This is a wonderful story of God's grace and power from one of my dearest friends who ministers in India. Take a couple of minutes and be encouraged today. If God can do this, He can do anything!
https://vimeo.com/53877165
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Brokenness is the way to wholeness
Recently I have had the privilege of hearing the stories of a number of couples who are vibrant followers of Christ with strong marriages and a deep commitment to ministry. They all have something in common: their wholeness came through deep brokenness along the way.
It is the way of growth for those who follow Jesus. Mary Ann and I know this as well which is why we wrote the book When Life Comes Undone: Walking in Faith when Life is Hard and Hope is Scarce.
Why the dichotomy of wholeness through brokenness? It is quite simple: It is in our brokenness that we finally allow God to do the renovation work in our lives that brings the healing and joy of wholeness. God's construction of healthy comes on the heals of the deconstruction of our lives that pain brings.
One of the common themes among these couples is that they are deeply thankful for the brokenness they experienced. It was in their pain that they faced the bitter realities of their own sin and need and in the process found the amazing grace of Jesus' forgiveness and healing. They would not be where they are today without the dark night of the soul they experienced along the way.
Freedom and wholeness come to those who press into Jesus in their brokenness. That is why I call pain and suffering - no matter its source - as an unlikely gift. It is a wonderful thing to come to the place where we have nothing to trust in but God. When He is all we have, we realize that He is all we need. In the wake of the deconstruction of our lives through pain we experience the life that Jesus brings (John 10:10).
The key to wholeness of life is that we press in to Jesus and allow Him to do the renovation our lives need. And that usually comes in its greatest form in our deepest time of personal need.
It is the way of growth for those who follow Jesus. Mary Ann and I know this as well which is why we wrote the book When Life Comes Undone: Walking in Faith when Life is Hard and Hope is Scarce.
Why the dichotomy of wholeness through brokenness? It is quite simple: It is in our brokenness that we finally allow God to do the renovation work in our lives that brings the healing and joy of wholeness. God's construction of healthy comes on the heals of the deconstruction of our lives that pain brings.
One of the common themes among these couples is that they are deeply thankful for the brokenness they experienced. It was in their pain that they faced the bitter realities of their own sin and need and in the process found the amazing grace of Jesus' forgiveness and healing. They would not be where they are today without the dark night of the soul they experienced along the way.
Freedom and wholeness come to those who press into Jesus in their brokenness. That is why I call pain and suffering - no matter its source - as an unlikely gift. It is a wonderful thing to come to the place where we have nothing to trust in but God. When He is all we have, we realize that He is all we need. In the wake of the deconstruction of our lives through pain we experience the life that Jesus brings (John 10:10).
The key to wholeness of life is that we press in to Jesus and allow Him to do the renovation our lives need. And that usually comes in its greatest form in our deepest time of personal need.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Conflict, reconciliation, Jesus, the church and us
The church, in general, has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to one of the most fundamental calls of the Christian faith - reconciliation. As a church consultant I have seen the road kill and carnage of congregations that fight with one another, people who don't forgive one another, spirits of animosity that poison relationships, recrimination, power plays and church splits.
Pastors are guilty, board members are guilty and paritioners are guilty. Sometimes, whole congregations are guilty. All of us at one time or another have been guilty. Think of the conflicts we experienced with friends early in life let alone as the years went on.
Paul, himself, who I will quote below had severe conflict with his partner Barnabas, John Mark as well as with the Apostle Peter. None of us are exempt in a fallen world. Fortunately it seems there was reconciliation in later years. Time has a way of bringing perspective and healing.
While I understand the sinful nature we still deal with as Christ followers, I cannot help but believe that the heart of God is deeply grieved over the divisions within His family - especially the unwillingness of people to seek reconcile their differences (however that is able to be done) and at the least live at peace with one another and at the best understand each other. Our inability to do so is really a rejection of that which Christ did for us in His death on the cross.
The story of God with a rebellious creation is that of reconciliation. The overarching story, of course is that through Jesus we can be reconciled to God - because of His substitutionary death on the cross for us. This reconciliation brings forgiveness of our sin and therefore peace, fellowship and friendship with God which is what our Creator meant for His created in the first place.
This reconciliation, however has further implications. In Jesus, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). The many things that have divided us, race, ethnicity, social status, education, political party or gender have all been broken down by the cross where we meet God and one another as equals. In God's family, the distinctions that divided us are erased by the Holy Spirit who has made us part of a new family.
Jesus anticipated this breaking down of barriers when He prayed His high priestly prayer in John 17:23: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Likewise, Paul, wrote frequently of the unity of the body because of our adoption into God's family and the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider these words in Ephesians 4:1ff. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Here is my question: If God was willing to send His very son to make reconciliation with us possible why, after receiving that gift, are we not willing to go the smaller distance to seek to reconcile ourselves with others in the family of God?
Is it any wonder that society as a whole is cynical of the work of God when His own people cannot live at peace with one another and fight the same personal and political battles as are fought in Washington between differing political parties? We can be just as nasty, just as vociferous and just as unforgiving and stubborn as the most unregenerate unbeliever. Yet we claim the name of Jesus!
We cannot control what others do or don't do but we can control what we do or don't do. Are we willing to be peacemakers rather than divisive? Are willing to forgive rather than to live in bitterness? Are we willing to overlook the failures of others since love covers a multitude of sins?
I also believe that we need to do a better job of helping our congregations understand the central place that reconciliation is to play in the life of a congregation. The church should look different than the rest of society! We are, after all His people with His Spirit which is a Spirit of unity. This is an issue that needs to be addressed regularly in a world that is so deeply divisive.
Living on this side of eternity conflict is inevitable - even among God's people. It is how we handle that conflict that is the important issue. Reconciliation is all about how we choose to handle conflict and broken relationships when they occur.
What reconciliation does and does not mean:
It does not mean that the conflict was wrong or bad. Without disagreements important issues do not get clarified and addressed. Conflict itself is not bad. In fact it can be exceedingly healthy because it reveals the need to clarify some issue. What it does mean is that we choose to resolve the conflict in a way that is God honoring. As much as it is possible!
It does not mean that we must agree with the other party but it does mean that we can choose to disagree and not hurt one another any longer. Some issues will not be sorted out until eternity when we see fully and where our emotions are no longer in the way.
It does mean that there must be a cease of hostilities, slander, gossip and bad attitudes toward one another. The reputation of Jesus trumps my personal need to be right or vindicated. Carnal behavior in conflict is sin and must be resisted.
It does mean that we try to understand the other party's point of view even if we believe it to be wrong and misguided. The ability to listen, empathize and understand (even if we don't agree) goes a long ways to damper hostilities.
It does not mean that we need to change our minds on an issue if after discussion we remain convinced that we are being true to our beliefs and the facts as we understand them.
It does not mean that we need to be close friends, or even friends. It does mean that we will not be enemies any longer. We can choose to bless one another without trying to be friends or to force relationships that have been broken. Sometimes keeping a distance is smarter than closeness when conflict has been severe and where it is clear that there cannot be a common solution.
It does not mean that we will always be able to sort through the issues. It takes reasonable, humble and teachable people to sort through issues and that is not always possible. Sometimes we must simply choose to put the issue behind us for the higher value of Christian unity. It does mean that if we have sinned in our attitudes during the conflict we ask forgiveness for our part.
It does not mean that we forget the offense. That may or may not be possible. It does mean that we choose to forgive the offense because we are commanded to by Jesus who forgave our offences.
It does not mean that we pretend that the issues did not matter. Often they do and pretending that they did not or that all is now well when this is not true is a disservice to the concept of reconciliation. The hardest kind of reconciliation is when we cannot fix the issue but we choose to live at peace in spite of the issue.
Who do you need to reconcile with?
See these other blogs:
Incarnation and reconciliation
Reconciling irreconcilable differences
Unfinished business
Pastors are guilty, board members are guilty and paritioners are guilty. Sometimes, whole congregations are guilty. All of us at one time or another have been guilty. Think of the conflicts we experienced with friends early in life let alone as the years went on.
Paul, himself, who I will quote below had severe conflict with his partner Barnabas, John Mark as well as with the Apostle Peter. None of us are exempt in a fallen world. Fortunately it seems there was reconciliation in later years. Time has a way of bringing perspective and healing.
While I understand the sinful nature we still deal with as Christ followers, I cannot help but believe that the heart of God is deeply grieved over the divisions within His family - especially the unwillingness of people to seek reconcile their differences (however that is able to be done) and at the least live at peace with one another and at the best understand each other. Our inability to do so is really a rejection of that which Christ did for us in His death on the cross.
The story of God with a rebellious creation is that of reconciliation. The overarching story, of course is that through Jesus we can be reconciled to God - because of His substitutionary death on the cross for us. This reconciliation brings forgiveness of our sin and therefore peace, fellowship and friendship with God which is what our Creator meant for His created in the first place.
This reconciliation, however has further implications. In Jesus, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). The many things that have divided us, race, ethnicity, social status, education, political party or gender have all been broken down by the cross where we meet God and one another as equals. In God's family, the distinctions that divided us are erased by the Holy Spirit who has made us part of a new family.
Jesus anticipated this breaking down of barriers when He prayed His high priestly prayer in John 17:23: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Likewise, Paul, wrote frequently of the unity of the body because of our adoption into God's family and the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider these words in Ephesians 4:1ff. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Here is my question: If God was willing to send His very son to make reconciliation with us possible why, after receiving that gift, are we not willing to go the smaller distance to seek to reconcile ourselves with others in the family of God?
Is it any wonder that society as a whole is cynical of the work of God when His own people cannot live at peace with one another and fight the same personal and political battles as are fought in Washington between differing political parties? We can be just as nasty, just as vociferous and just as unforgiving and stubborn as the most unregenerate unbeliever. Yet we claim the name of Jesus!
We cannot control what others do or don't do but we can control what we do or don't do. Are we willing to be peacemakers rather than divisive? Are willing to forgive rather than to live in bitterness? Are we willing to overlook the failures of others since love covers a multitude of sins?
I also believe that we need to do a better job of helping our congregations understand the central place that reconciliation is to play in the life of a congregation. The church should look different than the rest of society! We are, after all His people with His Spirit which is a Spirit of unity. This is an issue that needs to be addressed regularly in a world that is so deeply divisive.
Living on this side of eternity conflict is inevitable - even among God's people. It is how we handle that conflict that is the important issue. Reconciliation is all about how we choose to handle conflict and broken relationships when they occur.
What reconciliation does and does not mean:
It does not mean that the conflict was wrong or bad. Without disagreements important issues do not get clarified and addressed. Conflict itself is not bad. In fact it can be exceedingly healthy because it reveals the need to clarify some issue. What it does mean is that we choose to resolve the conflict in a way that is God honoring. As much as it is possible!
It does not mean that we must agree with the other party but it does mean that we can choose to disagree and not hurt one another any longer. Some issues will not be sorted out until eternity when we see fully and where our emotions are no longer in the way.
It does mean that there must be a cease of hostilities, slander, gossip and bad attitudes toward one another. The reputation of Jesus trumps my personal need to be right or vindicated. Carnal behavior in conflict is sin and must be resisted.
It does mean that we try to understand the other party's point of view even if we believe it to be wrong and misguided. The ability to listen, empathize and understand (even if we don't agree) goes a long ways to damper hostilities.
It does not mean that we need to change our minds on an issue if after discussion we remain convinced that we are being true to our beliefs and the facts as we understand them.
It does not mean that we need to be close friends, or even friends. It does mean that we will not be enemies any longer. We can choose to bless one another without trying to be friends or to force relationships that have been broken. Sometimes keeping a distance is smarter than closeness when conflict has been severe and where it is clear that there cannot be a common solution.
It does not mean that we will always be able to sort through the issues. It takes reasonable, humble and teachable people to sort through issues and that is not always possible. Sometimes we must simply choose to put the issue behind us for the higher value of Christian unity. It does mean that if we have sinned in our attitudes during the conflict we ask forgiveness for our part.
It does not mean that we forget the offense. That may or may not be possible. It does mean that we choose to forgive the offense because we are commanded to by Jesus who forgave our offences.
It does not mean that we pretend that the issues did not matter. Often they do and pretending that they did not or that all is now well when this is not true is a disservice to the concept of reconciliation. The hardest kind of reconciliation is when we cannot fix the issue but we choose to live at peace in spite of the issue.
Who do you need to reconcile with?
See these other blogs:
Incarnation and reconciliation
Reconciling irreconcilable differences
Unfinished business
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A theology of life
Think of the amazing gift we have been given in being made
in God's image, in being “image bearers” of the Lord of the universe:
·
We were created for eternity with an eternal
soul
·
We were made for a relationship with our creator
·
We were given the gift of relationships with one
another
·
We were granted the gift of moral freedom
·
We were given the amazing capacity to create
·
We were given the ability to love deeply
The apostle Paul puts all this in perspective in Ephesians
2:10. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The word “workmanship” means a
unique work of art, a one of a kind. As unique works of God we were created for
a personal relationship with him in
Christ Jesus, in order to join him in
His work in this world (good works)
which God prepared for each of us “in advance.”
In endowing us with His image, He gave something of Himself
to mankind. Our very ability to know and love him and one another is part of
that gift. I can adore and love my spouse and my children and have meaningful
relationships with others because He chose to make me in His image. I can know
Him, serve Him, join Him in His work in this world because he made me in His
image. I can use all my creativity in loving and caring and serving and living
because He made me in His image.
I remember meeting my son Jon for the first time
knowing that this was my flesh, my offspring. The day I met my first
grandson, Gavrel, was even more profound, Again, here was a
precious child with my DNA, flesh of my flesh of my flesh entering the world.
In making us in His Image, God deliberately planted something of Himelf in His
created. Just as I look at my grandson with a love too deep to describe, so He
looks at us with a love that is able to see beyond all of our brokenness for He
sees His image in us, however flawed by the entrance of sin into our world –
deliberately planted in us by Him.
Our news is full of stories of the brokenness of our world.
It is easy to become numb to the human needs and issues we become aware
of. But stop for a moment and put on the lens of God. Your neighbor who is
hurting is made in God’s image. The thousands of children who needlessly suffer
from malaria every year for lack of mosquito netting are made in His image.
The disabled who are so easily treated as throw away people
in much of the world are made in His image. Those who suffer from chronic dysentery
for lack of clean water are made in His image. Those young slaves of the sex
trade internationally are image bearers of God. The millions who are aborted
annually are stamped with His imprint. The elderly who are shuffled off to a
lonely existence are made in His image.
Seen in that light, we cannot
ignore the spiritual and human needs around us or of our world and be like
Jesus. Life is precious. People are precious. Even the most broken individual is a potential son or
daughter of the king because all were stamped with His image.
No other part of
God’s creation was endowed with an eternal soul or an eternal destiny. To care
for people and their situations is to see people as Jesus sees them and to love
them as He loves them. To live selfishly, immune from the suffering of others
is to reject the nobility God placed within man, even though sin has made much
so ignoble.
Every time we uphold the dignity of human life, uphold
biblical sexuality, treat our spouses well, care for those that society throws
away: widows, orphans, AIDS victims, those with unwanted pregnancies, the disabled, the
sick, those in dire poverty, the elderly, we join Jesus in bringing value to life made in His image. We join
Jesus in His prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How is it
done in heaven? Perfectly!
When we join Him in meeting the physical and
spiritual needs of our world we start bringing little bits of heaven and His
values to a world that is lost and dehumanizing to those He created. We join
Him in His quest to reimage an image made wrong by sin and bring out the beauty
of what God originally intended.
We cannot meet all the needs of our broken world but we can
make a difference for someone who is
an image bearer of God. Every act of compassion that meets physical and
spiritual needs is an act of obedience to our Father who cares so deeply for
every human being. He hurts when they hurt, and wants every image bearer to
find Him and be ReImaged into His likeness.
Every time we go out of our way to bring
life to a situation, we make the heart of God glad. Each word that encourages,
touch that shows love, help that brings hope or Good News that speaks to the
soul mirrors the heart of God toward those He created. None are beyond His
grace, none are too broken for his healing or beyond His divine touch.
Do you see people through human eyes or Jesus' eyes?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Are you an evangelical functional deist?
This blog is likely to make some uncomfortable. My observation is that many who call themselves followers of Jesus, at least in the west, are functional deists - they don't believe in their heart of hearts that Jesus breaks into our lives or our situations personally to do the unexpected, the miraculous or speak to us personally. It is as if there is a God in heaven who does not break in and work in our lives personally.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most famous diests among the founding fathers. He actually modified his Bible by taking out all references to the miraculous. His god was a small god who set the world in motion and let it move along according to the natural laws of nature and no natural law of nature had room for the miraculous. We would never modify our Bibles but do we harbor doubts in our mind just as Jefferson that our God does not do the unexpected and miraculous today?
Well, God is a God of surprises who loves to challenge our thinking. Here is a great example from a member of ReachGlobal's staff in Africa - in his words
"The day was fresh. New.
My heart was still and waiting.
As I sat quietly on the upper floor balcony of my house overlooking the
hills of the city, I just praised the Lord for this new day. I spent some time reading and listening . . .
and then began a time of rested listening prayer. I enjoy these kinds of times many mornings
where I just want to SOAK with Jesus.
Just rest in His presence and not have to accomplish anything. I want to hear His voice. I often ask for that one simple thing: “Jesus, I just want to hear Your voice. Speak to me.
Tell me what you want me to do.”
"As I sat there in my
wicker rattan chair, legs crossed and arms folded, I heard something that
surprised me. I just heard
these simple words: “Go to the hospital
and pray for Clarice. Ask me for her
complete recovery. Try me and I will do
it.” Our dear national friends who are
part of our church family had just been married in the last two years and had
been expecting TWINS! At the birth of
the children, Clarice suffered a massive stroke. A young Cameroonian mother . . . having just
birthed a beautiful boy and a beautiful girl . . . experiencing a
life-altering, life-threatening, life-scrambling STROKE. Our hearts just ached. We felt sorrow and we wondered what God would
do.
"Now, here I am sitting on
my balcony and God simply says in a quiet, clear voice: “Go and pray.
Ask me. Try me and I will do it.” My eyebrows went up. I shook my head. I literally said OUTLOUD, “You’ve got to be
KIDDING!?!” And then I prayed: “Lord, that was YOU, wasn’t it?” I knew it was. It was a direct answer to my prayer: “Jesus, I want to hear Your Voice. Speak to me.
I will do what you want me to do.”
And I remembered the prayer months earlier that my teammate, Arthur
Ellison, had prayed over me in one of our team meetings, that I would pray for
people’s physical healing as God might prompt me.
"Well, after wrestling with
this for three days and then repenting from a lack of faith and wondering if
God was really serious, I decided to take HIM seriously. My wife and I and our national pastor and his
wife got in the car and did exactly what God asked me to do. As I stood over her bed, wearing a mask and
gown—one visitor allowed at a time . . . I simply told Clarice what I felt God
had asked me to do and prayed over her and anointed her with oil. She received . . . eyes bulged open, not
herself in the slightest. She worked to
speak at all . . . and said . . . “Thank . . . . . you.”
"My wife went in, my pastor
went in, then our pastor’s wife spent a few minutes with her—only to tell us on
the way home from the hospital that night this unbelievable report: “Clarice told me that she had a vision just
three days ago, that God came and told her that YOU needed to come and pray
over her for healing. She has been
waiting here three days knowing that you would come. And . . . that God would heal her.”
"I could hardly believe
what I was hearing. The same day He
spoke to me, He spoke to her. What a
confirmation that God is clearly, actively wanting to do extraordinary things
IN and THROUGH US! We need to
expect!! WE need to yearn and hunger for
His miraculous and simple voice to show up each day. Then, we need to just yield and do as He asks.
"Clarice was told she’d
never walk. She would most likely never
speak and may be bed-ridden the rest of her life. Well, all praise to God—she not only walks,
she runs. She not only speaks. She speaks French and English and her mother
tongue as well! She sings. She smiles.
She testifies and evangelizes.
She shares with everyone what God has done for her! She is a happy and proud mother of two
beautiful kids. Her husband Claude never
doubted for a moment that God would bring his wife back to her original
self. And . . . by God’s great grace, He
has done JUST THAT!
Humbled and honored, Jeff Brown"
As one who has experienced the miraculous myself, I am no functional deist. Not only do I believe in the power of God to break in but I would not be alive today if He had not.
Invite Him into your situation, or the situation of someone who needs it. He may surprise you.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Prayers of the People
For Brook, Heather, Paige, and Roger who all need our prayers.
I have the joy on occasion to attend an evangelical Anglican church. One of the things I deeply appreciate in their services is the emphasis on prayer. Prayers of the people, prayers of confession and prayers of praise. In many ways we have lost the emphasis on prayer in many of our evangelical churches.
My family knows the power of united prayer for without the prayers of many during my long illness of 2007-2008 and then again in early 2009, I would not be alive. Medical doctors cannot explain how I was healed. They know it was miraculous.
The story can be read in When Life Comes Undone: Walking by Faith when Life is Hard and Hope is Scarce. The truth is that these situations come to us all at one time or another. The question when they come is do we have a group of friends who will pray passionately for our situation?
We take the power of prayer too lightly, at least in the west where we can rely on our own resources to fix things. But even with us, there comes a time when we have no other resource but Jesus. None.
As I often say, "It is a wonderful thing to come to the place where we have nothing else to rely on but God. When all of our resources are exhausted as eventually they are we have the one thing we have had all along: Jesus. And He is enough." I would not have said that before my own dark night of the soul but I have learned that not only is He enough but He is the single most important thing I need.
One of the greatest gifts we can give those around us is to become people of prayer for them. To lift those up in our circles who are hurting, who are sick, who are without hope, who are grieving or dealing with whatever real life has dealt them. It takes intentionality on our part but it is the very gift that we would ask for in our own dark night.
Prayer bring hope, it may well bring healing. It always brings the presence of a loving father. It brings us and those we pray for into the very throne room of the Lord of the universe. It brings a smile to God's face and a blessing on those we pray for. It is a hidden gift in that those we lift up may never know this side of eternity but they will know one day.
We need one another and Jesus far more than we know. Let's lift up those who are need of God's intervention on a daily basis. Prayers of the people are beautiful on Sundays and necessary every day.
I have the joy on occasion to attend an evangelical Anglican church. One of the things I deeply appreciate in their services is the emphasis on prayer. Prayers of the people, prayers of confession and prayers of praise. In many ways we have lost the emphasis on prayer in many of our evangelical churches.
My family knows the power of united prayer for without the prayers of many during my long illness of 2007-2008 and then again in early 2009, I would not be alive. Medical doctors cannot explain how I was healed. They know it was miraculous.
The story can be read in When Life Comes Undone: Walking by Faith when Life is Hard and Hope is Scarce. The truth is that these situations come to us all at one time or another. The question when they come is do we have a group of friends who will pray passionately for our situation?
We take the power of prayer too lightly, at least in the west where we can rely on our own resources to fix things. But even with us, there comes a time when we have no other resource but Jesus. None.
As I often say, "It is a wonderful thing to come to the place where we have nothing else to rely on but God. When all of our resources are exhausted as eventually they are we have the one thing we have had all along: Jesus. And He is enough." I would not have said that before my own dark night of the soul but I have learned that not only is He enough but He is the single most important thing I need.
One of the greatest gifts we can give those around us is to become people of prayer for them. To lift those up in our circles who are hurting, who are sick, who are without hope, who are grieving or dealing with whatever real life has dealt them. It takes intentionality on our part but it is the very gift that we would ask for in our own dark night.
Prayer bring hope, it may well bring healing. It always brings the presence of a loving father. It brings us and those we pray for into the very throne room of the Lord of the universe. It brings a smile to God's face and a blessing on those we pray for. It is a hidden gift in that those we lift up may never know this side of eternity but they will know one day.
We need one another and Jesus far more than we know. Let's lift up those who are need of God's intervention on a daily basis. Prayers of the people are beautiful on Sundays and necessary every day.
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