Prayer Matters January Edition

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

January’s Scripture Focus:
"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." Hebrews 4:16

January’s Prayer Focus: Children in Crisis
Sometimes the list of issues that need prayer can seem overwhelming and endless. This segment of Prayer Matters is to unite us in prayer by praying together for some of these issues. Each month there will be a different prayer focus. These will be broad concerns that you may want to be praying for specific people or situations that fit in the category as you feel led to pray. For instance, this month's prayer concern is for children in crisis. You might want to pray for children in crisis because of their health (a child with cancer, chronic illness whom you know or whom you do not know), or you might pray for children affected by war, or children affected by divorce. However the Holy Spirit leads you to pray, pray it!

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 God for His greatness and His power. As David prayed in 2 Chronicles 29:10-13:
"Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name."

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.

Words to Remember
From R.A. Torrey in How to Pray, here are some words to remember as we approach our prayer time.
"Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God. Also, we should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing we ask of Him. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit's power, so we should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God, and we should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there."

Getting Started with Prayer
Sometimes we may lack the motivation and desire to pray. We may ask, "Do my prayers really matter?" We don't feel it's our place to "tell God what we want Him to do with His world." Did you know God invites us and commands us to do it? In John 14:12-14 Jesus says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." In Pray magazine Brother Andrew writes that ours "is a sovereign God, and we can and should know His will-and we should do it. But we must also remember that God's plans for us are not chiseled in concrete. Only His character and nature are unchanging; His decisions are not!"

Perhaps we hear others pray and feel our prayer habits are inadequate in comparison. We have to remember that the goal of prayer is to encounter God, not to prove how well we can pray. As Timothy Jones writes in Pray magazine, "I remember more clearly that I pray not to impress God or others, but to allow God to impress me. I become more aware that what He most wants is for me to respond to Him freely, genuinely, and expectantly." Jones also suggests allowing some diversity in your prayer time. Figure out what works for you and vary it from time to time. Also, remember you are a work in progress. Some days are going to be better than others.
from Pray Magazine, Nov/Dec 2006


Help Me to Pray Next Session
Please note the time change for the next Help Me to Pray session. Each month we are discussing a different aspect of prayer, and you are invited to attend as many classes as you’d like. Our next session will be Monday, February 12 from 7:00-8:30 in room S-210. Dr. Don Shockley, a retired Methodist minister and former chaplain of Birmingham Southern, the University of Redlands, and Emory University, will speak with us about Listening Prayer. There will be a nursery available.

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.
· Pray for our Bible study groups: wisdom of the teachers, faithfulness of participants and discipline in study.
· Jan. 12-17 we have a fact finding trip leaving for Jamaica to determine how we might best focus our continuing effort there.
· Jan. 19 Dinner for parents of new babies at RUMC
· Jan. 21 & 28 Lay Involvements forms to be filled out . Pray for commitment of people’s time and talent to the various ministries.
· Feb. 16-18 Discovery Weekend-spiritual retreat at RUMC for middle school students. Pray for the middle schoolers who will participate as well the senior highs and adults leaders.

A Prayer For You And A Prayer that Can Be Used By You Each Day
By Jim Savage
"Gracious God, I give You thanks and praise for this day. Regardless of my circumstances or problems I know that Your love is ever present, and Your grace is never ending. I pray that You will help me to realize the depth of Your saving grace through Jesus Christ. Forgive me for all of the ways I have failed You and others; for hurtful or misguided words; and for times when I could have spoken an encouraging, helpful, or uplifting word to someone, and did not follow through. Forgive me, I pray, for all of the ways that I come short of Your glory, and give me new eyes for new paths in this journey of life.
Be with our church and ministry staff today. Guide us, and lead us to do Your will, and only Your will in all that we do. Help each of us to reach out as the kind of witnesses You would have us to be. Open our eyes and hearts to positive and helpful actions that we might all do the work You are calling us to do. Help all of us to "Share the Joy of Christ" to fulfill our mission, and Your Son's mission in this world.
Gracious God, send Your mighty Holy Spirit around the world today, that all world leaders, and all of Your people might desire to live in peace and harmony in this wonderful world that You have given as a gift to us. Please guide our president, congress, governors, the UN leaders, and our local leaders to do Your will, and only Your will. Be with our troops who serve our country, and keep them safe. We pray that all sides will seek paths that lead to peace very soon.
Be with our church members, friends, or family who may be ill today. Send Your healing Holy Spirit to all who are in need. Grant divine wisdom and guidance to the doctors, and all those who attempt to work with You in the healing process. Especially be with those I call by name in my heart right now.
Set me free with Your grace, and only by Your power to care, share, love, and serve. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.