Prayer. Presence. Power.

In sharing from Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 11:5-13 this past Sunday, Pastor Richie reminded us of a few points we can reflect on today.

• Nothing is impossible for God.
• It is ineffective, and sometimes even dangerous, to attempt to "stand in" for God in situations which can only be resolved by God's presence and power.
• Our best prayer request? The request to be given the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• The indwelling of the Holy Spirit equips God's people to see and understand situations according to God's perspective.
• According to the word of Christ Himself, there are some situations that will not be resolved unless they are first addressed in extended, disciplined prayer.

After Pastor Richie's sermon, Pastor Althea stood and led the congregation in a time of prayer. Perhaps we, today, can also make time to pray to our God and King.

Let us pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray to know God's perspective.
Let us pray for renewed confidence and faith in God's ability to act.
Let us pray for deliverance of all who are held captive by the evil one.
Let us pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise to our great God.

Amen.

Hustlers Anonymous.

In yesterday's morning sermons, Pastor Richie noted a characteristic of hustlers: they seek short-cuts and quick fixes. Often this is viewed in a negative context, but we as Christians have the privilege of knowing a "quick fix" to many of our personal prayer requests. Our short-cut is to abandon the appeals for God to respond to our prayer concerns, and instead to appeal to God for the presence of His Spirit in our lives.

Our pastor referenced Luke chapter 11. In Luke 11:1-4 we have record of what is commonly termed The Lord's Prayer. However, that prayer is followed by several verses in which Jesus tells His disciples that God can be understood as a caring Friend and loving Father. Then Jesus closes with a question (paraphrased here): If we, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, then how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (see Luke 11:5-13)

Pastor Richie shared with us that the presence of Holy Spirit is the real answer to our varied prayer requests. Why? Because the Holy Spirit, in addition to being the best Person we can know, is also the Person who knows what is best for us.

This is not to belittle the seriousness of our personal situations. We in the body of Christ, at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene and at other churches, are suffering. We are dealing with terminal illnesses, evictions, financial ruin, unemployment, hatred and bias, violence, famines, and so many other issues and systems that burden our souls. Our prayer lists are long, and rightfully so. But Pastor Richie has thrown down a gauntlet, and I believe the Spirit of God has made an offer through our pastor's sermon: In this season of prayer and fasting, why not fast from the urgent prayer requests and instead pray for the infilling of the Holy Spirit of Christ, the One who is seated above all urgency?

That's not an easy task. But I pray we will be found as people who seek after the Spirit of God.

"But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what He wants.  Then the other things will be yours as well." (Matthew 6:33, Contemporary English Version)

"The kingdom of God is not about food and drink; it is about the righteousness, peace, and joy which are found in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, paraphrase mine)