Update From the Field
Tonight, I’m so happy to have an update from the field of Ukraine as one of our missionaries is in town to give an update. As we have covered over the past couple of weeks, prayer is our access to the God who can make things happen.
Someone asked last week, “But, with all the people praying around the world, why doesn’t God answer?”
And that’s a pretty common sentiment, I presume.
Yet, tonight as we continue through Bro. Si’s discipleship book and cover this chapter on prayer, we’ll see that God’s ways are not always our ways, and that his answers are “yes,” “no,” or “wait.”
It’s fine to question things—that’s what loving God with all your mind means—yet we have to be careful that those questions don’t lead to questioning. Too often, when it’s an answer we don’t like, we just say, “Fine! Forget trying! I prayed and nothing happened, so, forget it!”
The God who created this universe knows what we need. He did not cause the war, but we gave an update a couple of weeks ago of those two Ukrainians who were saved as a result of the war. There are people who are stronger Christians now than they were a month ago, and that’s a “yes” answer to somebody’s prayer.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Luke 11, he told them, “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Even Jesus wanted the cup to pass from him when He was praying in Gethsemane, yet, even He said, “not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) The will of God in heaven doesn’t always line up with OUR will, so our prayers should be that we can learn to line OUR will up with His.
Tonight, we’ll talk about the ACTS method that some like to use to help them know what to say when they go to prayer.
-Pastor Ryan
MISSIONS PRAYER GUIDE
We’re praying for missionaries in the Philippines and in Twentynine Palms, Ca. this week. Please email the church for more information.