Our Mission – In Prayer

Dear Worshippers,

I wrote to you last week to challenge and encourage you to be a part of an increased focus on and activity in prayer for and through our Worship Ministries. I shared in choir last Wednesday night [hope to see many of you tomorrow] that God has really stirred my heart through Pastor David’s message THIS IS YOUR MISSION the previous Sunday, January 13. I have been reflecting on his word and God’s word in that passage (Matthew 9:35-38) over the last week, and the stirring has continued.

As I was preparing this Tuning I consulted Matthew Henry’s commentary to see what insight he might have and it confirmed everything the Lord had been speaking to me. Of this passage about our need to pray for the Lord to send out workers he wrote, “Let us pray that many may be raised up and sent forth, who will labour in bringing souls to Christ. It is a sign that God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it. And commissions given to labourers in answer to prayer, are most likely to be successful.” [emphasis mine]

Those words gripped my heart. “God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it.” That is what I am asking you to prayer for: some special mercy. Won’t you agree with me for that?!?

What does that look like? I believe it will look a little different in every circumstance as we “bring souls to Christ”, but it will be marked by one thing. Resurrection power.

In my preparation for Easter, I have again come across the verse in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” That is what will mark us as we ask and God answers by sending us out into the harvest field. Yes, I said us!

Notice the verse in Matthew 9:38 does NOT say, “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out OTHER laborers.” [ESV] It just says laborers, so God may and probably will answer our prayers by sending US. But when we pray, we have to ask with a willingness for the answer to come through us.

How will we respond when He sends us? How will we respond if we don’t' hear? How will we hear if we don’t listen? How can we listen if we are always talking in prayer? Join me in a new season of prayer as we seek to know Christ and the power of His resurrection poured out through us.

I am so excited I can hardly type quickly enough. I am praying for you to be caught up in the fresh, new thing God wants to do in us. This is our mission – in prayer.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott