Powerful Prayer
November 14, 2019 • Cara Campbell • Exodus 32:7–14, Matthew 6:5–13, John 5:14
We’ve all heard stories of miraculous things happening when people pray. We know from God’s Word that prayer “is powerfully effective” (James 5:16). But perhaps your experience with prayer feels silent. Or maybe God has answered your prayers differently than you expected. So how do we pray in a way that really is “powerfully effective”? . In today’s reading, Moses approached God to plead for his people to be spared after they had sinned against God by building an idol to worship instead of worshiping the one true God. But here’s the interesting part: Moses’ prayer was not just asking for mercy for the people. His prayer was not even for himself, for his reputation as a leader, or for the sake of comfort. . His powerful plea and prayer was for God’s honor and glory to be known. Moses prayed, focusing on God’s faithfulness to the people. He prayed, remembering God’s promises to them. And he prayed his people would be spared from God’s just wrath so that the nations could look on and see God’s powerful hand and marvel at all He had done in and through His people. . What would happen if our prayers were focused on God’s glory rather than our own comfort? What if we prayed with this expectation: “God, I cannot wait to see what You’re going to do here, even if it’s not the answer I want. Show Your strength through me”? . Praying this way takes our eyes off of ourselves and brings them to the One who works mightily on our behalf, even when the outcome isn’t what we hope for. He works in all things and His glory shines, even in our darkest days (Romans 8:28). . So, we can remember what He’s done for us in the past, His faithfulness walking beside us now, and the wonderful hope of His coming kingdom in the future. We can pray expectantly about what He’ll do to show His faithfulness— and His glory—to all who see. • Cara Campbell . • What things are you praying about right now? . • How could you pray for these requests differently by focusing on God’s glory and promises? . This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. 1 John 5:14 (WEB)
He Gone
November 3, 2019 • Heather Risher • 1 John 4:10, Exodus 26:31–33, Matthew 27:35–37, Romans 8:39
We are all human and we all sin, so, until we see Jesus face-to-face, there will be times when we mess up (Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18). . When we stumble, slip, and fall, sometimes it seems impossible to find our way back. We let our failures keep us from going back to our forgiving, loving God, giving them far too much influence in our lives. . Have you ever thought any of the following? . • God could never love me after everything I’ve done. . • He’ll never take me back now. . • He’s probably looking down on me now, thinking, “Well, he gone.” . • What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get it right? . My friend, let me tell you some truth: you are never too far gone. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from God’s love in Christ. . We have sinned and will continue to sin; there is no avoiding it. But the good news is that Jesus Christ, who is God, came to live here as a human and die for our sins. When He died on the cross, He took all our sin with Him. He paid the price for our sins so we don’t have to. . Jesus loves us so much that He died for us and will never leave us. Because of what He did, we find our new identity in Him, not in our sinfulness. He will go to the ends of the earth to find us and love us with all His being. . Jesus tore the veil (our sin) that separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). He rose from the grave and gave us a way to live with Him eternally. . Think about it. We can look at our sin and at that empty tomb and gladly say, “He gone.” • Heather Risher . • What has made you feel like you are too far gone? . • When have you felt this way? Is there anything connecting these times? . • What can you do to remember how loved you are in Christ? . Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (CSB)