.

Even here in the blogosphere, we make an impact.  Our faith is strengthened by our shared stories of God's faithfulness.  How many more stories will we have when we also take the time to pray for each other, our blog followers, our local communities and our world?

Will you take a moment now and pray for these things?  
                                                                         I'll join you.

But God...

Today's story began feeling impossible, but God... 

I have been on a particular faith journey for a while now with a specific issue. Through prayer and perseverance, I have found myself encouraged and confident, walking in full faith.  As the time for resolution merges with the present however, I have found myself susceptible to shakiness, tripping over random potholes of doubt.  I knew this morning would be a critical point in this process, so I had been asking God how to really enact the faith I have in Him.  Without realizing that God was answering my prayer, I awoke overwhelmed with memories of Africa.

I remembered feeling strangled by the wireless lines of countless phone calls at every hour of the day and night, between officials and families, and never with any real news to report.  I remembered the heat from tears that burned my cheeks into a pink mess, mimicking the affects of the equatorial sun.  I remembered the government offices where the necessary stamps were slammed so hard they scarred my consciousness.  But I also remembered the conversations I had out loud with God.  They were desperate hours that left me broken and raw, but still convinced that God would deliver.  Faith was all I had.

No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith 

as he gave glory to God, fully convinced 
that God was able to do what he had promised. 

-- Romans 4:20-21

All the signs pointed to impossible, but God...

God did deliver.  Despite the pain in each of those memories, they came this morning simultaneously with their resolution as I remembered the miraculous ways God placed the children into families.  Despite the sorrow, the memories arrived with the joy of completeness.  Despite the trauma incurred, they resounded with triumph.  God's triumph. With this onslaught of images, God was giving me an emotional reminder of His faithfulness.

Abraham believe God and it was credited to him as righteousness.  He was absolutely convinced of God's ability.  He was looking at God and His nature and not the circumstances of his perceived reality.  God wants us to trust and obey, without worrying about the how and simply persevering in faith, taking God at His word.

Now I still have yet to arrive at the destination of my journey with my particular issue, but God...

God has reminded me of His nature.  My day has been a choice to focus on Him.  He is with me in this and He has paved the way so I don't have to fear.  He is the way, the truth and the light.  He is faithful.

By referencing Abraham, Paul not only encouraged the Romans, but taught us the value of sharing our faith journeys with each other.  They remind us all of the possible nature of God.  Let's build our faith together and share! The glory is His.

For more encouragement, visit Bonnie over at Faith Barista 

where we are keeping it fresh and keeping it real.