Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story:
“Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You fathers—if your children ask[e] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father – May your Kingdom come and your will be done in me. May I rely on you for my daily needs.. and give me a merciful, forgiving heart. May I be as ready to give mercy… as I am to receive it. Come Holy Spirit… fill my heart and mind… and guard my lips. And may I be persistent and persevering in prayer for those you have placed on my heart. Lord Jesus – align my life with your Kingdom purposes… that my prayers and petitions might honor and please you. Amen.
We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
Prayer:Lord Jesus – Lead me by Your Spirit to those whom You have already prepared to welcome You into their lives… people who are searching, seeking, a relationship with God but don’t know You… people who will open their hungry hearts to You, the Bread of Life. Holy Spirit – Give me a listening, discerning spirit that is open to Your guidance as I go about my daily activities. And help me to create space in my daily routine for the unexpected… for “God moments” to stop, and listen, and share with others the Good News of what You have done for me. To God be the glory. Amen.
Spiritual Song:“Down to the river to pray” – Alison Krauss
A prayer community in West Belfast issued the call through 24/7 Prayer International (which I have been following online) and I heard it as the Holy Spirit’s word to me to reconnect with what God is doing in Belfast… and to offer “words of encouragement” as in today’s morning reading.
Four of us, from Scotland, England, Slovakia and USA, responded to the world-wide invitation. We’ll meet each other, and the West Belfast community, for the first time on Sunday in Belfast. Our team’s different backgrounds, experiences and wide age span (23, 33, 43, 73) will provide the West Belfast community with a rich variety of perspectives… and will be a learning experience for us all.
I’ve been to Belfast four times before. The first time was in 1992, on an official Presbyterian (PCUSA) Reconciliation Mission to assess NGO funding possibilities in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland was in the thick of “The Troubles,” and under the direct rule from London… it was an armed camp. We were given access to high level people on all sides of the divide – political, religious and social. It was was truly a once-in-a-lifetime insight into the conflict.
Following up, I participated in two month-long, summer pulpit exchanges with a Presbyterian Pastor in Belfast. My family accompanied me and we were welcomed and received most warmly by the church community. It was a wonderful opportunity to personally connect with good, decent, Christian people who were trying to make a positive Christian witness during difficult times. My last visit to Belfast was on a quick layover from other travel.
But all of that was before 1998, when the Belfast “Good Friday” Agreement was signed. A lot has changed since then, but deep wounds remain and mutual trust is low. And, Northern Ireland is currently going through difficult economic times.
An Eleventh Night bonfire in the loyalist Highfield Estate in west Belfast. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
It’s a curious time to be traveling to West Belfast on a mission of encouragement and prayer. But the Holy Spirit has his own way in these things, and that’s good enough for me.
Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Prayer: Holy Spirit – Call forth godly prophets and teachers from within your church… people who will worship, fast and pray. And set apart worker/evangelists who will go to harvest fields near and far… seeking those who are lost. Unite the world-wide community of believers around this missionary effort… regardless of religious tradition. Speak your Word of truth… that all might know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn:“Fling Out the Banner! Let it float!” – George W. Doane (1848)
____________________________________
Supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans against the military near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Monday, July 8, 2013. Photograpehr: Manu Brabo/AP Photo
Peanut Gallery: The news out of Egypt is not good. Millions of Egyptians took to the streets demanding that Islamist President Morsi step down. He didn’t… and the Egyptian Army stepped in. Egyptian Christians have generally (although not officially) aligned themselves with the anti-Morsi forces.
But Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are not finished yet. They have called for a counter-revolution and have taken to the streets. The result has been further chaos with shootings, military arrests and crackdown, accusations, and counter-accusations. A Coptic priest was killed by Islamists in Northern Sinai. Only God knows how it will end.
No matter who wins this current struggle for power, Egypt is a failed state and Coptic Christians live in great peril.
Egyptians civil servants are waiting in line for hours in front of these subsidized bakeries. Fights break out often, says a reporter from NPR covering the story this morning. Prices at unregulated bakers run around 8 cents per loaf… eight times the cost of the price at the government-supported stands.
Egypt cannot feed its own people, cannot supply adequate fuel, cannot borrow money (virtually bankrupt), cannot employ its teeming masses, and Egyptian tourism has shrunk to nothing. The vast majority of people live in abject poverty. There is no quick fix and no one seems to have a long range economic plan.
Mina Aboud Sharweem
Coptic Christians have been brutalized under the Morsi regime – either by design or neglect. Pope Tawadros II has criticized the regime’s treatment of Christians without much success, i.e. until the current overthrow of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Now Christians are aligned with the anti-Morsi forces and they will be easy targets for Islamist revenge. As mentioned a Coptic priest ( Mina Aboud Sharweem) has already been killed in a sectarian murder.
But Egypt’s problems go way beyond socio-economic and sectarian analysis.
Below, please find an earlier post from Open Doors UK requesting urgent prayer. That was a week ago and the situation has changed dramatically for the worse. Christians in Egypt desperately need our prayer. One Coptic brother in Christ write:
Psalm 33 has been one of the very encouraging words and promises for us as a church and we read it publicly many times, especially verses 9-11, ‘For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations’.
“We ask you to join us in praying that His name would be known and glorified in Egypt (Isaiah 19:21).”
_______________________________________
OUT OF EGYPT – Open Doors UK / 2 July 2013
With millions on the streets in Cairo, celebrating the army’s 48 hour ultimatum, Christians have been gathering night after night to pray for peace.
Army ultimatum
An Egyptian Christian brother in Cairo told us, “Last night (July 1), millions rejoiced and shouted in streets and squares until early morning today, celebrating the clear pronouncement directed to President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood ruling party, that the army has again decided to take the side of the people rather than the rulers.”
President Morsi, however, has said the 48 hour army ultimatum ‘may cause confusion’ and vows to stick to his own plans to resolve the political crisis.
10 days of prayer for Egypt
Meanwhile, in a large church in the centre of Cairo, Christians have just concluded 10 days of prayer for Egypt. One church member told us:
“Around 800-1000 gathered every night from 7.00-9.00pm to cry out on behalf of our nation. We prayed mainly for the protection and peace of Egypt. We also prayed for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit and for a revival and great harvest in Egypt. Psalm 33 has been one of the very encouraging words and promises for us as a church and we read it publicly many times, especially verses 9-11, ‘For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations’.
“We ask you to join us in praying that His name would be known and glorified in Egypt (Isaiah 19:21).”
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
The Peanut Gallery 