In our last worship series, Heaven, we gave thought to what heaven might be like. And we considered the plausibility of someone in heaven speaking to the living. Is it possible? It would be a miracle if it were to happen.
In this series, Prayer, we give thought to words, mostly going the other direction. We talk to God, but we also hope to hear back. If not audibly, we hope to see evidence that our prayers were heard. Well, at least some of them once in a while.
The gospels share that Jesus often prayed, and Matthew and Luke include stories about Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray. This is our source for that which we call the Lord’s Prayer.
Jesus would often go away to lonely places, where He would pray.
Luke 5:16
We also learn about the importance of humility as we pray. After all, we are dependent on God for all that we have. Fortunately, God showers us with love and good things. Unfortunately, humankind is more often out of rhythm with God’s intention. Therefore, God’s plans are thwarted by selfishness, cruelty, and arrogance.
But we continue to pray not just for ourselves, but for others. God hears our prayers and God acts for our good.
For motivation and some content, we’ll utilize a book of stories from people who share their experiences with prayer. Our companion book is part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. You can read more about this book in the Book Club article, which includes a reading schedule.
Here is the outline of our series:
| Episode | Sundays | Title |
|---|---|---|
| One | July 20 | Rhythm |
| Two | July 27 | Healing |
| Three | August 3 | Asking |
| Four | August 10 | Grateful |
| Five | August 31 | Trust |
| Six | September 7 | Angels |
Please join us each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. We share our weekly episodes on Facebook and our YouTube channel, and go live at 10:30 a.m. You can find these links and more information about us, or join our live broadcast on our website, FlintAsburyChurch.org.
Pastor Tommy
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, LeAnn Thieman. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Answered Prayers: 101 Stories of Hope, Miracles, Faith, Divine Intervention, and the Power of Prayer. Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul, 2011.