Wednesday, March 10 – Day 22

Seeking His Glory in Evangelizing All Peoples
Seek God….to be recognized and honored by leaders.

As we pray for our leaders, our president, our representatives, our judges and mayors and governor, we can easily reduce them to their office, and forget about them as people, persons like us. They carry the same fears and doubts, the same weakness, the same tendency to sin. They need Jesus as much, but not more, than we do.

So our prayers for our leaders begin with our prayers for their hearts and souls. Our prayers begin with the most important request, that Jesus Christ will be their Savior, that He will be Lord of their lives, that they will experience the freedom of forgiveness, the hope of heaven, and the strength of a life lived under the care of our Shepherd. We understand that we can’t expect Christian behavior from people who aren’t Christians. We can’t expect them to follow Jesus if they don’t acknowledge Jesus as their Lord. So, we pray for Jesus to become their Lord and Savior.

And our prayers are lifted for those who have been saved, our brothers and sisters who try so hard to serve our Master, while surrounded by temptations of power and pride. Recognizing how hard it is for us to be faithful, we empathize with our Christian leaders who fail like we fail, but who are forgiven like we are forgiven. We pray that our leaders will have the courage, regardless of the consequences, to clearly communicate that Jesus is their king, that while we live in a democracy, this democracy is part of a monarchy, ruled by the King of senators and representatives and judges and presidents.

And we pray for “we the people”, who find it quite easy to blame the leaders of our country when we ourselves are the government of the people, by the people and for the people. We pray that our King will rule us as we vote and participate in this democracy.

And we pray our gratitude, that regardless of the actions of our leaders, that Jesus reigns, that Jesus must reign until all of His enemies are placed under His feet. We pray in the assurance that our King reigns very well. We pray, knowing that we are citizens of another country, a country that faces no real threat, a holy nation that is strong and stable, and we’re going there soon. Thank You, King Jesus, for being the leader of our leaders, for continuing to reign as Your kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

Gary Brouwers

Peace Church

Monday, March 1 – Day 13

Seeking His Glory in Evangelizing All Peoples
Seek God....for God’s love to be received

Seeking God on behalf of physically disabled people,

Jesus showed mercy to the blind, crippled, and diseased. As we contact physically and emotionally disabled people, may we be to them Christ’s representatives tangibly showing the compassion of Jesus Christ. Trusting in Jesus, may they experience that even their afflictions work together for their salvation.

Earl Dykema
Peace Church

Wednesday, February 24 – Day 8

Seeking His Life to Revive the Church
Seek God....to purify His people

When George Washington was about 20 years old, he filled a little book he titled Daily Sacrifice with prayers written in his own hand. An entry for Sunday Evening reads like this:

“O most glorious God… I acknowledge and confess my faults; in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins, but so coldly and carelessly that my prayers are become my sin and stand in need of pardon. I have heard thy holy word, but with such deadness of spirit that I have been an unprofitable and forgetful hearer… But, O God, who art rich in mercy and plenteous in redemption, mark not, I beseech Thee, what I have done amiss; remember that I am but dust, and remit my transgressions, negligences and ignorances, and cover them all with the absolute obedience of Thy dear Son, that those sacrifices (of sin, praise and thanksgiving) which I have offered may be accepted by Thee, in and for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered upon the Cross for me.” *

When we, like this great President, are honest enough to tell ourselves and God that our “prayers have become our sin”, we will know that the Spirit of Truth has been doing some real “surgery” in our lives. May we live in such sensitivity to the Spirit that we can experience His refining and purifying power at all times.

*Excerpted from the Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel

Bernie Hayes
Noelridge Park Church

Tuesday, February 23 – Day 7

Seeking His Life to Revive the Church
Seek God....for Christ's resurrection power

Seek God on behalf of Marriages

As they moved briskly through the quiet, cool, early morning air the two women dare not speak. The sun glistened across the dew drenched olive branches and combined with the early morning fog, any ordinary morning one would stop and enjoy the serenity. But, this was not an ordinary morning and there was little to stop and enjoy. In Luke’s account of the story of the Resurrection of Jesus, he deliberately used the words, “…very early in the morning….” Whether it was a sleepless night, a hint of hope, or just part of the grieving process, these two women got up early and went deliberately to what they envisioned to be a closed tomb (indicated by the spices they brought).

As I was reading in our prayer guide that our focus of prayer was on Christ’s resurrection power, specifically on behalf of marriages, I was quickly drawn to Luke’s account of Resurrection morning. I had one of those moments where the following words found in Luke 1:6 jumped off the page and slapped me in the face, “Remember how He told you.…” I can almost sense an impatient frustration on behalf of the angels as they cannot fathom why the two women would doubt the promise of resurrection given by the Creator of the universe.

I just got off the phone with a man I am mentoring who is ready to throw in the towel on his marriage. He had already begun his journey to the tomb, called divorce, ready to bury the promise of God behind a stone of pain, bitterness, and regret. In our conversation, I found the Holy Spirit guiding me to pray the resurrection power of Christ over his marriage. What seems lifeless, hopeless, and meaningless is confronted with the words, “Remember how He told you….”

Our prayer today is for the countless marriages represented in this city that desperately need to hear the words, “Remember”. Remember, that Jesus is the Resurrected Savior who has overcome death and the grave. Remember that on the third day, in the darkest hour, there is hope, there is life, and there is a new day!

Pastor Dave DeHaan
Community Life Pastor, First Assembly of God
“Where Faith Comes To Life”

Monday, February 22 – Day 6

Seeking His Life to Revive the Church
Seek God….to impart His life-giving Spirit

Am I alive, or am I dead? Wow, what a crazy question, I can see myself moving so obviously I am alive. So physically as I look at myself this morning I am alive and actually doing pretty well. As I approach retirement age, I have few if any aches and pains. I can do everything I need so far for myself, physically.

Recently as I have been walking down the hallways at work I have been reminded and thankful that I really feel pretty good. I think the reason those thoughts have come to me is because we just put my mom in a nursing home because she can no longer take care of herself. Her body is wearing out, but the more serious problem is that her mind is wearing out to. She has dementia and we don’t know who we will see the next time we go visit, will it be our mom or someone who is no longer connected to the reality of life.

I once had a co-worker who would frequently say, “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most”. I used to laugh about that when he would say that, but now it has taken on a different meaning to me with my mom’s condition. Without a clear and positive mind, life becomes extremely difficult.

But what about my spiritual life – am I alive or am I dead? That has become a more serious question to me of late. It is easy for me to fool those around me, I can put on an act if I desire. For years I lived as a “Christian” thinking I was doing just fine. I grew up in a “Christian” home but the Christian emphasis was wrapped around that hour service every Sunday.

Then I joined a different church after I was married and we became strong advocates of the law, we kept the Sabbath, at least we thought we did. All the Old Testament Holy days, and thought we were the only church God was working with. We would not associate at all with any other church, as we judged them all to be wrong. For 25 years I tried to obey the law, it was so much like the people of Israel, trying to obey the law.

In the mid 90’s “His life-giving Spirit”, knocked on the door of the leadership of our denomination. God created a new heart in some of those in the leadership roles of our denomination, and the Holy Spirit made Ezekiel 37 ring true in the hearts of some of us in our denomination. “Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.” The sad part of it all is only about 30% of the denomination heard the voice of the Holy Spirit when He said, “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” O Holy Spirit, thank you for getting through to some of us and changing our lives forever. I pray that you would reach all of us!

This morning, I praise my Father in heaven for committing to the promise of Jesus when He said, “I will send to you a comforter” Oh, God, I pray that you will impart His Life-giving Spirit to Christians and non Christians alike. I have come to realize in these first few days of the 40 days of prayer, that God is seeking out a revival not only for those who don’t know Him, but I feel a real call from the Holy Spirit, crying out to we Christians, who think we are doing OK.

My old tradition was to obey the law and if I was good enough, I would be saved. I learned in the mid 90’s, there is NO WAY that I can obey the law. Salvation is a gift from God and nothing I can do can make me good enough to earn salvation. Jesus founded the one true church, the church of Jesus Christ. It must become a way of life. We must knock down the barriers that divide Christians from worshiping together.

To give up the law, and realize that all I need to do is repent and believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, was so foreign at first. But I have been given such Peace in my heart, to know that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and my personal relationship with Him is a gift, something that was given to me, I surely wasn’t seeking it, God found me, Oh how I praise Him for the Peace He brings to me.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:25. God, bring to this city your Holy Spirit in a powerful way. Wake us up from our sleep; don’t allow our spiritual lives to be wasted. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us, to act for us, so that the life of Jesus will be reflected through each of us. Help us to get out of your way, and submit to you totally. In Jesus name I pray.

P.S. I count it such a blessing, to have come from a church that wouldn’t reach out to fellow Christians, to be accepted with open arms by all of you who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that we can worship and Praise Him together, regardless of our denomination. I am so humbly grateful for His Unconditional Love. Unity in Him, forever and ever, Amen

George Bushlack
Family of Faith Community Church
“To Know, Believe, and Serve Him”