This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the 191st Anniversary of Springford Baptist Church. It is remarkable to think of all the people over the years who have trusted God and gathered together to have their faith nurtured. Our faith journey was never meant to be a solitary one. Through the really good times and the really hard times, we keep turning to God together. There is reassurance when we can support each other in what it means to trust God. There is urging in Scripture to meet together to bring each other encouragement. We can read in Hebrews 10:24,25 “And let us consider how we may spue one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we gather, we like people in the past, affirm our belief that God loves us and is available to help us. There have been countless ways that God has answered prayers over the years. In a time when some people no longer know what it is to trust God and to turn to Him in prayer, we still believe. We still believe that God is for us not against us. We still believe that God hears and answers our prayers. We still believe that God loves us and cares about every detail of our lives. We can declare this when we pause tomorrow September 27th at 1 pm for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER.
Praying that we will not give up in trusting God and turning to Him in prayer, Lola
Our Loving God, thank You that we still have reason to believe in You and to trust You. We consider all the ways that You have moved to answer prayers in our lifetimes and before us in the lives of those who have walked by faith in the past. Thank You for churches where people have gathered together to be encouraged in their faith. Thank You for individuals being there for each other and lifting each other up in prayer. We know this has happened in the past and we are so grateful that it continues to happen today. We ask that whenever we come to You in prayer that our perspective will be to look not only to our own needs, but also to the needs of others. Thank You God that we can make it our goal to spur each other on toward love and good deeds. Thank You for the gift of encouragement. We want to use this gift when we pray. We think about the encouragement that others can experience when they know that we are praying for them. We think about how encouraged we are knowing that others are praying for us. Thank You for this mutual blessing. We also pray that as well as praying for each other that we will want to meet together to grow in our faith. Please prevent our faith from becoming unconsidered and stagnant. We pray that our shared faith will bring us encouragement and also challenge. Where are the places that You God want to stretch our faith? We pray that together we will see that happen. Where there are uncharted paths for us to explore, we want to be ready for this. We draw inspiration knowing that people over the years have held tightly to their faith. They have encouraged each other and we want to do the same. Help us to encourage each other through our prayers together, through our seeking You together and through humble lives of faith. In the Name of Jesus. AMEN