When we look back on this year and remember the complexities of a pandemic, the social and civil unrests, and the divisiveness of an election season, what will we remember about our response?
Did we turn to our social media platforms to share our thoughts, opinions, complains and rants… before turning to God’s Word?
Did we tune out the world and seek a mindless escape in the form of Netflix bingeing… instead of turning to God for His peace and comfort?
Did we find ourselves wishing away the hard and the pain in exchange for an easier season or the “good ol’ days”… instead of trusting that God has purpose for us in this season?
What if we could say our first response and the ultimate tool in our “2020 Survival Kit” was PRAYER. That instead of looking for escapes or quick fixes, we could say we leaned in and sought out the joy, strength, rest and hope that only God provides. That in the midst of a pretty hard season, we tuned in to our steadfast Father and allowed His spirit to fill us with His peace.
Our new sermon series, “Ask Anything: The Audacity of Prayer,” kicked off this past weekend, and over the next few weeks, Pastor Aaron will be walking us through the various ways we can boldly and confidently approach God in prayer and ask ANYTHING according to His will.
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:13-15
Prayer is powerful. When we surrender our control and align our hearts with Him, we can pray bold and audacious prayers and connect with God in a powerful way. He desires for us to come to Him on a daily basis, and this close relationship has the power to change things and change us.
In his message on Sunday, Pastor Aaron shared a helpful challenge that will give us a little kickstart on our prayer journey this week:
- Start by praying for five minutes a day. That’s it. Put it in your calendar or set an alarm to remind you.
- Pray for five people personally. Write their names down in the notes app on your phone. Of your five people, pray specifically for one person who is in a position of authority and one person who doesn’t know Jesus.
Whether you are a new believer and just learning about prayer for the first time, or you are seasoned in your faith and looking to up your prayer game, we also wanted to share an invitation to pray in some new ways through these various opportunities:
PRAYER WALKING:
How to Prayer Walk: Pray as you pass through the streets of your community.
Prayer Walking: Five simple suggestions for getting started
Praying For Your Neighborhood: Praying on-site with insight
FAST:
Fasting & Prayer: Seven basic steps to successful fasting and prayer
Fasting In the Bible: Scriptural emphasis to fasting
Why Fast?: Practical notes about fasting
EXTENDED TIME IN PRAYER (3-HOURS, HALF DAY, OR DAY OF PRAYER)
How to Spend Extended Time in Prayer: The practicalities and how-to’s
ALL NIGHT PRAYER
How To Conduct An All-Night Prayer Meeting: How to cultivate this spiritual discipline
Practical’s of Praying Through The Night: Biblical background and how-to’s
Any of these are great ways to push your prayer life to the next level, but if you’re finding yourself in a position of not really knowing where to start, it’s ok. God just wants you to turn to Him – He will meet you right where you are.
Our prayers have power because our God is all powerful. When we open our hands, release control, and go to Him in prayer for wisdom and direction, there is beauty in knowing that even in the middle of tumultuous and uncertain times, we can trust that He is going to do what only He can do.
LET US PRAY.