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27 March 2006 To: Prayer Partners From: Pastor Lucenay Once I served in a church located across a creek from a zoo. There was a quiet study located away from the offices. There I was able to read, pray and prepare messages. Many days the quietness of the office was interrupted by the cry of the peacocks or the blare of the elephants or roar of the big cats. Job saw in the noise of the ostrich a joyous cry (39:13). I wouldn’t say the animals across the street from my study were crying out in joy. However, I have seen my children so excited they uttered unintelligible squeaks. As you begin your prayer time today, think with God on the things that bring joy to your heart and the way you express your joy. Job wrote of the angels, the angels shouted in praise (38:7, The Message). One of the blessings contemporary worship has brought to Christianity is the praise music. Like the Hebrew Psalms of praise, we have music to express our joy in the Lord. In 1986 Integrity Music published Don Moen’s Worthy, You Are Worthy. The words are Worthy, You are worthy; King of kings, Lord of lords, You are worthy. Worthy, You are worthy; King of kings, Lord of lords, I worship You. Holy, You are holy; King of kings, Lord of lords, You are holy. Holy, You are holy; King of kings, Lord of lords, I worship You. Jesus, You are Jesus; King of kings, Lord of lords, You are Jesus. Jesus, You are Jesus; King of kings, Lord of lords, I worship You. These words form a message of praise. When read four or five times in a praise prayer or sung over a few times, they turn the focus of the heart toward praising the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was a child I was taught the praise
hymn Psalm 100. Shout for joy to the
Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with
songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are
his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his
courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is
good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all
generations. Before preaching, I have often read Psalm 96 as an expression of praise.
This week I am reading it from The
Message. Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to
God—worship God! Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, Take the news
of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all! For God is great,
and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. (I wonder what it is like to say a thousand hallelujahs.) His terrible beauty makes the gods look
cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags. God made the heavens—Royal
splendor radiates from him, A powerful beauty sets him apart. Bravo, God,
Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before the beauty, in
awe before the might. Bring gifts and celebrate, Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship! (Psalm 96:1-9) I don’t know how things are in your life. I do know the incredible pressures that come from life’s endless demands. I think one of God’s ways of helping us through pressure comes from learning to praise God in our daily lives. My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God (Psalm 84:2). In my own walk with the Lord, I often face the challenge of learning the praise God anyway rather than plead with God to do things my way. Take time to examine your life before the Holy God. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Is there anything in your life walk today that needs to be forsaken for the cause of Christ? Ask God to show you the attitude adjustments you need to make in order for His light to be clearly seen in your life. Invite God to reveal to you your words or/and actions that need to be corrected. Turn your worries over to the Lord. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you (1Peter 5:7). What are the things that chase God’s peace from your heart? Give them to God and ask Him to give you the strength and discipline to leave them in His hands. Our church prayer list invites us to pray for: Salvation:
W, A, T, T, A, N, Y, S, A, J, F Health:
R (eye surgery last week); M M’s mother and father; J’s father); J (cancer
surgery Monday); Aa’s family’s health; S’s family’s health; B, B; MW’s father’s
recovery; G W.-ill at home; S B; M G.; M L; several children with chicken pox
(and their families as they seek to care for the children) Personal
Issues: search for employment;
difficulty with employers and employees; help with insensitive spouses; relief
from pressure; hope in the face of impossible situations; acceptance in school;
housing and food; change in status from asylum seekers to refugees; ministry
opportunity; children’s protection; children’s behavior; parents’ care Church
Life: Bible study teachers and classes; Music ministry; Worship services; the
youth ministry; the ministry to children and their parents Church
Staff: Pastor in his spiritual leadership of the church and his administrative
work with the church, kindergarten, and pace; A in her work with the music and
in the bible study she teaches; the Bennett’s preparation for coming to Hong
Kong; K as she takes a few days away for personal leave; the office staff and
caretakers Kindergarten:
H and the office staff; the teachers; the children; the new enrollment; the
parents; good communication and a good spirit City:
protection from the avian flu; the smog; the city leadership |
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