It’s been exactly one year since my son was able to come home from the hospital. Due to many complications, what started out as appendicitis turned into forty-something days in the ICU and on the surgical recovery floor. During that time, he won over every tech, nurse, and doctor with his patience and kindness. His perseverance and long-suffering were truly amazing. I didn’t hear him complain one time.
On a typical day during his time in the hospital, I would spend the night there. My wife and the girls slept at home. In the morning, my wife would come to the hospital, and we’d take care of our son together for a few hours. Then I’d go home and sleep during the day while my wife took over at the hospital. My daughters did school, chores, etc. I’d eat dinner with the girls, and then we’d all go to the hospital, where we’d be together until my wife took the girls home. And the routine would start all over again.
“16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” — James 5:16-17
Recently, I’ve been reading in the book of James. These verses reminded me of the power of prayer in a fresh way. James shows us that we experience healing, breakthrough, and spiritual strength through two simple but important practices: confession and earnest prayer.
Verse 16 calls us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that healing can flow. Confession certainly isn’t about earning forgiveness from Jesus. On the contrary, His grace already covered us at the Cross. Instead, confession is about walking in the light. It keeps the enemy from cornering us with shame and isolation. It also gives Believers permission to live in an honest, transparent, and grace-filled way. We begin to heal when we step into the light with a trusted community and invite God into our weakness.
Then James points to Elijah in verse 17. He writes of a man “as human as we are.” A man whose earnest prayers absolutely shaped the world around him. Elijah wasn’t perfect; he was simply willing. His life reminds us of something we should never forget. That fervent, faith-filled prayer from ordinary people invites extraordinary intervention from God.
These Verses Remind Us
Honesty opens the door to healing. Equally important, earnest prayer opens the door to God’s power. We don’t need to be spiritual giants. We just need to always surrender ourselves, be humble, and be willing to pray.
Considering this, is there something in your life He’s prompting you to confess so you can walk in the light? And how can you take steps today to pray in faith, believing He hears and responds?
As a nation, we have endured many seasons marked by fear, uncertainty, and injustice. Yet, for us as a church, few moments have struck closer to home than the tragic and senseless murder of Charlie Kirk. His assassination has left us shaken. This is not only because of the deep loss we feel, but also because it happened so close to where we live and worship. This heartbreaking event has stirred fear, confusion, and sorrow in many of our hearts.
We wanted to share a few thoughts to help us respond as followers of Jesus:
1) Be people of prayer. Pray for the Kirk familyas they grieve. Pray for our country, for revival, and for those who are hurting will find the Lord in their pain. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
2) Remember the sanctity of life. As Steele mentioned this past weekend, every human life is precious in God’s sight—full of value and worth. That’s part of what makes this so shocking and jarring. As Christians, we trust that God will judge all things and right every wrong. We rest in that hope. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
3) Rest in God’s sovereignty. We serve a God who is able to bring good even from terrible evil. Remind yourself again and again: God is sovereign and in complete control. We don’t understand all that is happening, but we can trust His faithfulness. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)
4) Guard your heart and mind. As Bryan said this last weekend, there is wisdom in who we listen to and what we consume. Listening to foolish or inflammatory voices does our hearts no good. Ask: What fruit is this content producing in me—peace or agitation, love or enmity? Choose what leads you closer to Christ. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
5) Be courageous—and loving—with the Truth. Share the Gospel. Stand for biblical Truth with humility and love. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and spoke Truth in love. Be courageous. Share the Truth. Love your enemies. “Speak the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15)
If you need prayer (or someone to talk with), your pastors and church leaders are here for you.
Ephesians 3:14a (NIV84) “For this reason I kneel before the Father…”
Last Thursday, my wife (Mary) and I put our 20+ year-old furniture on the driveway with “FREE” signs attached. We then held hands and prayed, “Lord, have someone take these before the day is over.” Four hours later, a neighbor a few doors down claimed the well-worn couches for her daughter. Soon after, Mary and I held hands (again) and thanked the God who answers prayers!
Ever since I became a follower of Christ, I’ve prayed that God would use me and others in mighty ways. There’s nothing wrong with this prayer. It’s a prayer that applies faith to a “Here am I, send me!” boldness. That is certainly not bad at all. However, I’ve prayed this prayer for over two decades. And a quick Google search of my name proves that God hasn’t used me in any of the “mighty ways” this broken world would recognize. I’m actually thankful for that.
Comments Off on Bringing the Gospel to Romania: Our Mission and Prayer Needs
As our Romania Mission Team prepares to depart, our hearts are filled with anticipation and faith. With just two days remaining before we board our flight, we’re reaching out to our church family with a heartfelt request.
Will you stand with us in prayer and covering?
We believe that your prayers will make a difference as we go to serve, minister, and share the love of Christ. Here are specific ways you can pray for us:
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…” — Ephesians 1:15-17
These verses recently gripped me as I read Ephesians. The Apostle Paul hears that the faith of the people in this church is strong. Their love for one another is obviously the real deal. Everything is definitely GREAT! But then, instead of moving on with a quick, spiritual high-five, Paul presses in. He tells them precisely what he’s praying for them.
Sometimes, following Jesus is hard, really hard. It can feel like you’re running a marathon uphill with ankle weights on. And you’d rather cruise down a smoothly paved street on a skateboard.
You know what I’m talking about. There are seasons we go through. Even though you read your Bible consistently, it feels like it’s going in one ear and out the other. Granted, church has amazing worship, but your heart’s not in it. Your mind is all over the place. Yes, you love Jesus yet feel bored, tired, or even numb. And ultimately, you just feel spiritually stuck.
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” — Psalm 62:5-7
Reading through Psalm 62 recently was convicting for me. In particular, verse five stood out to me. In my opinion, our world (myself included) doesn’t like to be silent — especially when something bothers us. Because of this, we text or call friends to complain about the lousy customer experience we just had at a store. We also hop on social media to tell the world our opinion about the news story of the day. Without a doubt, we sure love to make our views heard.
I don’t know about you, but I need reminding often. I forget things so quickly. They go in one ear and out the other. Do you struggle with that? I think we certainly all do in our human nature. And I believe the writers of the New Testament knew that as well. Paul and Peter both wrote to tell the early Church to recall God’s truths. (2 Peter 1:12-13, Romans 15:15)
The disciples also knew they needed reminding. They spent three years physically walking with Jesus, and it’s clear they always required a lot of reminders from our Lord. They knew what Jesus had taught them; they could indeed repeat it. However, many times throughout their days, He reminded them. It’s almost like they needed a good shake to recall His teachings.
