The good news of Christ
Don Petty shared in his recent email, the outline of a Bible class taught last month at the Lewisville TX church, by preacher Jeff Jenkins:
Go beyond, as the horizon stretches beyond the eye, go beyond, Lord, my puny thoughts and wee requests. Loose the word, and let it run; in us we pray your Spirit may have free rein. Daily we see your hand, O God, do more than we can imagine. Let it be so today again.
Lord God Omnipotent, some pride themselves on speaking truth to power. May my glory be to speak the truth of Jesus’ gospel to the powerless.
In the midst of decay and death, O Lord of life, newness appears in the dawning day, the sprouting plant, and the baptized sinner to reset our sights toward eternity. For these subtle and powerful signs, we thank you, Creator and Recreator who inhabits abodes everlasting!
Lord, do I miss connecting with you as much as when I lose my Internet access? Skipping a prayer produces only a vague nagging thought in the back of my mind. When I’m knocked off the Internet, the pain makes me scream. Let my soul react as strongly when I’m away from your presence.
O God of all comfort, ease the pain of those who mourn,
Give focus to him who lies between two paths, confused and torn;
Give time, another day, for change, to him who hesitates,
Fulfill deferred hopes and distant dreams of the one who waits;
Give bread and drink to empty stomachs, clothe the naked boy,
Give homes to homeless men, infuse the broken heart with joy;
Hold up the hands of the weary, put strength and courage in trembling knees,
Secure the lonely traveler, protect the sailors on stormy seas;
All this and more, O Lord, we ask, of you, the Father who cares,
And make us more the family who with the needy shares.
To see the Lord descending from the sky,
And saints a-wing to meet him, with them I
Ascending, weightless, leaving far below
The cares of earth, the minutes empty and slow,
O God, I ask: Let Jesus come today —
How ready am I to fly away!
–J. Randal Matheny
Lord, thank you that your kingdom is here, with us now, in Jesus as king who reigns over his people. We hail his rule as righteous, good, and pleasant. Give us strength to suffer with joy, give us wisdom to ply our task, give us grace for every need and hour.
Dear Father, we thank You that we can approach Your throne at any time from any place. Thank You, dear God, for having Your door and Your heart always open to Your children. May we never take for granted the blessed privilege that is ours to call upon Your Name. In the Name of Jesus who intercedes for us we pray, Amen. —Jeff A. Jenkins
Jimmy Bagwell makes specific suggestions on developing one’s prayer life, including this one:
Pray for anything that is on your heart. You may feel the need to express deep dark emotions; this is perfectly fine. Jesus is our example of this. Many times he expressed his negative and hurt feelings in prayer. The secret is to always end with a positive thought. On one occasion Jesus expressed his angst and emotional distress with the phrase “Let this cup pass from me”. In so doing he poured out his feelings of remorse and sorrow but he ended with a positive thought; “Not my will but yours be done”. We must do the same. Those deep dark emotions, those feelings of despair and depression should be shared with God.