One of the assignments for a class that I am taking is to spend a half day in prayer. I will be spending 4 hours in prayer on Friday. I'm in the process of ordering those 4 hours. One part of my time in prayer will be devoted to making requests to God. If you have any things that you'd like me to be in prayer about situation, for you personally, or for someone that you know (specific or general) feel free to email me your requests. Hoping that God uses this time for His purposes. Also, depending on how many responses I get, I may not be able to follow up with each of your requests but know that you've been prayed for if you email me.
Mark Evans
mark@calvarybfc.org
Why pray? Commanded by Scripture, yes. But why are you? For a class assignment, yes. Here's what one person considers:
ReplyDeleteLove vs. Legalism
In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes:
Most Christians have been taught in church or by their parents to set aside a daily time for prayer and Scripture reading. It’s what we are supposed to do, and so for a long time it’s what I valiantly attempted. When I didn’t, I felt guilty.
Over time I gradually realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him—frequently and zealously. Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular quiet time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He called this the “first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.
This is how God longs for us to respond to His extravagant, unending love: not with a cursory “quiet time” plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives.
What Francis Chan says about a "quiet time" can also be said just as accurately about tithing, church attendance, evangelism, or any number of other activities against which we have learned to judge one another and ourselves.