Prayer Letter - 13 June 2005

To: Prayer Partners
From: Pastor Lucenay

Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). In The Message these words are translated, You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are---no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

I suppose many of us have thought or said, “If only I had……,” “If only I could be….,” or “If only I could go….,” “then I would be happy.” Jesus put his finger on our wants and wishes as if to say, “Would that really bring you lasting happiness?” Too often today’s wants and wishes are lost in tomorrow’s struggle to survive. Perhaps we have sought to appear “important” by telling you who we have been with, what we have accumulated or where we have been. Jesus dismissed these efforts with the simple thought that what we are without adornment is more valuable than all the efforts we make to be worthy of acceptance.

Jesus captured a picture of two men praying in a story he still tells. Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people---robbers, crooks, adulterers, or heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’ Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’ The tax man, not the other, went home made right with God.

Our prayers should take into consideration the fact that all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits—the thoughts and intents of the heart (Proverbs 16:2, Amplified Bible). The third beatitude invites us to pray without seeking adornment or pretense. With no claims to make for ourselves, we have room for God to fill our hearts and lives. With no rationalizations for what we are doing or not doing, we make ourselves ready to meet God. With no thought of manipulation of facts about ourselves, we allow the Father to hold our hearts in His hands and explore every facet of the gift of life He has granted us.

Praying Hyde used to remain quiet before the Lord until his soul was still. Only then would this man of prayer dare open his mouth to the Lord. Perhaps we can learn from his practice. I have to admit that sometimes my words get in the way of my prayers. Do you ever struggle with a prayer life that has words to say without time to listen? Seek to get still with God sometime this week. Be quiet until the voices within you subside. Open your heart to God and let Him guide your prayers.

How would God use this thought to guide our prayers for one another and for our church? The Father would put us on our knees so we could unload our selfishness and pettiness in whatever form it may take. From our knees the Father would have us look, not so much at the splinter in someone else’s eye as at the boulder that blinds our eyes. From our knees the Father would have us seek His grace in His place in our hearts. From our knees the Father would show us more than we can ever see from our pedestals.

Thank God for His work in your life. These last few weeks, Nancy and I have been uniquely blessed by the way God’s people in our midst have graciously treated my family. My mother’s joy in your spirit has been my joy. I thank God for the openness our people have in telling their faith stories and in giving of themselves to the work of the Lord. I thank God for the children’s workers who have shared some of their ministry with the congregation the past two months in special fellowships and services.

Invite God to reveal something fresh to you about your walk with Him. Make room in your personal devotions and in your public worship for God to speak to you. Weigh carefully what the Father says. Let God show you how He wants you to apply His revelation.

Pray for the marriages and families of our church. No one goes through life without facing challenges, hurt, problems, or pain. Every couple learns some lessons the hard way. Every parent hurts for his/her children as the children struggle with personal difficulties. Every child eventually learns about the humanity of his/her parents and wrestles with his/her own human frailties.

Pray for those who are facing problems due to personal loss and crisis. Some of our church people are seeking jobs. Some are facing huge change as they move to other countries with or without work. Some are ill and have been ill for a long time. V. remains in the hospital. S.’s grandmother is critically ill in a local hospital. S. is undergoing chemo. Some of our members have family members who are ill in other countries. This is hard on the people both here and there.

Pray for the people who are sharing the gospel and the people who are considering the claims of Jesus Christ. Pray for God to give you the opportunity this week to speak to someone about faith in Christ. Pray for the young asylum-seekers who are considering baptism, C. and I. Pray for the pre-believing parents of the children in our Sunday School and Kindergarten.

Pray for the prayer groups in the church. We have a Putonghua group, a house group, a men’s group and, as of last week, a children’s worker ladies’ prayer group.

Pray for our church staff. Place each before the Lord in prayer and ask God to help you pray for each one. As you pray for the pastor, ask God to guide in sermon preparation, church leadership, and worship leadership. At the same time, pray that God will protect and bless his marriage and his role as a father and grandfather. And please pray that Nancy will get over her lingering cough. Likewise, pray for our minister of education as he leads this critical area of church ministry, and for his health, his marriage and family. Pray for Kristen as she prepares for the summer work and leads the youth. Pray for Kitty and Mary in the office and for our caretakers.

Thank you for your prayers and for your sweet spirit. God bless you and yours.