Dear Lighthouse,
I
hope your week is going well. It has been a short and busy summer. I’m looking forward to schedules lining out and smoothing over a bit.
We’ve had a great summer together, but there’s something to be said for some simple down-time!
As school begins gearing up to start again and schedules change I wanted to
encourage you not to give into the temptation to schedule out some important things.
Your time with God in prayer and meditation and the reading of His Word are vital activities in your spiritual walk. I have recently been convicted of just that in my own life. The Spirit, I think, is nudging me back toward more consistent prayer and time with God. It’s easy to slip into the habit of putting conversation with someone - especially God - near the
bottom of our priorities. We need to remember, however, that all things flow
from Him. Success, courage, encouragement, power, victory, strength, security
- all of these things and so much more flow from His throne. When we remove Him
from that place things begin to decline, slowly, but surely.
This week, I ask that you schedule in some prayer time. I’m asking for your prayers for our Fellowship. We’ve
got some big plans shaping up for the Fall this year. We’ve laid out some
good thought, goals, and fleshed out some ideas. But none of these activities
- now I mean this part, I’m not just writing something that sounds good and spiritual, I’m serious - none
of these plans are going to be effective without God. The Lighthouse must continue
to receive direction and permission from God in order to be useful and exist. Then
we must receive empowerment from the Spirit to grow and minister to others. Finally,
we as a group must be glorifying God to be effective and blessed. These dominoes
are only going to line up and fall if God is entreated in prayer for the success of our Fellowship. The Lighthouse is shining - but we must be ever vigilant that its light is the Light of Christ. Dark will be the day should the Lighthouse be a busy shell of activity without really
doing anything for benefit of sinners nor glorifying the Master!
Fortunately, this is not the case. We
are committed to the Lord. But, I’m asking - I’m begging - for this
to continue by having you lift up this ministry in prayer. Please saturate me
in prayer as I prepare lessons this Fall. Please cover our visitors with prayer. Lift up the leaders within our Fellowship as they plan events, minister to needs,
pursue dreams, and serve. Pray for our fellowship together that we will all encourage
and sharpen each other as we learn and grow together. Pray. Pray! PRAY. Please.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always
keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… - Ephesians 6:18-19
pray