When God Says "Wait" by Andre Amirato

I would like to consider with you one response we might receive from the Lord when we pray and what impact our reaction can have on our lives. It can be a real struggle to even open up to the Lord, but even greater change can occur when we listen to his voice and act accordingly.

Read Psalm 27:7-14

When we seek the Lord, we need to be open to listen. He speaks, we follow, we continue to search him, and he continues to reveal to us. Sometimes he prevents us from ruining ourselves, sometimes he guides us to victory and may even specify the individual steps to take, but sometimes he doesn’t speak. The above mentioned Psalm isn’t just a prayer to the Lord, rather it is a cry, begging the Lord for revelation. It demonstrates the anguish of uncertainty as verse 9 cites, “Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger…” (ESV)

In the previous responses, we are charged with obedience and humility. This passage demands that we give the Lord our patience and trust. The level of faithfulness required when we desperately need an answer and are not receiving one is challenging. We must remember that the Lord has gifted us with reason and logic. It is not wrong to move in the direction that we understand as best, but this is not always possible. There may be times where we simply lack the capacity to reach into the abilities that the Lord has given us due to our inadequacies. We are not called to sit idly, and when in complete lack, confused and desperate, the Psalmist does not acquiesce into fear. The Psalmist waits, but also searches.

This particular response is especially important because our attitudes in these moments can sow something significant in our lives. Before a farmer is able to reap the fruits of his labor, he must first find the appropriate seeds, plow the ground in the right places, and sow at the appropriate time. The farmer nurtures his seeds and gives them attention. He comes to this patch of soil, where he cannot see growth, cannot see what is occurring beneath, but the farmer continues to give the necessary amount of water and fertilizer. He needs that fruit to sustain himself, but knows that should he reach into the soil preemptively, there will be nothing there but a half grown seed. A bit more time and work and fruit will come that then provides for sustenance and new seeds for another harvest.

Our souls hunger for the Lord and our physical beings depend upon this nourishment to reap fruit. We cry to the Lord. In our moments of need we are tried, our hunger and desperation grows and our physical bodies are unsure if the fruit will be enough to pay the bills, to put food on the table, to get the grade, to bring our families to Christ, to allow us to know the Lord more, to provide us with whatever it may be that our spirits are shouting for. We are challenged in our wait and it is frightening because as we wait, our needs do not wither. To wait is to have faith that our God is greater than our needs, our real and challenging needs. 

The Psalmist presents his needs to the Lord. He cries out, leaves his anguish before the Lord and seeks. He seeks and leaves what he can before the Lord’s feet, he seeks and leaves more. The Psalmist seeks and declares victory in his surrender to the Lord in verse 13: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”  He is calling us to seek and to leave our needs before him continuously. Whether we are able to leave everything at his feet or must learn to let go little by little, he strengthens us to continue to do so.

Waiting in the Lord can be frustrating and scary. Our doubts grow and are constantly gripping us, so we must continue to lay them before the Lord. We fight off our fears and continue to seek. As we seek, we are sacrificing more and more of ourselves to the Lord. Waiting in the Lord is a unique opportunity to be cherished, for the needs may be great, but our Lord is greater and will demonstrate Himself as faithful every time.

When God Says "No" by Andre Amirato

I would like to consider with you one response we might receive from the Lord when we pray and what impact our reaction can have on our lives. It can be a real struggle to even open up to the Lord, but even greater change can occur when we listen to his voice and act accordingly. 

Read Jeremiah 42:9-19

In this passage in the book of Jeremiah, the Hebrew people had pleaded for mercy and sought direction from the Lord. They looked to the prophet Jeremiah for direction. They were currently residing in a dangerous situation in Babylon. They had been planning on relocating to Egypt, which seemed like a logical and safe place at the time. They went to the Lord having analyzed their situation, which is appropriate, and then seeking God’s final approval. They were then completely devastated when the Lord responded with a clear and resounding “no.” 

It is not incorrect to analyze, think and make decisions—the Lord has called us to do so. However, it is inappropriate to come before the Lord, assuming that our analysis should be what convinces or guides His answer. There may be times when the Lord does direct us to make choices by guiding this process, but we must be open, not only to ask, but to obey His answers to us. 

In this passage, the Lord gave a response that was contrary to that which had been most logical in the eyes of the Hebrews. Oftentimes, the biggest struggle that we face in our day to day is giving up our own ways which seem logical, the schemas we have constructed, and the processes we’ve established. Instead, we must, by faith, choose to accept that our God has every authority in our lives to speak, even when it feels out of turn.

As human beings, we have been educated to understand our environments and draw conclusions based on our findings, and that decisions that are unsubstantiated by some form of evidence should be discarded. When coming before the Lord, we must recognize that though this process is good, it is also insufficient. We do not have the means, nor the capacity to gather the full extent of information needed to draw conclusions that could challenge the direction of the Lord. Accepting a word contrary to that which makes most sense, when guided by the Lord, is an act of obedience and, in turn, adoration to the Lord. 

The Hebrews in this passage were given an opportunity to demonstrate their faithfulness and obedience by accepting God’s answer. The Lord blessed them by giving them direction, as well as explaining what would happen should they choose obey or disobey his word. Their disobedience led to their demise. 

The Lord may not always explain why he is guiding us away from what seems to be the most sensible. Let me encourage you to remember that obeying, even when His answer is no, protects us and provides us with an opportunity to testify the Lord’s greatness.

An Honest Ask From A Pastor's Wife by Laura Williams

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” -Hebrews 13:7

It has been 5 years next month since we had our first gathering as Redemption Church on Easter Sunday, 2012. Daniel and I had moved our family down only months before from Washington State to this unknown (to us) south Florida beach town, and here we were introducing a new church and ourselves to the community! 

It. Was. Unreal.

Some of the feelings I remember vividly from that first-ever church service were excitement…for what God wanted to do, fear…that no one would come, joy…in seeing the first few strangers find their seats, insecurity that people wouldn’t connect with us, humor…knowing that only a week earlier, we didn’t even have a church, and desperation…for the Holy Spirit to come and bring power and life to our efforts in a way that only He can do.

None of those things has changed. Not one. As we have seen God come through and work in so many lives over the past several years, we remain excited knowing His ways are so much higher than ours! I still have to fight the temptation to feel afraid and insecure. We laughtogether sometimes, knowing that it is truly only the grace of God that has allowed us to be a part of this beautiful, difficult, and rewarding ministry of pastoring a church.

Pastors are real people. Hopefully you know this. And as God calls men and their families to set aside their own ambitions to pursue this unique calling, we need prayer. And not only those just starting out! Your pastor who has been serving faithfully in his church for 40 years needs your prayers too! 

Pastors get to experience what I think is one of the most exhilarating and exciting lifestyles that there is. We are privileged to give God’s Word to the lost and hungry, equip disciples of Jesus to do His ministry, and see the behind-the-scenes miracle of lives being changed supernaturally by a very real and present God who lets US see Him work! 

Why us? 

I have no idea. I do know, though, that it is an unusual life. And people sometimes regard us differently because of the place God has chosen for us. And that’s okay. I have always had a special respect and honor for my pastors. And this is good and right because God has placed them in a position of authority over His (Jesus’s) Church! But as you regard your pastor, please remember that he needs your support! There was a time he was not a pastor and probably had no ambitions of being one, then God spoke to him and changed the course of his life. Can you think for a moment if God were to call you to do the same?

So here is what I really want you to know about your pastor (and his family). We stumble. We lack faith at times. We try to hold up our shield of faith and not rely on our own strength. We KNOW that we need the Spirit of God to not only work through us to accomplish anything worthwhile, but to sustain our faith! We are where we are because God has placed us here—and that is all. We want to please our Heavenly Father and love and shepherd HIS flock well. And we NEED HIS SPIRIT to be at work constantly in us, around us, through us, and upon us. 

As the verse in Hebrews chapter 13 (see above) exhorts you to look to your pastor and imitate his faith, PRAY for his faith to be strengthened! It is perhaps the most humbling part of our life knowing that God Himself has chosen our lives to be showcased as an example to follow. And we do not take this lightly. 

But we do have a huge ASK for you. 

Would you pray for your pastor? And his wife? And their children? Pray as you would want to be prayed for! I have joked about the golden rule of prayer: “Pray for others as you would have them pray for you!” Remember, again, that they don’t need fancy, extra-spiritual prayers just because it’s your pastor! Pray for patience and tenderness in their marriage, for growth in their own quiet times with Jesus, pray for health and protection for their children! 

And THANK YOU. Because without the prayers of so many, I know that my husband and I would not be the same. We have asked for prayer from people near and far in the time since we launched that first Easter service, and God has heard and answered! THANK YOU! Keep praying!

When God Says "Yes" by Andre Amirato

I would like to consider with you one response we might receive from the Lord when we pray and what impact our reaction can have on our lives. It can be a real struggle to even open up to the Lord, but even greater change can occur when we listen to his voice and act accordingly. 

Read 2nd Samuel 5:17-25 and 1 Chronicles 14:10-16

Soon after David was anointed king, the Philistines came to attack him. He asked the Lord if he would grant him victory and the Lord blessed him. He received a “yes” from the Lord and was victorious. The story could end right there, and everyone would be satisfied. You ask about something, the Lord says yes, end of story. But there are two key behaviors that we should learn from King David in order to delight in the full capacity of the Lord.

In verse 21, Samuel states “and the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.” (ESV) The enemy attacked unsuccessfully, as they retreated, they left behind their relics, false gods, images and identifiable paraphernalia. The Lord gave David the victory that he needed, and before celebrating, before thanking his men, David goes to work for the Lord. He glorified the Lord by purging the land of all that came from the enemy. Verse 21 shows us the importance of honoring the Lord, regardless of how unfulfilling the action may be. Purging this land of these items also prevented that the enemy find something familiar when returning for another attack. We can never be sure that the enemy has run for good; there may be times when he may dare to attack once again, which is precisely what David experienced.

David also demonstrated humility in recognizing that his job was not done until he took care of the cleanup, the boring administrative work that easily gets pushed off to the side. He put God in first place, and, though he had victory, he knew that he must always be ready. The enemy would no longer find something familiar upon returning, and when they came back, David was ready for them. He was ready, he had already defeated them, and he knew exactly what to do. He already had a word from the Lord, a clear mandate and direction and so he went, and paused. Before carrying out with the direction that the Lord had already given him, he recognized that he must be continuously searching for the Lord’s direction, which is what he did.

David knew how to respond to the Philistines, but revered and feared the Lord. He stopped and sought the Lord’s direction once more. He did not rely on his own experience to tell him what to do, but continued in prayer. The Lord gave him another yes, but this time, David was given a unique set of instructions. He would not attack the Philistines as he had done so beforehand, rather the Lord guided him on an alternative path. He found victory once more in this alternative path. 

It is important for us to consider that he may have still found victory if he had done what had worked last time, but such victory would have been victory alone and not a victory that is coupled with honoring the Lord and submitting to his ways and means. The Lord equips us, he teaches us and he raises us up in such a way that we will learn how to advance, but if we open up to the Lord, even in the areas where we are already proficient and trained, we will then gain the opportunity to conquer and obey, to win and to glorify the Lord. As much as we may come to know and understand through the knowledge that the Lord affords us, confirmation can only come from the Lord. 

When the Lord says yes, we advance, but we must continuously submit ourselves so that we may have victory and be able to testify to the greatness of the Lord’s grace and mercy. King David placed himself and his army in second place when he ordered his men to carry away the idols that had been left behind. He recognized the need to prepare because he alone does not have the strength to fight, but he receives it from the Lord and will honor him at all times. Then, he presented himself to the Lord once more when he was again challenged, even though he had already been given victory in that place. Similarly, our response to God’s yes must be consistently humble and continue in prayer.

Let's Keep Praying by Daniel Williams

Can you believe that 2016 is more than halfway done already? It is crazy how quickly time flies. Since the start of this year, Jesus has done so many amazing things in our church and community, and God has answered so many of our prayers. As a church, we have been so blessed to see Him do so many wonderful things this year already, and I want us to remember that it all started with us praying…

We started this year doing a series on Prayer at our Sunday services and learning together about what God has to say about prayer. (Listen HERE) Our church family joined together in our 30for30 challenge to spend 30 minutes in prayer for 30 days. This was a tremendous time of growth and unity for us as a church body. It was also at this time that we began to fast and pray every first Wednesday of the month. And God worked in our hearts and prayers were answered!

But as time goes on, it becomes easy to forget and lose passion. We tend to forget that the blessing we are experiencing now are because of the spiritual discipline we applied earlier. And I don’t want that to happen. I want us to finish our year in a season of prayer! I want us to continue to pray and encourage all of us to keep going to God in prayer. 

I am sharing a few ideas for you to consider as you seek Jesus through prayer. In order to keep our prayer life from growing stale, it can be helpful to keep things fresh by praying in new spaces and ways. This is, of course, not a comprehensive list, but I am hoping that you can implement a few of these to reignite your prayer life right now. Let’s remember to practice this important spiritual discipline of prayer as we finish out 2016 together!

Pray Out Loud

Remembering that we are talking to a real person in prayer is important. So, I sometimes pray out loud to make sure I understand I am talking with a person. Speaking my words out loud also allows me to hear the thoughts of my heart which can be helpful. 

Pray With A Plan

Schedule times to pray in your calendar so it doesn’t get forgotten! This is one part of planning to pray. Another way to do this is to pray for things strategically. Make certain categories to cover in your prayer time. Create a prayer journal where you can write down specific prayer requests and ideas that you want to cover. This also can be encouraging when you see your prayers answered over time. 

Pray With A Pen & Paper

Often times, I get side tracked with ideas that pop in my mind as I pray, so having a pen and paper by my side can help me from being distracted. As the idea comes I can write it down quickly and continue to pray.

Pray While You Walk

I am all for kneeling while praying, but I don’t think it is the only way to pray. I find it helpful to pray while walking so my mind and body are active and I don’t fall asleep while talking to God. 

Pray With Scripture

Scripture points me to Jesus, gives me great truth about God and softens my heart towards God. Reading and praying through Scripture can give us inspiration and direction, and it also allows us to align our prayers with God’s will.

Pray & Fast

Take extra time to pray. We all seem to be busy, so a great way to make some extra time to pray is skipping a meal. Use this time that you would be eating to fast and come before God in prayer.

Pray In Tongues

God gives a supernatural gift to some of us to be able to pray to Him in a different language. We are able to ask God for this gift, and if He decides to impart this to us we can cry out to Him in a very special way. If you have this gift, don’t neglect it!

Pray With A Pure Heart

So many times we allow our sin to get in the way of praying to God. The Bible tells us that we are able to repent and ask God for forgiveness. Repenting and having this pure heart before the Lord helps us to commune with Him. 

Pray Where You Are Inspired

Being in certain environments that inspire you can really help you. Whether that be in nature, in a really cool space, or a special corner of your house where you won’t be distracted. For example, I love the ocean and it is very help for me to pray at the beach because it makes me more aware of God’s power and might. 

Pray With Praise

Having worship music playing on in the background can create a great atmosphere and can even help you sing to God during your prayer times!

Overcoming Evil With Good by Daniel Williams

Evil has become overwhelming….

I don’t like to watch the news anymore because it is everywhere….EVIL. It seems like every week now in the national news there is something to be discouraged about in this broken world. So I tend to want to ignore it all, run away from it all and just turn off the tv, but evil still affects me and my life. We all know that evil and sin doesn’t just express itself in the national news but also in our own communities and personal lives. It causes us pain even when we try to run and ignore it. It seems like we can’t escape evil, and it has become overwhelming. 

And I don’t think that I am alone in struggling with all of this pain in the world. As I talk with people in my community, I get the sense that evil has become overwhelming to all of us, and many are losing hope. We all are dealing with sin, pain, suffering and evil every day whether we want to or not. But there is something we can do about it…turn to Jesus! We don’t have to hide or ignore the pain we are going through. We can turn to the God of comfort and receive His grace, peace, love and hope. 

Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We can trust that Jesus will make every wrong right and has conquered sin and death on the cross! His grace is available to bring hope to all who receive Him as Lord and Savior. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” -1 John 5:4. Many people are asking what am I to do with all of this evil around me? The answer is have faith in Jesus! To receive His grace and love. Not to ignore evil but overcome it with good.

A verse that has been encouraging me during this season of tragedies throughout the world has been Romans 12:21 which says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

I have been reminded that even during the darkest hours of this world, I can actually do something that will make a difference in my life and in the lives of others. I can put my hope in Jesus and have His Spirit help me bring hope to this world by doing good. The Bible reminds us that we can do something in these evil times…we can LOVE. We can love God and love others.

We are told as followers of Jesus not to run away from darkness but to do good and be His light. Jesus prayed for us to make a difference in the world and told us do good works. He told us as we to do good works before men that they will glorify our Father in Heaven (Matt 5:16). Jesus doesn’t want us to be overwhelmed with evil or just simply to ignore the evil in the world but to face it head on with love. Jesus taught us to love all people, all the time…and this love really does make a difference.

So what good can we practically do today when we are overwhelmed by all of the pain and tragedy around us? I think the answer is to LOVE. Love is the good work we are to do as followers of Jesus (1 Cor 13:1-3). 

So, ask God how you can love others around you right where you are. Who can you be praying for? One of the greatest ways we can impact those we love and those we struggle to love is through prayer. We need to be on our knees interceding for people daily, allowing the love of Jesus to change our hearts and move in our world. Remember to be sharing the Gospel with those around you! More than ever, people are searching for HOPE, and as followers of Jesus, we can share His love by spreading the victory He gives us in a broken world and the love He has for the lost and hurting. And search for opportunities to love people practically by serving them. No matter who you are or where you live, there are people around you in need of someone to show them the love of Jesus by serving them. We have the opportunity to BE the hands and feet of Jesus to people in a very distressing time.

As evil increases throughout the world, our practice of simply loving God and people will shine brighter than ever. Don’t underestimate these simple ways to express love to people. May we be sensitive to listening to Jesus as He guides and directs us. May we love God and one another well and not become overwhelmed because we know the One who OVERCOMES. 

FAST AND PRAY WITH US EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY

As a church, we are going to be taking the first Wednesday in every month to fast and pray individually. We chose this day because many pastors and churches in the area are also setting this day aside to pray. At Redemption Church, we highly value prayer and incorporate prayer in all we do, and we know God works in mighty ways when we bring our needs to Him. This is a special opportunity to be unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ and lift of the needs of our community, our church, our leaders, and the world together. We would love for you to participate THIS WEDNESDAY and choose one meal to fast at home or work and focus that time to pray. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

- Pray for church leadership and their families: spiritual vibrancy, physical health and emotional strength

- Pray for our Redemption Church family: for spiritual growth and maturity, healing and provision for those in need, and continued growth as new people come to know Jesus

- Pray for the lost in our community: to know the love of Jesus and follow Him

- Pray for the worldwide church: for protection, encouragement, and strength to follow Christ

Passing Out Door Hangers (photo essay)

The Perseverance of Prayer by Travis Sinks

We’ve all prayed those prayers that feel as if they’re hitting the ceiling. Prayers we’ve prayed for days, weeks, months, years, and with no answer. Thankfully, we have a greater hope than immediately answered prayer. Jesus has not only promised to hear every prayer, but to be constantly doing what’s best on our behalf.

So, what are we to do in times of “silence?"

Pray.
Pray.
And pray some more.

We see in God’s Word that He sometimes answers prayers with ‘yes’, other times with ‘no’, but still other times with ‘maybe/not yet’. We see plenty of ‘yes’ answers, and even a few ‘no’ answers, where we either find that something we’re praying for is against God’s Word or sometimes we just know that God has told us to stop (as He did to Paul as described in 2nd Corinthians 12:8).

Beyond the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers is the troubling answer of ‘maybe/not yet’. Most often, this answer just feels like God is silent. It’s when we have this answer that we need to persevere in our praying.

Jesus gave us a parable in Luke 18:1-8 where He tells us of a widow who went before an unrighteous judge. This judge wasn’t going to give her justice, but she continued to come before him. Day after day she would come, and it says that he feared she would exhaust him by her persistence. So he gave her justice.

Jesus ended the parable reminding us that if an unrighteous judge could be swayed, how much more would our Father in heaven desire to give justice to those who persist in prayer. He then left us with this question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Jesus’ question should be sobering to us. He is telling us to persevere and not give up, then turns the question on us: will we?

I pray that we will, but let us be encouraged by Jesus’ parable, as it speaks volumes as to the wonderful situation we find ourselves in.

Rather than comparing us to the widow, and God to the unjust judge, Jesus is using their story to show how much better our situation is.

The widow’s situation compared to ours

The story is of a widow who has no public standing, and therefore, no hope before an unrighteous judge. She has no bribe to give, or power to sway the judge. Yet she realizes that she can wear Him down.

We, on the other hand, have as our judge One Who is fully righteous and yet fully loving. By His grace, He pays our debt Himself so that we will not be condemned before Him (since He is perfectly just). Our current standing before Him, by His grace, is one of a child to a Father. What a great position to be in when asking for justice to be done!

Why persevere?

Jesus told us to persevere in the verses leading into the parable. But why should we? If we have a perfectly just and godly Father as our judge, shouldn’t we only have to ask once? Even if, in God’s timing, it was to be fulfilled later, why should we keep asking?

I have 4 reasons for you.

We’re forgetful

The fact is that if we prayed once and left it alone, we’d forget by the time it was answered and we would not be blessed knowing that He heard us, nor would He get the glory for answering our prayer.

We’ll appreciate it more

We tend to appreciate things we anticipate. I love how Donald Whitney puts it:

"Persistent prayer tends to develop deeper gratitude as well. As the joy of a baby’s birth is greater because of the months of anticipation, so is the joy of an answer to prayer after persistent praying.” -Donald Whitney

God wants participants

God does have a plan, but He also wants us to be involved along the way. This is seen perfectly in the fact that Jesus prayed often. By Jesus praying, He was revealing God’s desire to answer prayers (as we’re told that Jesus reveals the Father’s nature), and Jesus was also demonstrating our role to go before God the Father in prayer.

It builds our faith

The last and most important of the reasons is that God has ordained not-yet-answered prayer to be a way to build our faith. Again, Donald Whitney says it really well:

"Sometimes a failure to persist in prayer proves that we were not serious about our request in the first place. At other times God wants us to persist in prayer in order to strengthen our faith in Him. Faith would never grow if all prayers were answered immediately.” -Donald Whitney

Another way to think about it is:

"As we ask, and while we wait, we learn to depend on God.” -Bruce Zachary

We gain nothing but the answered prayer when the answer is immediate. But when we have to wait and labor in prayer, we gain newfound trust, and faith, in God’s working, more than we could have in any other way.

So let us seek God in our not-yet-answered prayers. Let us persevere that we may not only gain our prayer answered, but that we may also draw even nearer to the God we’re praying to, and into deeper relationship with Him and faith in Him.

The Intimacy of Prayer by Alesha Sinks

“God is the most important part of the Gospel. And that is why prayer is so awesome. We get to access God, Himself.”
Pastor Daniel Williams

"God is the most important.”

And I’m stuck by how often I forget this. It becomes about the praying, the reading, the serving, the giving… It so quickly becomes about the stuff and the doing instead of the One we are giving to and doing for.

It reminds me of early on in our marriage when we were having an at-home date night. I spent all afternoon cooking a fancy meal and setting the table just right. I wanted the perfect fancy home date for my husband, but by the time we sat down to eat, I was stressed and tired. There was a still a kitchen full of dishes to take care of, and I didn't enjoy our date night or my husband.

I had made it about the stuff, about the doing for my husband instead of about my husband himself. From that time on, I've carefully considered how I spend my day before we go on a date or spend time together. I want to enjoy my husband and be enjoyable to him and connect with him personally, not waste all my energy on doing things for him.

And it’s the same in my walk with God. There are days I find myself drowning in the do more, try harder life, and when I look deep, I realize that I'm not enjoying God. In those moments, I wonder how to find release. How do I keep serving and giving and loving and reading and praying, but change the why?

Because the doing is good…so good and so important. But without the right motives, the right why, it’s meaningless in the end.

So I wonder, how do I change my why?

And I’m quickly reminded that all of this stuff and activity is about a relationship...a personal, intimate relationship with God.

“God is the most important part of the Gospel. And that is why prayer is so awesome. We get to access God, Himself.”
Pastor Daniel Williams

When I’m finding myself overwhelmed with doing for God and failing to connect with God, prayer is the first place I turn. Because usually, somewhere along the line, I’ve turned prayer into a box to check instead of a conversation with the One who loves me.

It’s a beautiful thing to realize afresh that I can pour out every thought and worry and question and joy and agony of my heart to God. He wants to hear every little thing hanging heavy on my heart and mind.

I can come to him in tears, in joys, in worries, in pain, in fear, in truth, in sin, in expectation, in suffering, in questioning, in anger…

He has born the sins of the world, so surely He can bear the weight of our worries and our fears.

But as I come to Him in truth and honesty, as I pour out my heart to Him, I need to listen to what He would say to me in return. When I do, I will find Him calming me, restoring me, loving me, and forgiving me. Though I might not feel His hand immediately, I am strengthened with the knowledge the He hears and He cares and He is good.

It is in talking with God through prayer that I find intimacy with Him renewed and restored and my faith in His care and goodness restored.

And I find myself returning again to this truth...

“God is the most important part of the Gospel. And that is why prayer is so awesome. We get to access God, Himself.”
Pastor Daniel Williams