Faithbuilder Challenge (recap): PRAYER
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. Phil 4:6-7
Dear Family,
When Nehemiah asked about the Jewish remnant who survived the exile and had returned to Israel and Jerusalem, here was the report he received: “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” Nehemiah was so distraught by the news that he “sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God ofheaven.” After this he prayed a recorded prayer in Neh. 1:5-11, then spoke to King Artaxerxes about a plan to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the
city. Some might think that Nehemiah prayed, then worked the plan he was given. The fact is that prayer WAS the work of God which resulted in the will of God being revealed for Nehemiah to fulfill.
KRCC’s current Faithbuilder challenge is prayer, and we have five major categories we are focusing on. The challenge, which began on Sunday, April 21st is to pray every day for five weeks about five major things. Here they are in order:
–First Week: Our New Pastor Search…then add
–Second Week: The Mission Team To Niños de Mexico…then add
–Third Week: Vacation Bible School…then add
–Fourth Week: Mothers And Families…then add
–Fifth Week: Outreach To Our Community, Friends And Families
So during the last week of our prayer focus we will be praying every day for all five categories. Prayer is the work of God so that we can know and fulfill the work of God!
The five categories we have chosen are of utmost importance in the life of our church and the Kingdom of which we are a part. We are asking the Lord to reveal His will in these areas and to empower us to accomplish it with His help. The Lord has invited us to draw near to Him with the promise that He will draw near to us. He has invited us to pray about everything, recognizing our dependence on Him for everything. He also has promised us that when we do this we will experience His peace and protection. A peace “which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
James 4:2 states, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” If we want to see God moving in our midst and blessing our efforts and lives we must make prayer a priority. And like God did with Nehemiah, He will use us to build
His church as we honor His plan!
In His Strength,
Glenn