Prayer is our faith in action. It reminds us of our limitedness and of God’s limitlessness. It is a reality check on where and whom we place our faith and trust. In John 4, Jesus meets a woman at a well and tells her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Unlike the woman at the well who did not understand Jesus’ ability to give her anything, we not only know who He is and what He has done, we also know His capacity and desire to grant our requests.
Trevin Wax shares that prayer brings two realities into view. The first is the power of Jesus and the second is the heart of Jesus. He goes on to say, “If you knew His power, you would ask, confident He can act. If you knew His heart, you would ask, confident He wants to.” Jesus really means it when He says in John 15, “ 7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” He truly means it in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, when Jesus says, “7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks
it will be opened.
Like the friend at midnight or the persistent widow, we will be bold and ask things of God. We will put our faith in God to the test as a church as we pray together. We will ask Him to do the work that only He can do in Grace and in our own hearts. Because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, we believe we can, “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Hebrews 4:16. We pray because we trust in His Power. We pray because we trust in His heart to act for us. Prayer is a humbling experience. It reminds us that we can do nothing on our own. In prayer, we proclaim that we have to totally depend upon Christ.
Because of those realities, Grace is engaging in 40 days of prayer. We will use a guide designed for churches going through transitions in ministry. “Praying With Jesus: A 40 Day Prayer Guide” is a guide to help unify our hearts and minds together as a body of Jesus Christ as we seek His will. We ask that you covenant with Grace to use this prayer guide 7 days a week for 40 days. The Scriptures, daily thoughts, weekly emphasis, and suggested prayers are meant to help us focus our prayers as individuals and as a church. Pray as a family together using this guide. Pray in your community groups. Meet up with other individuals at Grace and pray together. Let’s see what God wants to show us as a church. We encourage you to write down reflections and thoughts as you move through this 40 Day Guide. Share what God is showing you in community groups. Share your reflections with other members of Grace. We anticipate God doing an incredible work as we enter this time of intentional prayer as a church. May God bless our efforts as a church to seek His face and His direction for Grace in prayer.
In Christ,
Wally Vinson