The Rock Church

Do Not Lose Heart

Have you ever prayed to God and seemingly nothing happened? How about praying 10 times? 100 times? Maybe you felt like you didn’t even deserve the gift you asked for? I recently read the first chapter of Luke and empathized with Zechariah. God spoke to me in a new way — to not lose heart when I pray. I had three takeaways I wanted to share with you.

Remember These Things:

1. Be faith-filled and pray continually.

Think about how long Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child. Being advanced in years and well beyond the age of having children (Luke 1:18), they must have prayed thousands of times to have a child. They continued to have faith and pray even though their prayers seemed unanswered (Luke 1:6).

2. Gifts from God are good.

When God answered their prayer for a child, Zechariah didn’t believe it. I can certainly empathize with that feeling! There are times I feel like I don’t deserve a blessing from God. In fact, it leads me to doubt the prayer will be answered. God shook Zechariah a bit by removing his voice until his son was born. It was as if God needed to get his attention (in a drastic way) for him to understand the depth of the gift he was about to receive. Being mute drove Zechariah to an even closer relationship with God than he had before (Luke 1:67–79). Take heart, even when things seem like they are “bad”, God is working it for good.

3. God loves us and will answer us.

He hears us and answers according to His will for our lives (Luke 1:13). Certainly, our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want. That’s because our Father knows what’s best for us. I know there have been times I’ve specifically prayed for something and it didn’t happen the way I wanted. But God knew what was best.

When we faithfully pray, we are heard and loved by Him. He will answer us according to His will for our lives. With this in mind, don’t lose heart while you’re waiting. Sometimes, just like for Zechariah, God needs to grab our attention during the process. Take heart.

Learning to pray continually,

Tony

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

God Answers Prayers

God answers prayers. Certainly, we’ve all experienced Him answering specific prayers in the past. In faith, we eagerly wait for unanswered prayers in the present. This verse helps me; the Bible says that God not only hears our prayers but actually listens to them. 

“But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.” — Psalm 66:19 (NLT)

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

One Thing

Recently, I spoke about prayer at our monthly meeting for The Rock Men. Preparing for it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”

Prayer really is a lifeline for Christians. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” It is such an essential and powerful part of our lives. Sadly, it can too easily be put on the back burner in the craziness of life. Simply put, we live in the most distracting time in the history of the world. We have enough content in our phones to fill multiple lifetimes. So, how do we pray more? How do we implement that “one thing”?

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

A Heart of Thanks

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me….” — Psalm 50:23 (NIV84)

I really love serving God. I absolutely mean it. My heart longs to do more for Him. I love serving His people and playing music for Him. I love knowing Him more and more. Each day, I seek to bring honor to God by serving Him. 

That being said, this verse in Psalm 50 has recently really impacted me. Prior to verse 23, God reminds His people that though they “sacrifice” to Him, what really brings Him honor is giving thanks to Him. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Drought, Rain and Prayer

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” — James 5:16b-18

Utah is experiencing a severe drought. In fact, 88% of our state is under extreme drought conditions. Due to this, back in June, Governor Cox said, “Because there is power in prayer, we are asking all of you and your congregations to join us in a weekend of prayer this coming weekend, June 4-6.” (On a side note, when I mentioned the governor’s prayer request to pastors in other states, they found it remarkable.) 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Show Me the Right Path

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. — Psalm 25:4-5

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Battle Ready

As Christians, we are commanded to prepare our minds for action, as a soldier prepares for battle. In light of this, here are a few simple, daily practices to help you be mentally “battle ready” for whatever arrows may fly your way.

Read God’s Word Daily.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

The Right Place at the Right Time

Do you understand that God knit us together, in our mother’s wombs, to be born at exactly the right place and time — to experience this pandemic together in our various stages of life? God orchestrated it. Let this verse from Acts 17:26 sink in, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” In other words, we were born at the right place and time.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Governor Herbert’s Request for Prayer

Please read this letter from Governor Gary Hebert of Utah. He is requesting that we continue to pray for our state and our country and perform an act of service for someone in need. We are thankful that our Governor requesting that we pray .

Posted in News, Statements by The Rock Church

National Day of Prayer

The President has declared, Sunday, March 15, to be a National Day of Prayer. He reminded the entire country that throughout its history, the United States has looked to God for strength and protection in times like these.

Posted in News, Statements by The Rock Church