September 2020

September 13, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

You are on my mind and in my prayers this morning. It was good to be together in worship last Sunday. Today, through this brief prayerful communication, may we all continue to experience (spirituality if not physically) life together as the WC faith family.

I’m thinking this morning of Luke 6:12-16. This is the passage in which Jesus chooses 12 apostles to join him in the work of the Gospel. The passage mentions that his selection is precipitated by a prayer vigil. How did Jesus know who to choose? Prayer. According to Luke, everything Jesus did was bathed in prayer.

This was also the case for the early church in the book of Acts.

I’m reminded of a word from F.B. Meyer: “The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”

Every decision, every action, every issue must be looked at through intercession with the Father. And the Spirit will give us the guidance we need to embody his teaching - and we certainly need the guidance of the Spirit right now.

Wishing you and your family all God’s best in the week ahead. I look forward to seeing you in worship next Sunday.

Sincerely,

Whit

September 27, 2020

“God is Good”

Blessings to you, your family, and our church family on this Sunday afternoon. You are on my mind and in my prayers. The devotion below encouraged me. May it do the same for you. I look forward to being together in worship next week.

Whit

Bible Reading:

Psalm 104:24-34

Romans 8:26-27

Thoughts:

Often, in our prayer lives, we seek to fill space. We add flourishes or big 10-cent theological words we heard in a sermon once. We’re pretty sure God likes big words.

Or, we think our own words are lacking and so we avoid prayer because we think we will not measure up. When we find ourselves in a group of Christians and the call goes out: “Who would like to close us in prayer?” we never speak up. Why? Embarrassment. Feelings of inadequacy. The simple, overwhelming feeling of the idea that the God of all creation and the universe might be in the room, listening to us!

But our best and deepest prayers often come with no words at all. The most meaningful prayers ever prayed probably had no syntax; no grammar; no verbiage at all. They were prayers prayed at the end of an exhausting day. They were prayers prayed by people that had come to the end of their ropes. They were the prayers of the overwhelmed, overworked, incompetent, uneducated, uninformed, and unprepared. So, basically, people just like all of us.

It’s in those moments, where no words will come, that the Spirit intercedes with “signs too deep for words.” It’s in those moments that we know God is there. And we know God is listening even to our silence.

Family Questions:

How is your prayer life? When is the last time you simply sat in silence with God and let the Holy Spirit speak to you?

Family Discussion:

As a family, discuss what prayer means to you.

When is a time you heard God speaking to you?

Prayer Power:

Take a few minutes and sit in the silence, letting the Spirit intercede.