April 2007

Prayer Matters
a publication of the Prayer Ministry of Riverchase United Methodist Church
Matters about prayer because prayer matters
April 2007

Purpose: to claim and sustain Riverchase United Methodist Church as a "house of prayer for all people" (Isaiah 56:7) and to encourage one another in prayer


April’s Scripture Focus: Revelation 3:20
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him, and he with me.”

April’s Prayer Focus:
Salvation for those who do not know Christ
Here are some ways to pray specifically for those who do not know Christ
Ask God to give us a burden for lost people (Rom. 9:1-3, 10:1)
Seek God for opportunities for our congregation to witness and invite people to the Lord or to church. (Col 4:2-4)
Repent of fear in witnessing and petition God for church-wide boldness in witnessing. (Eph. 6:17-20, Acts 4:31-32)
Beseech God to give us power to win the lost. (Acts 2:37-38)
Pray for their hearts to be opened to believe. (Acts 16:14)
Praise Him for miracles to happen to bring people to Christ. (Acts 3, Jn 14:12-13)
Invite God to change your life as a sign to the lost. (2 Cor. 5:17)
Anticipate in prayer a great reaping on Sunday from what we have sown. (Gal 6:7-10)


Praise Worthy
Our Lord is definitely worthy of our praise and so often we fail to praise Him or fail to praise Him enough. Today let's praise Him for sending His Son Jesus who reconciled us to God. Let these words from Romans 5:8-11 sink in your heart and give you reason to praise.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have
now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved
from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is
this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Words to Remember
“The more time we spend praising the Lord, the more we will see ourselves and our circumstances grow in wholeness and completeness. That’s because praise softens our hearts and makes them pliable. It also covers us protectively. The more the pliability and covering are maintained, the more quickly our hearts can be molded and healed.”
Stormie Omartian : Praying God’s Will for Your Life
God Answers
We ask many things of God through prayer, and He faithfully answers our prayers. If you have an answered prayer to share, please submit it to Sandyshock@aol.com. Sometimes seeing how God has answered the prayers of others gives us confidence and encouragement in our prayers.
Here are some of the prayers God has answered recently.

* After five months of unemployment a church member has found a job.


* There were nearly 3200 people in attendance at church on Easter Sunday! The highest attendance prior to this was 2600. Praise God for all the people who came to worship Him on Easter!


“Help Me to Pray” : What we learned
This month Joanna Myhre helped us learn about prayer journaling. Prayer journaling can be a way to listen to God and record what we hear. One method we practiced called Lectio Divina allows scripture to become personal for you. Here’s what you do:
* Select a passage of scripture to read.
* After quieting your thoughts and sinking into an awareness of yourself, begin reading the passage of Scripture. Stop whenever a word or phrase catches your attention or slows down your reading.
* Next, meditate upon the word or phrase. Stay with that word or phrase and allow it to minister to you. Seek to allow it to resound deep within you. Consider how this word from God may affect your life.
* Now, respond to God by telling God in prayer what you have discovered. After telling God everything, simply allow yourself to be still and wait in the silence to hear any ways in which God may be responding to your prayer. Rest in the presence of God.

This method can be used with any Bible passage, but here are a few suggested scriptures.
* Let Your Light shine (Matthew 5:13-16a)
* My Burden is Light (Matthew 11:28-30
* Too Many Fish (Luke 5:4-7)
* Clothe Yourselves with Love (Colossians 3:14-16a)
* Be Still (Psalm 46:10-11)
* A New Heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27a)


“Help Me to Pray” : Next Session
Join us Monday, May 14th at 7:00pm for a special Help Me to Pray Session as we go on a Prayer Walk. We’ll meet in S-210 and will practice different styles of prayer as we pray our way around the church campus. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Celebration & Healing Service
Come celebrate all the ways God has answered our prayers and pray for those in need of healing at a special service on Sunday, April 22 at 4:45pm in the sanctuary. Whether you need prayer, want to pray, or just want to be in the midst of prayer, come and join together for this special time.

Prayers Needed for Annual Conference
There will be a prayer vigil going on during Annual Conference this year which takes place June 1st and 2nd. We need people to sign up to pray for the conference anytime day or night. We need SOME who will go to Clearbranch UMC to prayer onsite. Even if you are unable to pray at Clearbranch UMC, you can still participate by praying at your home, office, or wherever you are. Please e-mail Jim Seale at Sealongo@aol.com and indicate if you will be able to pray at Clearbranch.

Pray-Up Events
Would you like to pray for our church but don’t know where to begin? Here are some things to include in your prayers.
· April 19: Cheryl Season and Circle of Love meetings
· April 19 – 22: Chrysalis (Emmaus for Youth) Weekend
· April 22: Bring-a-guest Sunday in SonDay Live!
· Acolyte training
· 4:45pm Celebration and Healing Service
· April 26: Seeker potluck dinner
· Disaster Response Team to Ocean Springs, MS
· April 27: Parents’ Night Out
· April 28: SDL Free Car Wash
· April 29: Special Choir Music during worship
· RUMC Art Show in memory of Melvin Brown
· Bring Your Peeps Night for middle schoolers
· May 2: National Day of Prayer Service
· RUMC Art Show
· May 3-6: Living Waters Emmaus Walk
· May 6: RUMC Art Show
· Lift Ticket (Youth event at RUMC)
· May 13: Mother’s Day – Muffins with Mommy
· Confirmation Sunday
· May 14: Agape & Lamplighter Circles
· Teach Me to Pray – Prayer Walking
· May 16: Children’s Choir Musical
(last dinner and Wed. programming until August 15)

A Prayer For You and A Prayer that Can Be Used By You Each Day
By Jim Savage
Gracious God, I give you thanks for this day, and especially for the gift of Your Son, Jesus of Nazareth. Please forgive me this day, and help me to claim the saving love of Your Son as my Savior once more this day. Forgive me, cleanse me, renew me.

Gracious & saving God, please put a new and right Spirit in my heart, and revive my soul in every possible way that is needed today. I pray that Your Spirit of regeneration will be felt deep in my soul each day for the rest of my life. Mold me, make me after Thy will while I am waiting yielded and still.

So once more Lord I pray: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart Lord Jesus! In Christ I pray.