National Day of Prayer

Tomorrow, May 1 will be the 2014 Observance of the National Day of Prayer. The LIVE broadcast from the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. will be Thursday, May 1, 2014 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm ET on this website:  National Day of Prayer Broadcast

The mission of the National Day of Prayer Task Force is to mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal repentance and righteousness in the culture. 

Speakers include Anne (as the Keynote Speaker), Dr. James and Shirley Dobson, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Mrs. Vonette Bright, The Honorable Bob McEwen, Congressman Mike McIntyre, Don Moen, Chaplain Father Patrick Conroy, Dr. Dick Eastman, Mr. David Butts, Mr. John Bornschein, and more.

Anne Graham Lotz is the Honorary Chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Listen here as Anne shares the National Prayer:  Anne's Prayer.

To find local events for May 1, 2014 click here:  Local NDP Events.

For more information please visit  NationalDayofPrayer.org.

Romans 15:6… that with one mind and one voice we’re to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Vending Machine

I read an article in the Huffington Post by Scott Dannemiller that caught my attention. You can read it at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dannemiller/christians-should-stop-saying_b_4868963.html. Dannemiller makes the point that being blessed by God is more than making our Creator out to be some wish-granting fairy.

I can see some parallels with how we pray. Many of us (me included) have prayed to God like He is a vending machine, we drop in a prayer coin and expect Him to return our request. Our God is much bigger than that! He may not answer because our petition will harm us. Our Lord may want to answer in a grander way than we ask. He may work on our behalf in an avenue we cannot understand.

Most important of all, prayer is not a request to be engineered; it is a relationship to be developed. God is sovereign. Yet, He doesn’t mind if we ask questions or talk about how we feel. Are you not sure what to talk about? Read some scripture then start talking to God like you would any author of a good book.

Sermon Preparation

“One of the most powerful ways to pray for your pastor is to pray for his sermon preparation during the week. If we desire to have powerful sermons from a pastor, then we must cry out to God for the pastor as he prepares his sermons,” writes Kevin Meador in The Prayer Closet newsletter. I agree wholeheartedly.

First pray your pastor has his heart right with God so he can preach with authenticity. (1 John 1:9)

Ask the Lord to keep your pastor from interruptions during preparation time for his/her sermon. (Ephesians 6:12)

Intercede for your minister to preach both grace and truth and to correctly interpret the biblical text. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Ask the Holy Spirit to give your preacher the words and examples that will provide understanding and meet the needs of the flock. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Besides praying for the preparation of the preacher, we also need to ask God that those in the congregation will come prepared as well. Petition the Lord that members will attend services to hear the Word (not to put their time in, see friends and family, or a variety of other reasons). (Deuteronomy 12:28)

Pray those in the pews will apply the biblical precepts to their lives. (James 1:22)

Ask the Lord to thwart interruptions during the service. The enemy will use disruptive children, audio/visual problems, coughing, etc. to keep the audience from hearing biblical preaching. (1 Peter 5:8)

When both minister and member are prepared, the results will be powerful.