Faith Through the Journey

As I began 2013, I wanted to know what God wanted me to focus on in terms of prayer and study of His Word. Studying the book of Isaiah for the past three weeks has already been wonderful and amazing in terms of what I’ve learned about prophecy and how it relates to us today as the New Covenant people of God. Warnings, blessings and promises are still as true today as they were 3,000 years ago.

With regard to prayer, I felt convicted to pray for our country. While this was not a new prayer focus, the thing the Lord has impressed upon me was what and how to pray. The Apostle Paul wrote many years ago in I Timothy 2:1-8: (The Message) “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so that we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us–Jesus, who offered Himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray–not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.” Paul was divinely inspired; what could anyone possibly add to that? Praying for our leaders that we might live in peace, and praying that EVERYONE will hear the wonderful news of salvation through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ does not need any addition or improvement!

“May Your kingdom come to the nations, Your will be done in the peoples of the earth, Till the whole world knows that Jesus Christ is Lord! May Your kingdom come in us! May Your kingdom come on earth!” (Hosanna! Music)