Thank you to all those who continue to join in prayer with us each Wednesday. In preparation for our weekly prayer time, I always pray and ask God to inspire me with what to highlight for prayer. This week I have been inspired by a common summertime experience. It is mosquitoes. You might wonder how in the world mosquitoes can inspire us for prayer. Let me describe a routine that I go through when hiking. When we reach the trails where we will be hiking, we make a point of applying bug spray. We know that this time of the year, we cannot expect a bug free walk so we take action to protect ourselves. Here I am reminded that Scripture instructs us to take action to protect ourselves from the schemes of the evil one. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” And in Ephesians 6:10, 13, 18, we can read, 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power…13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Our prayers are a crucial part of equipping ourselves to be protected against evil. When you think about it, if there is protection available, it is wise to use it. We can never expect a walk absent of the effects of sin so we can choose to take action to protect ourselves and others when we pray. Please plan to join us for prayer again this week, as we pray for God’s Divine protection and commit ourselves to depend on God in all things. Our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER is set for Wednesday, June 23rd at 1 pm.
God bless and keep you, Pastor Lola
Thank You God for this remarkable gift of prayer. Thank You that You do not intend us to face our journey through this life unprotected. You God urge us to be faithful in prayer and to trust You to protect us and to deliver us from evil. Every day we are confronted with the influence of evil in our world. We need You God to lead us away from temptation. Please guard us against the temptation to give up and to conclude that it is not possible to stand against sin. Please guard us against the temptation for self preservation without regard for the needs and concerns of others. Please assist us in the stand that You intend us to take for You. Thank You God that You are prepared to protect our minds, hearts, and souls and to guard our faith in You. Our God, in Your wisdom, You have given us this powerful protection of prayer. This is not just to keep us safe, it is for us to employ to see others kept safe too. Thank You God for all those who are getting vaccinated against Covid and for this means of protection. We do look forward to being able to gather more freely and with safety. God please continue to guide our conversations with people with whom we do not agree over various issues. Please reveal how we can show respect and compassion. We are asking You our God to remind us of what we have been able to learn over the course of this pandemic. Please protect us against giving in to impatience and frustration when what we hope for is taking longer than we thought. God we pray against a spirit of misunderstanding. Sometimes we misunderstand You and sometimes we misunderstand each other. We look to you our God for the understanding You are prepared to provide each day. And God we do pray to be alert. We want to be available for Your plans and purposes. We do not want to get distracted by things that pull our attention away from You. As we pray for ourselves and for each other with all kinds of prayers and requests, we look for the ways that You will be at work to answer these prayers. Protect us we pray from not expecting much from You and not attempting much for You. Our God of Mercy, fill our hearts with mercy we pray. And when we do recognize that You are answering our prayers for protection and that You are taking action to deliver us from evil, please remind us to thank You. We pray that our experiences of Your deliverance from evil will urge us to pray all the more and to see how You will overcome evil with Your miraculous capacity for good. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.