22 January 2007

To: Prayer Partners

From: Pastor Lucenay

Sunday we took time to mark various verses in our bibles. The 119 Psalm came to my mind as we worked our way through verses that speak of salvation and verses that guide us. The Psalmist wrote open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18). This week as we pray let us ask God to open our eyes that we may see wonderful things in His Word. Let us also ask God to open the eyes of those with whom we share the bibles we are giving away that they may see wonderful things in God’s Word.

What does it mean when you pray Open my eyes that I may see? Is there anything in your life that is closing your eyes to God’s Word? My mom used to tell me to wash “the sleepy” out of my eyes. Have you been so busy you are so tired you don’t have the time or energy to spend time in God’s Word? For you the prayer to open your eyes may be a prayer for God to help you find balance or margins in your life. Even God took a day to rest and he clearly commanded us to take time to rest our bodies and refresh our souls (Exodus 20:8).

Does the prayer open my eyes mean that you need to close your eyes to something else like the computer, the television, or some other distraction. So many good things vie for our attention that sometimes we have no time for the things of God.

Sometimes open my eyes becomes my prayer because my mind is filled with so many different conversations and concerns that I have trouble focusing on God. Open my eyes becomes a request for God to help me focus.

Then there are times that open my eyes is hard to say because of sin in my life. I’ve said or done something that I know is wrong and that closes my eyes to what God would say to me.

How about you? What is it that makes it difficult for you to pray Open my eyes?

I think there is in each of us a desire to see…wonderful things in God’s Word. We want a promise we can claim, a truth to guide our decisions, a word of comfort to settle our hearts, a word to peace to quiet our souls, a word of inspiration to stir us to reach forward, a word of hope to pull us through the night, a word of forgiveness so we can let go of our failures, a word of joy to make the spirit dance, and a word to instill strength so we can face the giants of life. Words of rebuke or correction may shrink the spirit but are part of God’s way of training us in righteousness. Without them we fail to experience God’s best in our lives. Think about the wonderful words of correction that have fallen on your ears and helped you steer clear of disaster.

What wonderful things in God’s Word speak to you today? Thank God for His truths.

This week let us pray for:

*The people who need to know Jesus as their Savior…do you think of friends; family members; parents of the children or youth involved in our ministries; exchange students; visitors in our Bible studies, small groups, or worship services; co-workers, neighbors and people who share our recreation with us;

*The ministry to university students. Leaders are getting together this week to discuss the direction of this ministry. We are grateful for the wonderful response Sunday and we want to be good stewards of the people God has guided our way. Pray for Maik and those who work with him in seeking to address this ministry.

*The ministry of music and Angie. She constantly balances many things as she seeks to help us grow in the music ministry. The past few days she hasn’t felt great. Pray for her health and strength.

*The ministry of education and administration. With the number of people in our Bible study Phil is seeking to meet the needs we have and find space for more classes. Pray for God’s wisdom in his life as he seeks to give us wise counsel and solid leadership.

*The search for a publications secretary. We seek a person with good computer skills, knowledge of the web, and a solid commitment to Christ.

*The space study committee. We seek to find God’s direction for the space issues we face.

*The distribution of Bibles. We continue to share the Bibles God has placed in our hands with the people we encounter who do not know Jesus.

*The ministry of our chapels. Rodolfo S has given good leadership to the Tuen Mun and Tsim Sha Tsui chapels. We pray for God to guide him and to guide us as we seek to help him address the challenges faced by these chapels.

*The pastor as he seeks to give the leadership to the church which will help the church be what God would have us to be at this time in our history. Pray for God to speak to the pastor’s heart in sermon preparation and to guide his work in ministry.

*The kindergarten ministry. Pray for Mrs. Woods as she gives leadership to his wonderful work and for those who work with her. The changes made in the past year are helping us see several kindergarten related families visiting our church.

*The beginning work of the Franklin Graham Festival (to be held in late Nov and early Dec in Hong Kong).

Thank you for your prayers and your wonderful spirit. May God smile on you this week.