Praying & Preaching....

This past week we saw history being made as the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists agreed to a ceasefire. However, for the two years prior to this historic agreement, we have watched families on both sides of this conflict carry the heavy weight of loved ones taken hostage and have felt the sorrow and numbness of lives forever changed as many families lost relatives. Even after this historic agreement, we stare in silence at the skeletal ruins of Gaza and wonder when, or even if, the shattered lives of Israelis and Palestinians will rise from the ashes. While we share in the hopeful joy of those no longer in an active war zone and sympathize with the huge task of rebuilding ahead, we also recognize that our sympathy, while it does comfort, cannot provide any solution to their plight. It does not lift a single brick or mend a traumatized life. Sympathy comforts but does not rebuild; it aches but does not heal. Fortunately, the opposite is true with our Savior. As we will see in today’s message from Mark 1:35-45, our Lord’s compassion translates into a divine solution. In this passage, we see three activities of our savior. The first activity is….

Jesus prays with intentionality to pursue the lost

When reading Mark’s gospel, it is obvious that Jesus‘ ministry is filled with furious activity. However, Mark's writing also highlights three specific times where Jesus took time away from the busyness of ministry to pray. The first such time occurs the following morning after a very busy day of preaching, healing and casting out demons (Mark 1:21:34). Mark 1:35 states it this way: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed”. So, what exactly is prayer? Prayer is not a magic formula to get what you want out of life or a combination that you use to open a locker that holds a prized possession. Prayer is growing closer to your God by talking to Him and asking your heart’s desires of Him. 

At Grace Life, our greatest time of ministry preparation is not in the busyness of planning and organizing; instead, it is in the desolate place of prayer since that is how God’s kingdom advances. As we all know, a home requires a solid foundation in order to stand. Likewise, a spiritual foundation of prayer is essential for any ministry to be successful. Christian, your specific ministry to the body, no matter what it is, needs prayer. Your ministry within your home (spouse and kids) needs prayer. Your ministry to other people within your sphere of influence (friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc) must be built on a foundation of prayer. As Christ followers, we are never educated or trained past our need for prayer. If Jesus needed prayer for His ministry to succeed, how much more do we need prayer for our ministry endeavours? Brothers and sisters, prayer forces us to step out of smiling unbelief and assaults our self-sufficient life. Let us never neglect prayer and outgrow our dependency upon God!....

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