Specific Prayer Needs for CHBC
- Bro. Mark and his family - as they leave their home of the last eight years and follow God’s calling to
- CHBC Staff - as they face everyday challenges in individual ministry areas; as space issues are addressed
- Lay Leaders - as they are called upon to function out of their normal comfort zone during our interim period
- Interim Pastor Search Committee - as they seek God’s man for CHBC during our interim period
- Personnel Committee - as they seek God’s will regarding the members of our Pastor Search Committee
- Pastor Search Committee - even though this team has not yet been identified
- Our New Senior Pastor - that God will begin now to move in his heart to prepare him to be obedient to God’s call
- Faithful Giving - that our giving will continue to honor God and demonstrate our commitment and faithfulness to His purpose and ministry through CHBC
- Unity of the body that is CHBC
"Earnestly Praying..."
In Acts 12:1-18 we have a story of a prayer meeting that got it’s answer while they were praying.
“About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison...” (Acts 12:1-5).
God was making darkness for His light to shine into, so that, we will better appreciate it and He will be more glorified. When diamonds are displayed it is done on a black background under bright lights. The black background gives contrast for the light that comes through the diamond. God allowed all the circumstances to build against these early Christians and especially Peter. Then He let His grace and goodness shine on them and they sparkled for His glory. God is still bigger than all the circumstances even though they are combined in a single event. Things looked bad, the execution of James, the arrest of Peter, having him under heavy guard, the cruelty of Herod, and the hatred of the Jews, but it is simply a matter of God having them where He wants them for His purpose.
Everything was about as bad as it could be - But someone prayed, “but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him.” Not just a repeated prayer like “now I lay me down to sleep”, nor was it an individual or momentary prayer. It was corporate prayer that was earnest. They had important things to be earnest about. So do we. The difference between them and the average church today is that they felt the urgency and they prayed. The average church today is content and unconcerned wile being surrounded with problems of eternal consequences. Luke says they were “earnestly praying.” Literally it could be translated, “they were continually stretching themselves out.” This was no doubt some serious praying. This is the kind of praying that is necessary to advance the kingdom of God today.
“On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your cloak and follow me.’ Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting to happen.’ When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.” Acts 12:6-12.
God could have delivered Peter without the prayer meeting. But through prayer God gives humankind the opportunity to be a part of bringing His answers to life’s hard issues to a good conclusion. God could fulfill the “Great Commission” without our involvement but He gives us the privilege of being involved, to give, to pray, and to sacrifice for His glory.
There is nothing that encourages the people of God more than God’s answer to prayer, especially when it is their own prayer that He has answered. In our prayer meetings we need to pray for specific needs and to share the answers to those prayers. We individually and as a church family often miss the encouragement of answered prayer because we have not asked specifically.
Prayer is at the same time the greatest and most unused resource that Christians have. It ought to be the first recourse and the most used resource we have. There is nothing that we cannot pray about.
There are great needs today, for our church and for the families that make up our church. Thank you for your commitment to pray earnestly of our church. What a joy it is to join together with you in this great work.
God has appointed prayer as his way of dispensing, and our way of obtaining much of His promised good.
