RUSTY STARK
Soon we will be with you for our gospel meeting. What an honor to be invited, and what a joy to contemplate. Our theme has been set forth – A Child’s Prayer. It seems so simple – perhaps too simple, too juvenile. Not So! This theme has been selected because it is timely and vital.
Prayer – Its Power and Purpose
Prayer is vital – in all stages of life, and in all experiences – new and old, comfortable and frightening. It is difficult to imagine any greater comfort than that which we find in prayer. 1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” James 5:16 – “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
God Is . . . – There Is A God
Today, in the midst of health concerns, political unrest, violence, and social turmoil, we need ‘blessed assurance’ – an absolute certainty regarding the existence of God. If we do not know there is someone out there to listen, why pray? Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
God Is Great – God’s, Power, & Wisdom.
Isn’t it comforting for us to know, without doubt, that our God is great – powerful, able, and in control? Jeremiah 32:27 – “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” Dan 2:20-21 – “20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”
God Is Good – The Problem of Pain & Human Suffering
But not only are we certain that God is, and that he is great in power and might. We are also assured that he is good – that he loves us and cares for us and wants good things for us. We must remember the good, loving things God has done, and we must be assured about the grand promises he has made. Titus 1:2 – “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
And We Thank Him for Our Food – The Spirit of Gratitude
It is difficult to be thankful when times are hard. When we face financial instability, loss of jobs, loss of loved ones, or other difficulties and setbacks, we tend to see the problem and fail to see the shower of blessings we share in everyday.
It is also difficult to be thankful when things are good for us. When we are successful, on the top of the world, happy in marriage and family, and healthy physically and financially, we often congratulate ourselves for our successes, pat ourselves on the back for our good decisions and hard work, and forget the one ‘from whom all blessings flow.’ James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Deuteronomy 8:17-18 – “17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
In Jesus Name – The Authority of Jesus
Colossians 3:17 – “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” What a blessing! To love our lives in submission to the authority of Jesus, to pray in his name, to worship in his name, to teach in his name, to do all things by the authority of our Savior, God’s Son Jesus Christ.
Please pray for our meeting – for success, for good attendance, for me as the speaker, but above all pray that all will be to the glory of God.
Ephesians 3:21 – “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”