Last night I was sleeping (in a hotel) and could hear the guy in the next room snoring through my wall. I can hardly sleep anyway and it was maddening listening to this guy snore. I tossed and turned until finally I’d had enough and I went out into the hall, saw what room number he was in, and came back in my room and called him. It rang about four times and he sleepily said, “Hello” and I hung up.
No more snoring, but then it started again. I called him again and again. Finally it stopped. No more snoring. I don’t know if he died or couldn’t sleep, but I finally caught a few Z’s myself and feel pretty good this morning.
This reminds me of how we should approach prayer. The Bible mentions some old woman that wanted to borrow some bread. She kept banging on her neighbor’s door to loan her some, but it was nighttime and he just yelled at her to come back some other time; that he was already in bed. She was persistent however, and kept banging away until he finally got up and gave her some bread already just to shut her up and get some peace and quiet. God used this illustration to demonstrate what our approach to prayer should be as in we should keep at it night and day.
I’ve seen prayer work big time and I cannot stress enough that we should all incorporate it into our daily lives. One time I prayed as hard as I’ve ever prayed and then went in and spoke to 400 hardened prisoners. When I asked how many wanted Jesus in their lives every hand in the place went up. I was nearly overcome with emotion as I saw God’s Spirit moving through that place.
March 10th we have our third service at Honey Lake Church and Worldwide Ministry. LeRoy Mack and his wife will be our guests that day. LeRoy’s wife is a Messianic Jew. When she accepted Christ she suffered greatly for it in her community and her own family disowned her, but she maintained her faith in Jesus through thick and thin. LeRoy became a celebrated musician and recorded and played music with some of the top names in the country, playing with everyone from Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, John Denver, and even old Andy Griffith straight out of Mayberry USA, (what a hoot).
The problem with LeRoy was that all of that success started going to his head. His wife tenaciously prayed for him during this time of his life while he was adrift and prayed and prayed some more. It worked. LeRoy is “all in” now and uses his God given talent to glorify God and lead others to Christ through his ministry. You can see them both soon enough at Honey Lake and I encourage you to do so. After our service LeRoy will perform a couple of sets at the Sunday brunch in the Lakeside Pavilion and you will not want to miss it.
Please join me in praying that it will be a success. (Prayer works!) Follow that with action of your own and attend and bring some friends. You will be blessed
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
Luke 11:1
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. “Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him’. “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”