PRAYER IS THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH: Weekend Seed Thought

	Seed Thought for this Weekend Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families and growing. Prayer is the Language of Faith Talking and listening to God is the oldest form of communication. It is before any known language or means of conversing. We can even go back as far as Adam and Eve; for in the Garden of Eden we are taught that God walked with them in the cool of the day; a clear Scriptural image that God routinely walked and talked with the first couple.    It is also recorded in Scripture that the ancient people of faith prayed for forgiveness, reconciliation, spiritual comfort, physical health, and deliverance from brutal and fierce enemies. Jesus prayed more often than any living soul. He also taught his apostles and disciples to pray. And when He was taken up into heaven, they made prayer their highest calling. And through the centuries we have continue to mediate, speak, and listen to God.   Faith is in the heart. The language of the faith is prayer, either silent or vocal, which pleads and confers with God to take hold of the benefits of faith. In the Book of Mathew Jesus said ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened. In this passage the asking, the seeking, and the finding are distinctive qualities of earnest and persistent prayer. We know there will always be insincere prayer that wants to be seen, or for some other unsuitable motive; yet we should also know that no one will earnestly ask, seek, or knock, without faith. And without faith no one will pray earnestly. So when we pray earnestly we should have confidence that we will be heard because of our faith; for God will teach us that earnest prayer is the language of faith.    It is true that God knows our needs before we pray. Yet prayer is also a way we receive more specific needs. God graciously provides for the people of faith along with all of the world’s citizenry; for we are taught in Scripture that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. This verse and others like it testify that many of God’s physical and natural provisions are given to all regardless of faith; yet the Scripture also teaches us from Genesis to Revelations that specific provisions are for people who have faith.    When an infant cries when hungry or tired or cold it is natural for a parent to provide what is lacking. So it is for all the living to receive fatherly care. Yet when children mature they become more specific with their requests in which a learned language will clearly communicate their needs. In this likeness prayer is the language of faith in which the people of faith clearly and earnestly bring their specific needs to God.    Prayer is a heavenly language that God has ordained and promised to hear. It is a language that is peculiar to some and doubtful to others, but for the people of faith they know if they seek God in earnest and for the right reasons, they will be heard; not because they deserve to receive anything from God; for it is only because they have enough faith to seek God for anything. And when all of their own remedies evaporate before their eyes they humble themselves and turn their eyes toward God knowing that all things are possible with Him.    In the gospels Jesus encourages us to have faith. For if we pray sincerely and without little doubt, we will receive whatever we ask; even the seemingly impossible in which Jesus told us metaphorically that prayer can cast mountains into the sea. And if for some reason beyond our understating that we suffer under the heaviness of our challenges and injuries without much relief or some delay, God will comfort us and by many proofs convince us that all things work together for good to those who love God.   Written by Joseph Hutchison Click to listen to our weekly podcast  New book of short Christian essays Seed Thoughts Sponsored by  Christian Counselor Directory

The Voice of the Martyrs - VOM App helps you pray every day in 2024.

Daily Prayer Requests from Persecuted Christians

As you commit to pray for persecuted Christians in 2024, the VOM App will be a great help. And it’s ready for download now from your favorite app store. Use the app throughout 2024 to inform your prayers for our persecuted family members and to inspire your faith through their stories of faithfulness amid suffering. PRAY: Each day, you’ll receive a specific prayer request for Christians living in hostile areas and restricted nations. Join in prayer with other believers all over the world. WATCH: Access videos directly from the app, including two full-length feature films, group studies, short films about persecuted Christians and even videos for children that tell persecution stories in an age-appropriate way. READ: You’ll have digital access to many VOM books, including books by VOM’s founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. Read digital books right from the app or listen to the audio version. LISTEN: In addition to audio books, listen weekly to VOM Radio and daily to the VOM Radio Daily Minute, which provides 60-second stories each day about persecuted Christians from today and throughout history. All of this is available in the VOM App — and it’s ALL FREE! INSTALL VOM APP

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“If, as a Christian, I spend all my life escaping the challenges … I may end up not doing what God is calling me to do.” Listen to “Pastor Joe’s” powerful challenge on VOM Radio.

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The Voice of the Martyrs - Urgent prayer needed

How should we pray for our Eritrean brothers and sisters in Christ?

Members of the global body of Christ are experiencing violence, imprisonment and even death because of their Christian witness. And you can make a powerful difference by committing to pray for these faithful believers! The need for prayer is especially urgent right now for Eritrean Christian prisoners and their families. Hundreds are imprisoned because of their Christian faith. As they follow Christ in some of the most difficult conditions in the world, let us remember them and their families in prayer. Eritrea, in East Africa, is governed by a totalitarian regime that seeks to control every aspect of life — including religion. The government maintains control of approved churches and has arrested Christians without warning, providing no opportunity for a trial. Conditions inside these prisons are some of the worst in the world. Christian prisoners are provided meager rations and are often held in shipping containers in extreme desert conditions, sometimes for years. Please pray for these prisoners and for their families, who are not allowed to visit their imprisoned loved one. PRAY TODAY As you feel led, please prayerfully consider an online donation to help more than 250 Christian prisoners and their families with food, medicine, clothing and pastoral care. Thank you for your prayers and gifts.

Please forward this email to Christian friends who will be inspired to pray for and support our persecuted Christian family.

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The Voice of the Martyrs - A prayer for Christians driven from their homes

A Prayer for Christians Driven from Their Homes

The Central African Republic, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Laos, Nepal and southern Mexico are a few of the many countries where Christians are driven from their homes because of their faith in Christ. Some are kicked out of their homes and villages by their own families and communities, while others are driven out by Islamists trying to eradicate any Christian influence. We encourage you to take a minute right now to pray for them. Dear heavenly Father, Our hearts break for our Christian brothers and sisters who experience the pain of persecution because of their faith. We ask that their every need be met according to your riches in mercy. We pray that those who have lost their homes will find safe refuge and that those fleeing their persecutors will be welcomed by other members of your body. We pray that those who have lost loved ones will experience your comfort as they mourn. May you direct them to others who will weep with them and pray with them, encouraging their faith so that they will trust you more each day. We pray that they will experience physical and emotional healing as well as continued spiritual growth. We pray, too, that those responsible for persecuting our brothers and sisters in Christ will repent of their sins and turn to God through faith in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen. You can help provide for Christians driven from their homes during their time of need. Your gift will be used to provide basic necessities like blankets, shelter, soap, medical supplies, food and Bibles. HELP TODAY

Please forward this email to Christian friends who will be inspired to pray for and support our persecuted Christian family.

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Praying intimately, with expectation and power

8 Habits of Evangelism author says prayer is the only way we can live like Jesus

February 22, 2023

Photo by Jon Tyson via Unsplash

As he began to talk exclusively with unchurched people, Dr. Tom Bagley heard the same thing again and again from people who were spiritually curious about God and faith: They wanted nothing to do with the church because of its hypocrisy, judgmentalism and exclusivity.

“People spoke about the brokenness they’d feel after dealing with church,” Bagley said. “Which is about us, our lifestyle and how we’re [not] living out what we are talking about.”

During that time, Bagley, who was starting a new worshiping community after leading an established PC(USA) congregation for 18 years, realized churches could no longer wait for people to come to them.

“If we’re ever going to bring perspective to the Christian church and its message, we need to go where people are,” he said. “With an alternative, distinct way of living that is all about our habits and practices.”

This is why Bagley, who is now a church revitalization and evangelism consultant and pastor of a small Presbyterian congregation in Normandy, Tennessee, chose to write about prayer in the 8 Habits of Evangelism resource produced by Theology, Formation & Evangelism ministries.

During an online discussion recently, Bagley said that a work by Alan Kreider, which focused on the distinctive habits of Christians in the early church, changed his life.

“The early Christian communities grew by leaps and bounds,” Bagley said. “There was a radical welcome for diversity of people.  They were not just teaching beliefs about Jesus but practicing the things Jesus taught.”

As he reflected on the Book of Acts and its stories of the early Christians loving their enemies and showing generosity by taking care of everyone including the poor, Bagley made observations about their prayer habits.

“I saw intimacy, how they related to God as Jesus did,” Bagley said. “Concerned about everyone and everything, they prayed for courage to stand up to systemic persecution.”

They also had expectations that they were going to see God’s activity, which gave him pause. “How often do we pray and forget about it, with expectation that God would do something?” he asked.

The Rev. Dr. Tom Bagley

The early church also prayed with power, which Bagley said was the Holy Spirit magnified when they prayed.

The congregation Bagley serves as a part-time pastor had no online presence until the pandemic, which he says helped the church to begin to look outward. Members and friends began to see new ways of God’s activity through people yearning for justice and dignity.

Now every Sunday, people who live even a block from the church join them for online worship.

“We had no idea they had spiritual yearnings, or that they were hungry for God,” Bagley said. “They’ll probably never come inside to church. But now, people who drive in and out of this neighborhood for church have an incredible connection.”

And once churches start talking about outward presence in the community, Bagley says, prayer becomes incredibly important.

“Because how can you and I live like Jesus?” he asked. “The only way is through prayer. That’s when you begin to see where God is at work, active in our neighbors, our coworkers, our communities — in the world.”

Normandy Presbyterian Church has started the practice of prayer walking in the neighborhood around the church. One day Bagley and a congregant met someone suffering from neck pain.  They asked if they could pray for him, which they did. Calling it a good thing, Bagley said they came back later to see how he was doing.

The man’s physical situation hadn’t changed, but here’s what he said to them: “I haven’t known people in the church in a really long time.  But it means so much to me that you care and are interested enough in me to check on me.”

“I believe that’s how it happens, how people get cured,” Bagley said.

Bagley hopes Presbyterians will take these practices of prayer, along with other the habits of evangelism, and begin to practice them in a regular and disciplined way, with more intentionality.

For if we pray with intimacy, expectation and power, Bagley said he’s convinced the world will notice and be drawn to Jesus, and to the communities that follow Jesus.

Paul Seebeck, Retired Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Manuel Silva-Esterrich, Manager, Call Process Support, Ordered Ministry & Certification, Office of the General Assembly
T. Clark Simmons, Senior Church consultant, Atlanta GA, Church Engagement, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

Lord, thank you for making us participants in your work. Please allow us to come together to share in your plans for Creation and to place your plans above our own. Keep us in your love and grace. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Joining in the prayer of Creation

Spiritual Formation daily prayer connects to the breath of God within us — and in Creation

June 18,  2022

The Rev. Dr. David Gambrell encouraged a virtual spiritual practices cohort to experience daily prayer as joining in the prayer of all God’s Creation. (Photo by Shawn Kang)

At the beginning of the recent Theology, Formation & Evangelism ministry cohort on spiritual practices, the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell began a presentation on daily prayer in a curious way.

“This might seem unusual” he said, “but I want to think about daily prayer as joining the prayer of all God’s Creation.”

Before asking the spiritual formation cohort to share examples of when they prayed with all of God’s Creation, Gambrell, Associate for Worship in the Office of Theology & Worship, went through a litany of verses that teach about daily prayer and praying with all of Creation:

Psalm 19 says the heavens tell of the glory of God, of days pouring forth God’s praise, and nights declaring God’s wisdom.

Psalm 104 connects this with the creatures of the Earth, which manifest how the many and diverse works of God are made in wisdom, with God giving them what they need each day to thrive on the planet.

Isaiah 55 describes a prayerful pattern of rain and snow coming down from heaven to water the Earth and then returning, just like God’s word which comes to us and then goes back to God. The prophet says, “You shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all of the trees of field shall clap their hands.”

“So, when we are in daily prayer, we are singing with the mountains and hills — and clapping our hands with the trees in the field,” Gambrell said.

Gambrell believes that daily prayer is also connected to one of the most important commandments in Hebrew scripture, which is known as the Shema in Jewish tradition:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5)

 Gambrell noted that when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus added “loving our neighbor as ourselves” to the Shema, which comes from Leviticus 19:18.

“Loving God and loving neighbor, with everything that we are, I think is what it means to live out the practice of daily prayer in our lives,” Gambrell said.

For Gambrell, there is also a baptismal rhythm to our daily prayer. According to Romans 6:1–11, the journey of faith begins in the waters of our baptism, where we become dead to sin and alive in Christ.

“Symbolically we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus,” he said. “This allows us to say ‘yes’ to God’s invitation and ‘no’ to make room for the practice of prayer — which can also be thought of as the life of the Spirit within us.”

For Gambrell, the practices of prayer are the Spirit working in us and through us, filling our world so that we can join in the song of Creation, as  Psalm 150 says, “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”

The fact that this is the last verse of the 150 psalms is meaningful and important to Gambrell.

“For just as Genesis starts with breath of God moving into the waters,” he says, “the psalms end with an invitation for everything that breathes to praise the Lord.”

With that, Gambrell asked, “Are there ways you have learned to pray with Creation?”

During the conversation, Donna Phillips, a recent graduate of  Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, shared her experience in the brief clip below:

Using the Book of Common Worship to guide cohorts through an evening prayer service, Gambrell encouraged participants by reminding them, “There is no wrong way to pray.”

“The practices of prayer should be life-giving, not life-draining,” he said. “What are some helpful or unhelpful messages you have received about the practice of payer? What are some of the daily practices that sustain you?

“Let the practice of prayer engage your senses,” he said. “Let it be authentic and natural for you.”

Video URL:  https://vimeo.com/679383490

 Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Tina Valdes, Customer Service Representative, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Kris Valerius, Manager, Denominational Rolls and Statistics, Office of the General Assembly

Let us pray

God of all Creation, grant us your Spirit as you give us new opportunities for ministry. We pray that you will continue to transform our communities as you would us into your people. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Praying for others

Ask questions and keep it simple

May 20, 2022

Getty Images

I have never used the praying hands emoji as much as I have the past two years. I serve as a chaplain in a city trauma center, so I pray a lot. But the COVID-19 pandemic provoked more need for prayer than I have ever felt before; thus, the use of the praying hands emoji increased as the pandemic continued.

As people of faith, when we come to the edge of what we can fix on our own, we draw near to God in prayer. And when we are with someone else amid their suffering, we know to bring them to God in prayer. It’s precisely when the stakes are high that we don’t want to mess up the prayer. It’s natural to worry: What if we say the wrong thing so God won’t read our text or open our snap? What if the prayer doesn’t work and nothing changes?

Mark 2:1–12 makes a great prayer road map. The day began with five friends realizing that Jesus had come to town. One of them was paralyzed; four were able-bodied. All of them agreed that it would be good to get closer to Jesus. So, they conspired to make that happen with four of them carrying the one paralyzed fellow on a mat. Mark is sparse on details, but we get the picture: The whole town showed up to see Jesus, gridlock at the front door, rerouting, perilous scrambling up onto the roof, ripping open a hole and lowering the friend on the mat to place him at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus took it from there.

What we learn is that praying for others is collaborative. At first, we see the collaboration between a person who was paralyzed and the able-bodied friends. And by the end, we see a collaboration between Jesus and the person on the mat. We see the able-bodied friends beginning their prayer for their paralyzed friend with the obvious physical considerations: getting him from point A to point B. Sometimes our prayers are practical like this, too, such as doing the grocery run for our homebound friend or going to a follow-up appointment to listen to the test results.

Unlike a text message loaded with praying hands emojis, praying for others requires actual conversation and permission. We need to clarify what our friend really wants. A basic question like “Would you like to pray together?” is helpful. Maybe they will say, “No, but keep me in your prayers” or “Add me to the prayer list at church” or “Yes please! Let’s pray together!” But first begin by asking for permission and clarifying the prayer need. If you are physically present with someone you are praying for, be mindful of asking if physical touch is welcomed: “Is it OK if we hold hands?” Sometimes people have hidden pain that we won’t know about until we ask.

In the end, the four friends seeking healing for their paralyzed friend brought them all to the feet of Jesus. Prayer for others does that. Remember, though, we take turns in these roles: Some days, we are the ones offering to pray. Other days, we are the people in need of prayer. And some days, we are all the above.

Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder serves as Presbyterian staff chaplain at LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, providing spiritual support to patients, their families and the hospital staff.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Effie Shipp, Assistant, Credit Operations, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Natalie Shilstut, Director, Programs & Services, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us pray

Gracious God, grant wisdom as we explore new ways of serving. Though none follow your path perfectly, we know your grace goes with us on the journey. Help us to serve others along the way. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Praying intimately, with expectation and power

8 Habits of Evangelism author says prayer is the only way we can live like Jesus

March 2, 2022

Dr. Tom Bagley, Jr.

As he began to talk exclusively with unchurched people, Dr. Tom Bagley heard the same thing again and again from people who were spiritually curious about God and faith: They wanted nothing to do with the church because of its hypocrisy, judgmentalism and exclusivity.

“People spoke about the brokenness they’d feel after dealing with church,” Bagley said. “Which is about us, our lifestyle and how we’re [not] living out what we are talking about.”

During that time, Bagley, who was starting a new worshiping community after leading an established PC(USA) congregation for 18 years, realized churches could no longer wait for people to come to them.

“If we’re ever going to bring perspective to the Christian church and its message, we need to go where people are,” he said. “With an alternative, distinct way of living that is all about our habits and practices.”

This is why Bagley, who is now a church revitalization and evangelism consultant and pastor of a small Presbyterian congregation in Normandy, Tennessee, chose to write about prayer in the 8 Habits of Evangelism resource produced by Theology, Formation & Evangelism ministries.

During an online discussion recently, Bagley said that a work by Alan Kreider, which focused on the distinctive habits of Christians in the early church, changed his life.

“The early Christian communities grew by leaps and bounds,” Bagley said. “There was a radical welcome for diversity of people.  They were not just teaching beliefs about Jesus but practicing the things Jesus taught.”

As he reflected on the Book of Acts and its stories of the early Christians loving their enemies and showing generosity by taking care of everyone including the poor, Bagley made observations about their prayer habits.

“I saw intimacy, how they related to God as Jesus did,” Bagley said. “Concerned about everyone and everything, they prayed for courage to stand up to systemic persecution.”

They also had expectations that they were going to see God’s activity, which gave him pause. “How often do we pray and forget about it, with expectation that God would do something?” he asked.

The early church also prayed with power, which Bagley said was the Holy Spirit magnified when they prayed.

The congregation Bagley serves as a part-time pastor had no online presence until the pandemic, which he says helped the church to begin to look outward. Members and friends began to see new ways of God’s activity through people yearning for justice and dignity.

Now every Sunday, people who live even a block from the church join them for online worship.

“We had no idea they had spiritual yearnings, or that they were hungry for God,” Bagley said. “They’ll probably never come inside to church. But now, people who drive in and out of this neighborhood for church have an incredible connection.”

And once churches start talking about outward presence in the community, Bagley says, prayer becomes incredibly important.

“Because how can you and I live like Jesus?” he asked. “The only way is through prayer. That’s when you begin to see where God is at work, active in our neighbors, our coworkers, our communities — in the world.”

Normandy Presbyterian Church has started the practice of prayer walking in the neighborhood around the church. One day Bagley and a congregant met someone suffering from neck pain.  They asked if they could pray for him, which they did. Calling it a good thing, Bagley said they came back later to see how he was doing.

The man’s physical situation hadn’t changed, but here’s what he said to them: “I haven’t known people in the church in a really long time.  But it means so much to me that you care and are interested enough in me to check on me.”

“I believe that’s how it happens, how people get cured,” Bagley said.

Bagley hopes Presbyterians will take these practices of prayer, along with other the habits of evangelism, and begin to practice them in a regular and disciplined way, with more intentionality.

For if we pray with intimacy, expectation and power, Bagley said he’s convinced the world will notice and be drawn to Jesus, and to the communities that follow Jesus.

Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Shelly Lewis, Administrative Manager, Controller’s Office, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Tony Lewis, Operations & Accounting Associate, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray

Lord, thank you for making us participants in your work. Please allow us to come together to share in your plans for Creation and to place your plans above our own. Keep us in your love and grace. Amen.