By Your Word

On this past Sunday, Pastor Richard offered a prayer in which he shared various truths about the word of God. Our pastor said to God, and of God:

“It is by Your word that things come into being;

It is by Your word that transformation and creation happen;

It is by Your word that You said “Let there be light.”;

It is by Your word that You said “Sea, you go here.” and “Land, you stop here.”

We serve the living God, who is creative and authoritative. There is no one like Him! The Bible is filled with accounts of the greatness of God and the power of His word. As we consider what Pastor Richard prayed, we can be assured that God takes care with each of us just as He takes care with creation. If we are hearing the word of the Lord, then we will be instructed on where to go and where not to go; what to do and what not to do; who to be and who not to be.

It's a blessing to know God; it is wisdom to trust and obey Him. The God who formed lands and seas and their boundaries is the God who formed you. He has a word for you. My prayer is that you are hearing Him.

Oh God, creative God, authoritative God, please, form us. Inform us. Transform us. Amen.

Practicing Strategic Prayer.

Strategic prayer is practiced through our words, thoughts, and actions. Below are a few Scripture passages which encourage us in this regard.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. (First Thessalonians 5:12-22)

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers. (First Peter 3:1-4 and 3:7)

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. (Matthew 6:5-15)

Lord, please help us to see, understand, and heed the connections that make our prayers strategic. Give us grace to never be anxious. Give us a heart of love: love of You, love for our leaders, love for our spouse. Cause us, by Your Spirit, to live in peace with one another. May our hearts always be thankful and grateful towards You. Please rescue us from evil and from the evil one who seeks to destroy us. Cause us to experience Your kingdom life in this present age by doing Your will. May our public life be a demonstration of Your power to save and sanctify, a power that You permit us to experience in our private devotions with You. Thank You for giving us this privilege and responsibility of engaging strategic prayer. O God, transform us by Your power. We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Redeemer and King. Amen.

Praise God, For Whom I Lose All Dear: A Wesleyan Prayer.

"Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.
Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,
exalted for You or brought low by You.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am Yours.
So be it.
Amen."
(John Wesley)

New York, Fast.

The leadership of Times Square Church has called for a three-day fast this month: September 16, 17, and 18. There will be prayer services at their church each of those three days:

*Sunday September 16: 10 AM, 3 PM, and 6 PM
*Monday September 17: 7 PM
*Tuesday September 18: 7PM

Times Square Church is located at 51st Street and Broadway. For more information, please go to http://www.tscnyc.org/events_3_day_fast_God_heal_our_land.php

OrlandoRonald.

Our guest speaker, for this weekend's English language services, is Reverend Ronald Benjamin. The Lord encouraged us through the message given last night, and we look forward to hearing more today. We are thankful for the Benjamin family, who touched lives at Bronx Bethany for several years prior to their move to Florida.

It's my prayer that all of our pastors, ministers who stand as oracles of God, will experience God's Presence and power as they faithfully labor for our King. May God speak. May we hear. May our Lord find us eager to obey His word.


Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of Your tone.
As You have sought, so let me seek Your erring children lost and lone.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things You do impart.
And wing my words that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart.

O fill me with Your fullness, Lord, until my very heart o'erflow
in kindling thought and glowing word; Your love to tell, Your praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me, just as You will, and when, and where,
Until Your blessed face I see, Your rest, Your joy, Your glory share.

(hymn text: Frances R. Havergal)

A Day To Pray VIII.

Please pray for our pastors and leaders in the church locally and around the world.

*Pray that they will not lose their vision for the lost and hurting of society.
*Pray that they will preach the Gospel boldly.
*Pray that they will not be subsumed by ministries which have abandoned the call to holiness.
*Pray that they will be continually filled with the fruit of the Spirit, distinguished by a heart of love.
*Pray that they will not lose their joy under any circumstance.
*Pray that they will be protected from the strategic plan of the enemy who seeks to destroy them.

I encourage you to pray for them by name:

*in your district/region
*in your local church
*across the world

Lord, we embrace this opportunity to lay Your servants at Your feet.

Shiloh, 2012.

Shiloh is the poster child for compromised worship.

If God's response to Hannah's prayer were based upon the worship activity of the priests Hophni and Phineas, then she would not have had a chance of having her prayer answered. The priests were corrupt beyond repair (see First Samuel 2:12-25).

And we Christians in America see Shiloh's shadow cast across our nation. It is a shadow that has been expanding over the centuries, compromising the Eternal Light found in our Lord Jesus.

I'd like to clarify that this shadow hangs squarely over the church. Remember, our analogy is Hophni and Phineas "doing worship" in Shiloh. And our scripture tells us that judgement begins first at the house of God (Ezekiel 9:6).

When a governing body such as a local church or denomination states that behaviors condemned by God and canon are permissible in the postmodern age, what is a Christian to do? How do we embrace a liturgy being administered by those who preach the canon, but don't obey God?

Hannah, in First Samuel 1, gives us an example of how to conduct ourselves.

*She went to the house of the Lord to worship Him.
*She brought sacrifices to offer to the Lord.
*She shared a fellowship meal at God's house.
*She prayed.
*She received a prophetic word from God through Eli and took it seriously.
*She dedicated her son to full-time ministry.
*She returned to God's house to give Eli a testimony of God's faithfulness.

In other words, Hannah kept her focus on God. She was not the person called to indict Eli and his sons. God had two other people lined up for that task.

"Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, 'Thus says the LORD...the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house...all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age.' " (see First Samuel 2:27-34)

"Then the LORD said to Samuel: 'Behold, I will do something in Israel...I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.' " (see First Samuel 3:11-14)

Friends, we live in Shiloh's shadow. But we will faithfully worship our great God. And He will speak and act according to His word.

Press For Success.

"Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk." (First Samuel 1:13)

So, why couldn't Hannah just pray out loud?

Maybe Peninnah or Elkanah were close by and Hannah didn't want them to hear. Maybe the anguish of Hannah's soul was so deep that she thought she would burst into uncontrolled sobs if she talked out loud. We can hypothesize, but we really don't know why Hannah opted to speak "in her heart" as opposed to speaking audibly.

What we do know, though, is that God heard her prayer. And that is immense encouragement to us, a thing to remember when we are in the throes of anguished prayer.

Perhaps not everyone has had situations in which they were unable or unwilling to give voice to the prayer of their heart. But for those of us who have experienced it, we can nod in silent agreement and understanding with Hannah's petition to the Lord. There is a heaviness in prayer: an effort so taxing, an anguish so deep, that the person in prayer is unable to verbalize their request.

The New Testament helps us with this idea: "But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:25-27)

So, if your anguished prayers are being misinterpreted by friends and loved ones, take heart. You just might be on the fast track to seeing your requests answered.

Trump Card.

"But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, 'Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him,that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.' " (First Samuel 1:22)

From time to time, prophetic action involves not doing something. Hannah, in keeping her promise to God, resolved that when she came back to the house of the LORD with Samuel, he would stay and she would return home without him. So, she waited until Samuel reached an age where her physical presence was not needed to sustain him.

This is a challenging thing for those of us who were raised to believe that, unless we are sick or dead, we must be in church every time the front doors open. And certainly we must be sure that it is the Lord leading our actions. But Hannah's life indicates to us that, on occasion, prophecy trumps tradition. And that's okay.

Though Scripture is silent, I imagine that there were some in Hannah's community who didn't understand why she would stay home with young Samuel, rather than going back to Shiloh where her prayer was answered. Sometimes our prayer triggers a chain of events or behaviors that may seem weird to the casual observer. Elkanah's response to Hannah, though, captures the heart of the issue: "Only let the LORD establish His word." (First Samuel 1:23). In other words, make sure that you do what you promised the LORD you would do.

What prophetic actions are you engaged in, towards the goal of fulfilling your promises to God?

God And The Babysitters.

"...I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life..." (First Samuel 1:11)

Hannah's prayer was really radical. And, on the first read, her prayer seems counterproductive. She had spent years in anguish because of Peninnah's bullying tactics. Why would Hannah promise God that her son would be given over to Him? How would anyone know that Hannah even had that one, if he were not in her home? Who would educate her son in the ways of the Lord?

But such it was. Hannah makes a transaction with God, Samuel is born and weaned, and given over to the care of... Eli?

Chapters 2 and 3 of First Samuel give details on the condition of Eli's heart and household. Suffice it to say that no spiritually sensible parent would drop off their young son into such an environment. But Hannah's promise was made with no strings attached! Samuel's place was in the house of the LORD, and God's power would not be compromised by the deviance of Eli and his sons.

It's a story for today. We have many pastors and leaders working in the company of "colleagues" who, like Eli and his sons, have given themselves over to thievery and sexual immorality. Our prayer is that, as in the case of Samuel, we will see godly men and women holding tightly to God's truth even as their co-workers fall away.

Hannah was not worried because she had a sure word from the Lord.
Have you heard from Him today?

"Peni"-ante.

There are a few people in the Bible that have the distinction of being known for their bad behavior. Parents, at least parents who know their Bible well, generally don't name their children Korah or Achan or Jezebel or Vashti. Or Peninnah.

Peninnah's "fifteen seconds of fame" appear in the first few verses of First Samuel chapter 1. She was married, she had sons and daughters whose names we don't know, and she consistently provoked Hannah over a period of years.

But the cloud of harassment had a silver lining. Because Peninnah subjected Hannah to years of sadness (the King James version uses a stronger term, "anguish"), Hannah drew ever nearer to God in prayer. And, ultimately, Hannah's prayer was answered.

So here we are in the twenty-first century. Is someone harassing you and provoking you? Are their words and acts a continual indictment against what you lack, whether children or beauty or expertise? Has the barrage of criticism reduced you to tears? Have you been driven to prayer?

Hannah prayed, received a word from the Lord, and "her face was no longer sad" (First Samuel 1:18). Hannah's first son, Samuel, was respected throughout ancient Israel as a true prophet of God. And Hannah stands in perpetuity as a reflection of the heart of God, as she kept her promise and offered her son's life in faithful service to the Lord.

Thanks, Peninnah.

The Affliction.

As is the tradition on Mother's Day, our sermon took another look at the first chapter of First Samuel.

This year, Pastor Sam commented on a phrase we tend to overlook in the story of Hannah: "the LORD had closed her womb." The phrase is repeated in verses 5 and 6 of chapter one.

A number of years ago, I received a very critical letter (from a solid Christian, by the way). What was the criticism? Well, to summarize, the person's philosophy was that "complete women" (huh??) have sons, and since I didn't have any sons I was therefore an incomplete person.

I imagine that Hannah endured similar comments in her day. And, unlike me, Hannah didn't have the advantage of ignoring the comments. I grew up in the shadow of Roe v. Wade, in an era where children were devalued and pregnancies could be classed as "unwanted" and easily dispensed with. But Hannah was part of a culture that valued children highly. Children were a sign of God's favor upon a household.

And the text jumps off the page: "but Hannah had no children" (First Samuel 1:2). It does not say that Hannah was barren or infertile, or that she was suffering the consequences of a life of drugs or sicknesses. It was simply God at work in her, receiving glory through her lack.

Has the LORD delayed something that you have been longing for? Take encouragement from Hannah's story. Her affliction was addressed by God on His timetable. Be assured that God knows our needs, and is behind the scenes: working not only for our behalf, but also for the sake of His kingdom.

"Ben"-Edictus: Watch Out, Watcher.

Today's post is written by guest blogger Reverend Ronald Benjamin, who has graciously agreed to contribute to Glossa Water as his schedule permits.

One of the paradoxical features of life is that every grace has a disgrace. Every occupation has a hazard. Persons who feel led into the ministry of intercession must be aware of the occupational hazards of intercession.

Let me mention a few that come to my mind:

1. pride
2. belief in the prayer prayed rather than in the One to whom prayer is offered
3. taking credit for what God does
4. A sense of superiority
5. territorial
6. be more engrossed in speaking to God than in listening to Him.


There is the danger of feeling that this is one's area of expertise. It should be noted that prayer, any kind, is to be offered from a relational position, a relationship with our Father, through our Lord Christ Jesus. And every gift that has been given has been graciously bestowed, even the gift of intercession.

Let us pray for one another.

Nice Report Card.

Daniel and his friends Mishael, Azariah, and Hananiah give us a wonderful snapshot of how to live life successfully in exile.

They excelled in their Babylonian studies. Pastor Martha reminded us that these young men were required to be educated in the ways of the Babylonians, and they were obedient. They were expected to know the language, the literature, the astrology, and the politics of the land in which they were exiled. They participated fully in their educational process. Grade? A+.

They failed in their Babylonian worship. When given the opportunity to engage in activities that would cause them to be defiled by Hebrew standards of holiness and worship, they declined to participate. They did not eat the rich foods that were presented to them. They did not bow to the idolatrous Babylonian statue. They did not abandon their worship of God. Their grade for adapting to Babylonian worship? F.

And that is a good report card to have. It's a good thing to be bright, to know "the lay of the land" that we are exiled in, and yet not to fall into the idolatry of worshipping people and systems that run counter to the plan and program of God.

Be smart. Get an A and an F.

Seeking Intercessors: Interlopers Need Not Apply.

What’s the difference?

Interlopers are famous for sticking their noses into other people’s business. It’s like when a “colleague” steps in to work on your project that they were not assigned to. And if the project fails, the blame falls on you, because the colleague was never officially charged with executing the task. Interlopers love to appear as if they have been selected to participate in areas in which they lack expertise, and as such they demand inclusion even in the face of their inexperience.

Intercessors are famous for staying in the background. In the book of Daniel we see a clear layout of what I’ll call “the characteristics of the intercessor”:

They don’t broadcast their business. Pastor Martha made a point that is well worth further reflection: Daniel often did his intercessory prayer work at home, staying away from the people and projects for which he was praying (see Daniel 2:17-18; 6:10-11; 7:1).

They don’t promote themselves. Daniel, throughout his exile, never sought to gain position or promotion based on his work of intercession.

They suffer. As we mentioned in an earlier blog, Daniel's work of intercession brought him physical and mental exhaustion (and, sometimes, even illness).

Interlopers on one end, intercessors on the other. Friend, where do you fall on this continuum?

Expend-sive.

"Yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering." (Daniel 9:21)

Pastor Martha mentioned in her sermon that we, like Daniel, should take our role in prayer seriously. Chapters 9 and 10 reveal that Daniel was intentional in lifestyle choices which he engaged as part of his prayer stance. I see seven components (though there may be more):

*Prayer sessions measured in days and weeks, not hours
*Fasting
*Mourning
*Change In Attire (Sackcloth and ashes)
*Change In Personal Care (Did not anoint himself with oil)
*Reading Scripture
*Change In Diet

Without getting into a deep discussion of asceticism, it seems that Daniel was somewhat ascetic in his approach to prayer. Scripture informs us, several times in the text, that Daniel's prayer life drove him to exhaustion. He went beyond just spending time in prayer, and spent himself in prayer. And what was God's response? "Lighten up, dude"? No. It was, "You are highly valued!"

Daniel, we are taking notes.

No Complaints. Just Complines.

This past Sunday, Pastor Martha turned our attention to the life of Daniel. She shared some insights about the types of prayer detailed in this book:

The prayer team. "Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven..." (Daniel 2:17-18a). In crisis, it's a good thing to have partners in prayer who will appeal to God alongside us.

The daily office. "When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously." (Daniel 6:10) Daniel demonstrated a consistency in prayer that was non-negotiable.

Intercessory prayer. "So I turned my attention to the Lord God to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." (Daniel 9:3) In a context where it would have been easier for Daniel to lament his decades of captivity, he instead petitioned the Lord for mercy on behalf of the nation of Israel.

What forms of prayer are you engaging from day to day?