The Power of Prayer
As all Sundays are for me, yesterday was very busy. I knew I had a lot ahead of me when I woke up: helping get the kids bathed and dressed for church, getting myself ready, and preparing my mind for worship. In addition to all this, we were going to be having lunch at the church building with some other folks, so that meant that I would be "fielding and corralling" the children while my wife dealt with the business end of this lunch. The business end consisted of discussing the nursery ministry at church, in which Meloney has a large involvement. Also, the first meeting of the Mexico Mission Team was scheduled for the afternoon, so I had a lot on my mind as I began my day.
Sunday school went well with a great discussion of 1 Timothy 3-4. I was greeted in class by a very pleasant surprise in the form of some old friends, Ross and Tia Mitchell. Ross and Tia worked with the youth ministry at a church that I attended as a teenager and they are working with a church down in Florida now, where Ross is the preaching minister. I don't get to see them very often, so I was pretty excited.
Worship went well. Brad Sullivan, our usual preacher, was out of town so one of our elders, Mike Greene, filled in for him with a great message on love. The highlight of the service, however, was not the sermon or even the singing. It was the baptism that followed the sermon.
A 41-year-old man, the son of some long-time members at Vaughn Park, became my brother in Christ yesterday. His parents, along with many other people, have been praying for this day all of his life. Many of us probably would have given up by now, but not his Mom and Dad. They truly believed that God would answer their prayer that someday their son would come to know Christ. Yesterday, it happened.
"If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you." (John 15:7)
I don't know about you, but I often take these words of Christ for granted. This statement was not just empty rhetoric, but a promise from God in the flesh. So often I forget that. What happened yesterday is proof that Jesus wasn't kidding when he made that statement.
What's my point? Very simple: DON'T GIVE UP!!! God is listening to your prayers! He hears you when you cry and he hears you when you rejoice! Continue to live for him and bring your petitions before him in prayer and he will answer you! It may not happen today or tomorrow, or even next year, but it will happen! Don't ever forget that!
Because of some parents that didn't give up on asking God to save their son, there is a 41-year-old man sleeping soundly tonight because he knows that he has a home in Heaven. Praise God!
SOLI DEO GLORIA! (To God Alone be the Glory!)
--Eric G.
Sunday school went well with a great discussion of 1 Timothy 3-4. I was greeted in class by a very pleasant surprise in the form of some old friends, Ross and Tia Mitchell. Ross and Tia worked with the youth ministry at a church that I attended as a teenager and they are working with a church down in Florida now, where Ross is the preaching minister. I don't get to see them very often, so I was pretty excited.
Worship went well. Brad Sullivan, our usual preacher, was out of town so one of our elders, Mike Greene, filled in for him with a great message on love. The highlight of the service, however, was not the sermon or even the singing. It was the baptism that followed the sermon.
A 41-year-old man, the son of some long-time members at Vaughn Park, became my brother in Christ yesterday. His parents, along with many other people, have been praying for this day all of his life. Many of us probably would have given up by now, but not his Mom and Dad. They truly believed that God would answer their prayer that someday their son would come to know Christ. Yesterday, it happened.
"If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you." (John 15:7)
I don't know about you, but I often take these words of Christ for granted. This statement was not just empty rhetoric, but a promise from God in the flesh. So often I forget that. What happened yesterday is proof that Jesus wasn't kidding when he made that statement.
What's my point? Very simple: DON'T GIVE UP!!! God is listening to your prayers! He hears you when you cry and he hears you when you rejoice! Continue to live for him and bring your petitions before him in prayer and he will answer you! It may not happen today or tomorrow, or even next year, but it will happen! Don't ever forget that!
Because of some parents that didn't give up on asking God to save their son, there is a 41-year-old man sleeping soundly tonight because he knows that he has a home in Heaven. Praise God!
SOLI DEO GLORIA! (To God Alone be the Glory!)
--Eric G.
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