5 Days of Prayer - Day 5

Psalm 142

A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave

We finish up with a prayer of David.  We know that David was a man of prayer.  He was a man that would seek for God, turn to God and depend on God in almost every situation.  As a boy he took on a lion and a bear and he said it was the Lord that gave him the victory.  He faced Goliath and again it is clear that his confidence for this situation and confrontation was a love for and an abiding faith in God.  His life was in danger more times that he could count.  He was on the run for a number of years.  Years that would be described as anything but easy or comfortable.  He was a fugitive on the run, walking a tightrope between his “friends” and his “enemies”.

This psalm was written for one such event in David’s life.  There were a couple of times that we see him in caves.  And it was in one of these times that he takes this psalm from.  It is interesting that in the title we see it is a contemplation ... a Maschil ... a psalm for instruction.  It seems that David took something important away from this experience and he writes it into a special psalm and a prayer.

Again a cry.  That is what prayer is after all.  Us calling out to God.  Speaking with Him.  Telling Him our hurts, fears, troubles.  Seeking to know Him better and experience His friendship and care.

David says he was overwhelmed.  He saw traps around him.  He felt alone, without a friend.  He was being chased, persecuted.  He felt imprisoned.

Even so, as David considers he realizes that God knew his path.  God was there with Him.  He knew the situation.  Even though every refuge had failed him he realized that God was his refuge.  He knew that without God he would not survive, because he was not strong enough, yet he was convinced that God would deal well with him.

It is sad to note that at one point David cries out to God that “no one cares for my soul”.  It is comforting to know that God cares, but it also seems a call for us to care for the state and the lives of others.  To help them and pray for them.  In the end David sees just this.  God brings him out of his prison to a place of praise and a place where he is surrounded by the righteous, by those that care.  And, he can say, “You will be very good to me”.

As you pray throughout the last day of this 5 Days we hope that it has been a blessing and encouragement to you.  How good to know that God is not apathetic towards us and that He listens and answers our cries to Him!

Please Pray for..

1 Sunday - first Sunday service 

2 worship, teaching/translation, kids, fellowship

3 faithfulness and growth

4 God would be glorified

5 Days of Prayer - Day 4

Psalm 102

Prayer of the Afflicted, when he pours our his complaint before the Lord

As I read the beginning of this Psalm, I again see a very similar pattern to what we have seen in the first two Psalms the first two days.  A cry to be heard.  A cry to answer and to answer quickly.  A need expressed.  A situation that is difficult.  But in this Psalm the author seems to be in especially dire circumstances.  I see at first glance a psalm much like some of the others.

Spurgeon, on the other hand, sees not only a person in need.  He sees not just a person born into a time of sorrow and enduring a time of suffering, but he sees a person “afflicted more for others than for himself, more for Zion and the house of the Lord, than for his own house.”  He sees a man, a patriot, “moaning”, pained for his country.

Life is hard sometimes.  Sometimes it is hard because of sin, but sometimes hard because it is just "life".  We all have our own various problems.  We all have our “enemies” that "fight" against us.  They are not necessarily enemies because we consider them enemies but because they war against our life and soul.  It seems that the person in this psalm has many of those, and petitions God concerning them.  However, he also sees his country in a hard time and it bothers him.

We see that this person has a heart afflicted not just with his own difficulties but also with the difficulties of his nation.  He has a heart afflicted with things that concern God.  He knows that the current state of affairs is not what God has in mind.  He know that God has a time and a plan for Zion, His kingdom.  He wants for God to be feared and praised.  We can get pretty self focused sometimes, and it is good to realize that there are others in the same place we are and perhaps we can help them.  To understand there is a world of needs beyond ourselves.  The author seems to realize this and it moves his prayer.

The writer reflects on God’s mercy, that His ear is attentive to those that need it most and that He will listen to their prayer.  And as we read the verses 17-21 I can’t help but be reminded of what Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19.  He read the prophecy of Isaiah saying that He had come to give good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to those imprisoned, to give sight back to those that couldn’t see, to free the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  These gracious words were spoken at the beginning of Jesus’ years of ministry.  They were words telling the people what He had come to do and what they could expect of Him.  He comes to us in graciousness and proclaims a future of hope.

The author of this psalm realizes that there is more than this life.  There is more to life than riches.  There is more to be freed from than just prison.  There is a darkness deeper than blindness.  There is slavery that is more oppressive.  We truly are in need of God’s favor.  The things of this life are temporary and God will change them.  He desires to change them.  Our writer brings our attention to these things.  Is our heart affected by the things that affect God’s heart?  Do we have in view what God has in mind?  His prayer is that he, and we, would place our hope in and seek the eternal.

Please pray for

1 People that come to the Sunday service would be challenged and taught by God's word

2 For a place for us to meet and provision needed to meet there

3 For wisdom in knowing how to best help and encourage others

5 Days of Prayer - Day 3

Psalm 90

A Prayer of Moses the man of God

I have been thinking a little about where I live.  In fact, I can hear a conversation in the next room teaching our children about what country, what city, what street and the house number in which we live.  It is the place where we live ... or is it.  Well, it is and it isn’t ... it is kind of confusing.  God called Abraham out of his dwelling place.  First out of Ur.  Then He called him out of Haran where he had gotten sidetracked.  The book of Hebrews goes on to tell us he was an alien and a stranger even in Canaan, the land to which God had called him, and that he was looking for “the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God”.  Here Moses indicates that God is our place.  He is the builder and the maker.  It is not a temporal place.  God is eternal.  It is not a dwelling that will pass away or fail.

People are temporal and our sin causes our destruction.  We last a moment in comparison to the mountains, and the mountains a moment in comparison to God.  Our lives are a small thing in the framework of eternity, cut from what they might have been by sin and righteous judgment.  The metaphors are familiar.  Sleep.  It seems you just lay down and it is morning.  Grass.  It grows quickly and dies quickly.

Because of this ... because we have 70 or perhaps 80 years of life, Moses prays that God would teach us to count our days... to consider them wisely.  Sin ravages us.  It steals away the best parts of life.

As Moses considers this ... as we consider this with him ... it causes a cry to rise in the heart.  Forgiveness and compassion.  Mercy and blessing.    “Satisfy us early with Your mercy.”  The earlier we realize our sinful state and look to this righteous and compassionate God the sooner we can find rest, rejoicing and gladness.  Moses asks that God’s work would appear to His servants and His glory to their children.  He understood something important about God.  God as righteous judge can be a fearful thing, but that God’s heart is one of mercy, compassion and blessing.  As Moses understands this he then calls people to consider and realize.  He calls them to be wise.  He calls them to blessing.

That is what the church is supposed to do, call people to consider, to understand.  Sin and wrath are a fact our existence.  However, God’s love, compassion, mercy and blessing are also available to those who will hear, consider and be wise.  Who will return to an eternal dwelling.

Pray for...

1 Our team working together as a united body

2 worship and children's ministry development

3 English kids outreach

4 God to draw people to Himself

5 Days of Prayer - Day 2

Psalm 86

A Prayer of David

“Dear Jesus, Thank you for this day, thank you...”  Sometimes prayer can seem pretty repetitious.  We have a tendency to start our prayers similarly, to pray similar things, to ask things that God has pretty much promised already.  Yet, as we read this prayer it is not so different, at the beginning, from the prayer from day 1.  Certainly there are different expressions here but in general we see a pleading for God to hear, a declaration of pure/holy actions and intentions and an assurance that God will listen and answer. There is a difference between vain repetition and repeated prayer.  As David starts on familiar and solid ground he then branches out to encompass worship, reliance and request based on his need, experience and faith.  Hear us, bow down Your ear, we trust in You for You are good and ready, forgiving and abundant in mercy.  You will answer.

David is moved to consider this God to whom he cries out.  We also consider along with the psalmist who God is, and what He is like.  No other like you!  No work like your work!  You are so great that all will worship before You.

This is God, worthy of proclamation.  Look at the great things that He has done for David.

• Great mercy toward him
• soul delivered from death - the grave, hell
• full of grace and compassion, patient, abundant mercy and truth - even to those who refuse.

David wants God.  He wants these things that God has given Him in abundance. He wants them for himself but he also wants others to see.  He says, “Teach me your ways... unite my heart to fear Your name.”  He connects that with glorifying God’s name.  He connects with a personal testimony of what God has done for him.  Then he asked God to show a sign.  It is not for himself.  It is for those that have refused God, who have not “set God before them”.  He wants them to realize their wrong.  It is our wrongs, our foolishness that we are ashamed of, however how often those things can be ignored or pushed off.  David wished that people would know the God that he knew and be ashamed of their failure to turn to Him. To find the same mercy, compassion, long suffering and salvation that David knew.  The same peace with God.

Of course these are things that we also have experienced from the hand of God.  Like David our prayer should rise, not only for our own salvation or blessing but, for the realization of others the compassion mercy and patient love of God for all people.  “Teach me Your ways ... I will walk in Your truth ... I will glorify Your name...”  May we be taught that we may walk and proclaim the ways of God for His glory.  May our lives be a good sign.  As a result may many know the help and comfort of God!

Please pray...

1 God would be proclaimed - that He would prepared hearts for Himself

2 Spiritual strongholds and barriers removed

3 wisdom concerning a place to meet, provision for that place

4 preaching/teaching to be in the Spirit's power

5 Days of Prayer - Day 1

Psalm 17

A prayer of David

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!  The cry rings out and begs to be heard.  Listen to me!  This is important!  This needs to be heard.  I need it to be heard.  Whether it is a messenger of the king or a cry for help, such a cry looks to be heard.  Its hope is that those to whom it is directed will listen and respond.  That they will find the cry to be good and right and worthy of response.  In truth, whenever we cry out to God we hope that He will, not only hear (yet we believe that He will), but we hope also that He will find our prayers to Him just and worthy.  Each time we approach to Him we, of course, cry out wishing to be heard.  However, there are those times when we especially want God’s attention. A desire of our heart.  His answer to our prayer.

It is appropriate as we begin our week of prayer that we have this cry and desire in our hearts to be heard.  That we examine our prayers, our reasons and our ways as we approach to Him.  Of course, we have the added comfort that we approach God because of the righteousness that we have been given in Christ.  He is our strength.  The one that keeps us in our ways.  The one that keeps our feet from slipping and shows the path before us so that we won’t stumble.  It is because of His great and precious promises that we can approach with confidence.  He is one that we can trust and He will never fail to keep faith with us as we walk in trust toward Him.  Trust because He is trustworthy but also trust with actions and attitudes match with His commands, ways and desires.

We are the “apple of His eye” and even as Jesus longed to gather Jerusalem under His “wings” He loves us and longs for us.  If we will be gathered then He will overshadow us.  

This is important because we see that we are not without enemies.  Even more than the warrior enemies of David, who fight with weapons that maim and kill, there is a spiritual enemy.  He is a lion and a destroyer.  He would frustrate and tear apart all that we are and all that God wants to do in, for and through us.  

Therefore it is appropriate for us to realize as we consider any spiritual endeavor that it must be a work of the Spirit of God.  It must be done in His power and protection or we will surely be overwhelmed.  As we desire that God would establish a work - a work directly opposed to the attitudes and principles of the enemy and the normal cravings of life - then God must be its author and architect.

Finally, we see the final line of this prayer of David.  “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”  More than anything we do, accomplish or don’t accomplish, plan, achieve or experience, it is more important who we are and will become.  God doesn’t need people to do anything for Him.  There is nothing that we can truly add to Him.  However, He desires us and fully desires that we awake in His likeness,  As we live and do we must keep in mind that He desires us.  He takes us through steps of faith to makes us more like Him.

Please Prayer for

1. A work of God's Spirit in us and in Maribor to establish what He wills and desires

2. Wisdom for all aspects of this new ministry - worship, Bible study, translation, kids ministry

3. God's Protection and Power

4. To seek God and not the work - to be satisfied only with Him and His likeness

30 More Days Results

Thank you to all of you who stood with us in prayer during this past month.  We know that prayer is the source of our strength and that if anything supernatural and spiritual is to be accomplished it will only be through prayer and petition.  We pray that God would be moved by your prayers and ours for the people, places and things that were prayed for over the past month.  However, we covet your continuing prayers for us and for these requests.  

Jesus told His disciples to pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out labors.  If we are sick James told us to pray.  When Paul and Silas were wrongfully imprisoned they praised and prayed.  Paul prayed for open doors and words to preach the gospel.  The apostles and the church came together for a prayer meeting to ask for boldness to preach and miracles to proclaim Jesus.  Isaiah and Jeremiah prayed for the restoration of a nation.  Elijah prayed for people to know that God is the true God.  Elisha prayed for eyes to be open and shut.  Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread .... the list could go on.

One missionary put it this way... is the language hard, fast and pray.  Are the people unresponsive, fast and pray.  Are you sick or tired, fast and pray.  Are there lack of resources, fast and pray.  Are you hungry, fast and pray.  Fast and pray.

Not to us, not to us oh Lord but to You alone be the glory...

30 More Days Participation

Like last year we wanted to share with you the results of our month in prayer.

This year we saw similar participation to last year.  We had an average of about 6 visits per day.  That means that we had as few as 4 visits one day and as many as 15 visits on any one given day.  Like last year we also offered to send out a daily email with the contents of the blog.  We started out with 5 and expanded to 7 who followed the blog by email during the month.  Therefore we had a daily participation on average of 11-13 people though the blog and email.  There were also some that have participated through printed versions that were unable to through electronic means.  The following then are the totals for the 30 More Days.

Visits

Total 247

Average per day 6

This week 43

Last year the totals were

Total 345

Average per day 7

This week 51

Blog

These blogs will remain online and will be available for encouragement and as reminders of prayer in God's word.  Many of these requests are also ongoing and can continue to be prayed for over the weeks and months to come.   We hope that this time in the Word and prayer have been encouraging and profitable.

God bless and Under the Mercy

The Howards

30 More Days... Day 30

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly.
Jonah 2:2 And he said:
“I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction,
And He answered me.
‘Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
Jonah 2:3 For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
Jonah 2:4 Then I said, “I have been cast out of Your sight;
Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
Jonah 2:8 “Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own Mercy.
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the LORD.”
Jonah 2:10  So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

So now. Let’s follow Jonah overboard! Jonah is in a mess of trouble. He has run away from God. He has caused a lot of trouble for others. He has found himself overboard in a storm that turned sailors green. He has landed inside a great fish.

A lot has been said about Jonah’s experience inside the fish. It has been suggested that there were worse things involved in his “accommodations” than just discomfort. Aside from likely being dark, cramped and smelly there were likely a host of other unpleasantries. Jonah would have been trapped in a, likely, tight space. With every move of the fish it is likely that he also experienced a new discomfort. The dark and the smell would have been the kind that, especially after a couple of days (more likely a couple of minutes or hours), would have been felt and oppressive. Some have suggested that perhaps the stomach juices of the fish would have burned and splashed as the fish moved and swam. This would have left sores, wounds and marks that scarred the prophet for the rest of his life. All of this, a tiny picture of the suffering and horror of hell.

It is a frightful picture and yet that is only the part in the fish. As we read his prayer we realize that his experience prior to getting swallowed was no picnic either. First he fought the waves and the storm. He was tossed around by it until he sunk beneath them. As he sunk into the deeps, the waters closed around him and the pressure increased. He experienced being tangled in the seaweeds as they wrapped around his head. He felt their rough stringy surface around him. He felt his life begin to leave him and only then did the horror of the fish come into view, gapping maw ready to swallow him.

Jonah makes the statement “ I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction...” Actually, it is, perhaps, a bit of an understatement. It is amazing that it took Jonah so long. He seems so unconcerned. He is apathetic. He is apathetic to others and he is even apathetic to himself. How much God has to put him through to wake him up! How much he has to go through just to cry out even for himself. The sailors cried out at the storm alone. They made vows to God quickly. Jonah waits. He suffers. He is unmoved. Only then does he call out. Only later does his heart change at all that he prays and promises to pay the vows that he has made. Only then does he look for salvation.

It is extremely ironic that in all of this Jonah becomes the “sign of the prophet Jonah” to Jesus’ unbelieving (wicked and adulterous) generation. It is ironic that what we see here in this part of Jonah’s life is a picture of Christ’s burial and resurrection. It is ironic that what the prophet suffers for himself out of disobedience is a picture of what Christ would suffer out of extreme obedience to the Father and not for himself but for us. The very thing that Christ tells the pharisees and religious leaders is the sign for them to believe is the very one that showed the hardness of the prophet’s own heart. The ones that listened to the sign of Jonah, the Ninevites, would be witnesses against those that refused Christ because they believed Jonah’s preaching while the Pharisees rejected Jesus.

Even in the prophet’s stubbornness and apathy we see amazing grace. There is grace for the prophet. There is grace for Nineveh. There is grace for a future generation if they will just believe. Though prophet is slow to pray, though he is loathe to preach, though he is apathetic to grace for himself and the need of grace by others, still he becomes a picture of ultimate grace. God ready to sacrifice His Own for the world of “strangers”. God ready to extend salvation to a sinful people.

How often are we like Jonah. How often our compassion sleeps and our prayers for others slow to pass our lips. Yet Jonah for all his lack of compassion and grace was an great picture of God’s compassion, grace and salvation. He was a picture of God’s great salvation. His prayer reverberates with what Christ would endure for us, for an unbelieving world. The pain of suffering. The rejection of the Father turning away - being out of His sight. The journey into “Sheol”. The pain of death. Only, then, to rise again a testimony of God’s call to faith and repentance, a witness of God’s grace, mercy and compassion.

Jonah prayed for himself. Jesus prayed for us. Jonah cried out in affliction brought on by his own disobedience. Jesus cried out for us, Father forgive them. Jonah saw the salvation of God and his preaching became the opportunity for the salvation of others. Jesus, rose and became our salvation.

Often as believers we can get focused on our lives. We pray about our needs. We react to our afflictions. That is good. Jonah was also right to call out to God. If at no other time at least he cried out in affliction to the God who saves. But, we contrast him with the sailors and we see unbelievers with greater concern, care and compassion than the prophet. We look at him and see thankfulness for the great grace given him, but apathy and a lack of willingness to see that grace passed on to others. We see him as a sign of the Messiah and yet an anti-type in him as well. He is apathetic about other and angry about the death of a plant. We see him forgiven much and yet not loving much. As we look at Jonah it is good for us to ask how much like Jonah can we be, are we? Are we apathetic or concerned, are we stubborn or gracious? What drives us to prayer?

Prayer Request
* Please take time today to pray for the world. Pray for Maribor. Pray for Slovenia. Pray for your city, town or village. Pray for America and the coming elections. Pray for your pastors and your church. Pray for someone that you know who doesn’t know Jesus. Pray how you can be a witness and testimony to them and the place where God has placed you.