American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 59
ARC Prayer Meeting
Last week we covered at the American Reformation Church “Love is not rude.” This means love does not act unbecomingly or inappropriately. Those who seek to love as God loves, they do not go out of their way to cause others’ problems or demean them. Therefore, there are elements of respect, courteousness, politeness, and good manners associated with God’s love.
This week, God willing, we will search out and preach on “Love does not seek its own.” To me, this is one of the more curious definitions of God’s love that we discover in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Another translation is “Love does not insist on its own way.”
The Scriptures have much to reveal about the godly endeavor of seeking. There are many truths we are called to seek and live out by faith. We are called to seek God, seek first His Kingdom, seek His Wisdom, and seek to establish justice just to name a few. One of the most proficient ways of seeking these righteous pursuits beside the study of sacred Scripture is to develop a robust prayer life. There are, of course, also things we should not seek as God reminds us “love does not seek its own.”
Bible verse after Bible verse encourages men and nations to seek the Lord, call upon Him, and even cry out to Him if the situation is dire. The book of Psalms alone is replete with these kinds of admonishments. For instance, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Psalms 34:4). In verse 6, David declares, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”
Are you or someone you know struggling with fear? Are you or someone you know plagued by troubles? Is it hard to make ends meet? Are there relational fractures, sickness, abuse, addictions, and host of other evils overtaken you or others that you many know?
Certainly, if we honestly assess the state of our families, churches, culture, and nation we see many fraught with a sense of hopelessness and despair. Considering this trauma, we must realize for many, our sins have reached heaven and the bitter fruit of our rebellion and covenant breaking are evident amongst us. No amount of “Make America Great Again” can in and of itself resolve our deep-seated anxiety, confusion, despair, and depression. A political solution cannot heal broken hearts and tattered lives savaged by our sins, disobedience, and abominations.
People need the Lord as the old song proclaims. To seek God, to cry out to Him for pardon, mercy, salvation, and deliverance for our loved ones, for the lost, and our nation is a noble undertaking that the Church of the living God should embrace not only during our current distress, but as a way of life.
Asking God to summon His power and show us His strength like He has done before to deliver us from evil is a worthwhile initiative. Is there not a cause brethren?
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