Prayer.

Day 11.

So a friend of mine reached out to me through Facebook Messenger a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I was a pastor. I said yes and asked how I could help him, and he said he was wondering if I could go over to a civic group he was a part of (I won’t say who), to pray for them. Immediately I agreed, and after follow up calls and clarifications, I was booked to show up, maybe speak a little, but definitely pray, later this afternoon at 5pm.

This may be a cheap way for me to hit my 1000 word a day goal, but I figured I go ahead and type whatever it is I plan on sharing and praying about here, just in case anyone here would be ministered by it as well.

I was pleasantly surprised when my friend asked me if there were any ‘offerings’ for them to prepare in anticipation of the prayer event, to which I replied there were no such things needed, and I was already happy and honored to be praying for them (cue canned ‘awwww’).

I asked if I needed to follow a certain dress code, and I wasn’t told to wear anything formal in particular. He was also asking that I pray against any obstacles that they may encounter in all they do in the future.

Well, here’s the plan. I show up early, so I can have a feel of the place and the folks I will be praying for, and for me to gather important names and specific prayer points.

Once I’m given the floor I would start off by thanking them for having me, and to set their expectations that I will do my best to make the most of the time they gave me, so I spend less time giving more value. I will tell them I will be sharing a short message, and top it all off with the prayer.

Considering that this is not necessarily a Christian group, I will have to say that I quote from the Bible, from the Old and the New Testament (I was going to say ‘Christian Bible’, but I figure this might offend some people as I may project I have the wrong impression of them).

From the Old Testament, Joshua 1:9 says, ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’

From the New Testament, I quote Galatians 6:9, which says, ‘And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.’

From these verses, I say, friends, do not be afraid, and do not grow weary.

Do not be afraid. On the other hand, you can be strong, and you can be courageous. I say this to you with confidence because it is God Himself who said, I am with you, wherever you go.

Do not grow weary. If you know you are doing good, and if you do not give up, it is only a matter of time until you reap the rewards.

Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage.

Do not be afraid, and do not grow weary.

In praying for these folk, depending on what I gather, and who to pray for in particular, I shall speak blessing.

I will express thanks to our God for the wisdom He gives upon those who would be making decisions.

I will thank God for the power He bestows upon those who have specific duties to perform.

I will thank God for the unity He gives to the group, so that they would achieve much more than they could ever accomplish on their own.

I will thank God for His protection upon everyone involved – favor with everyone they deal with, and deliverance from any threat that may hinder or stop them.

It is also important that I speak blessings in form of health and provision upon the brethren and each family represented, especially with this virus going around and messing our individual lives and the progression of our families.

I will wrap it all up by giving God the glory, for it is through Christ that we can count on the Lord for His powerful response as we ask for wisdom, power, unity, protection, health and provision.

This shouldn’t really take too long, and I hope and pray that through this event, the Holy Spirit would move mightily in their midst, that they would know the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let faith come by hearing, and hearing Christ, the living Word of God.

I’m pretty excited to be praying for this group, and for my friend, in particular. I’m thankful – truth be told, they could have asked other people who had better experience in this sort of deal to pray for them, but here I was, not really expecting anything, and this prayer request just comes out of the blue.

You can cue the cheesy music here as I just give thanks to our God – not only for His goodness and greatness, but really, for how He has the power and the ability to catch us totally by surprise.

We truly have a God who not only loves us as a species among His creation, but one who loves each and every one of us individually – He knows us by name. He considered each and every one of us, down to the good and bad we would do and have done to us – and still, He would proclaim in blood, that we were worth saving, and we were worth having, not only for a season, but forever.

That’s kind of what this all is, actually – when I do these 1000 words, I’m overflowing, and as I overflow, lo and behold, I’m clarifying, and essentially preparing for what is to come.

Of course, in the process of preparation I could only hope that you are blessed as you read, much as I am certainly blessed as I write.

Do you have a prayer request?