In the classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers noted that Jesus promised, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) This is astounding! But most of us have heard this or read this so many times that it goes in one ear and out the other. But listen again, with fresh ears, to what Jesus is saying: He healed the sick, cast out demons, set people free, returned people their God-given dignity, and raised the dead to life, and He is saying that whoever believes in Him will do greater things than all of that!? WOW! This should make anyone stand up and take notice. But are we seeing this on a regular basis? There are a lot of people who claim to follow Christ, but so few of us are seeing any greater things happening.
But we could, if we took Jesus at His word.
When you have the time, search out this devotional book, and read the entry for October 17th—it is such a powerful reminder of what prayer actually is. Chambers points out, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater works, prayer is the greater work." We are all concerned for the direction the world seems to be going, yet our usual response is just to worry or fret or complain. God invites us to join Him in restoring the world, and our part starts through faith and prayer. Let's believe Him and turn to Him!
We are proposing that wherever you are, at home or traveling, take some time each Friday to get right into the middle of things and pray. Why Friday? Just because you have to start somewhere, and Fridays are such a fun day to do something special. Why the city center? Our local business owners and neighbors would love if all the Christians came for a meal or a coffee, and strolled the downtown as we prayed. And, so few of us take time to be a part of the places we are from—we don't see each other or know what's happening in the heart of our communities. Let's change that, and get into the middle of it all.
We have been going into our downtown square and spending the better part of an hour each Friday morning just praying over families, schools, churches, leaders, anything the Spirit brings to mind as we pray. It has been amazing to notice the people we see and meet, and the thoughts that come to mind as we engage with our town in this new way. This is for every Christian and for every church fellowship, everywhere around the world—only God gets the glory, since prayer is His idea, anyway. Please take the idea and spread it far and wide, and please be encouraged today—God loves your town and the people in it more than any of us can imagine, and He invites us to join Him in His wonderful work of bringing restoration to every heart and life!
But we could, if we took Jesus at His word.
When you have the time, search out this devotional book, and read the entry for October 17th—it is such a powerful reminder of what prayer actually is. Chambers points out, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater works, prayer is the greater work." We are all concerned for the direction the world seems to be going, yet our usual response is just to worry or fret or complain. God invites us to join Him in restoring the world, and our part starts through faith and prayer. Let's believe Him and turn to Him!
We are proposing that wherever you are, at home or traveling, take some time each Friday to get right into the middle of things and pray. Why Friday? Just because you have to start somewhere, and Fridays are such a fun day to do something special. Why the city center? Our local business owners and neighbors would love if all the Christians came for a meal or a coffee, and strolled the downtown as we prayed. And, so few of us take time to be a part of the places we are from—we don't see each other or know what's happening in the heart of our communities. Let's change that, and get into the middle of it all.
We have been going into our downtown square and spending the better part of an hour each Friday morning just praying over families, schools, churches, leaders, anything the Spirit brings to mind as we pray. It has been amazing to notice the people we see and meet, and the thoughts that come to mind as we engage with our town in this new way. This is for every Christian and for every church fellowship, everywhere around the world—only God gets the glory, since prayer is His idea, anyway. Please take the idea and spread it far and wide, and please be encouraged today—God loves your town and the people in it more than any of us can imagine, and He invites us to join Him in His wonderful work of bringing restoration to every heart and life!
