Prayer
Prayer is a priority for Cloverdale Baptist Church, and yet so often we turn to other things when we are in our time of need. We do not pray as much as we should personally, or corporately, and this year we want to take some steps to improve our connectivity in being a church that prays.
Was reading an article of the top 10 bad reasons that people called 911 in 2020…They included complaining that a food delivery driver didn’t show up, and confirming the time. The other 8 were almost as bad. I suppose there are many times you should not call 911, and some that you should, but there is never a time as a Christian that you should not choose to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
I wonder what the top 10 reasons Christians didn't call out to God this year were? What were some of yours? I think if we did a survey, coming up with a top 10 would be easy, but heartbreaking. What would yours be? I think as a nation, if we asked, the reasons given would include that we believe in God only in theory, not relationally, or that we really don’t think He could help us, or perhaps worst of all, that He doesn’t care. Maybe we were to busy, or Netflix was to loud, maybe COVID distracted us, or we thought we could solve the problems on our own....
This year, we want to be a people of prayer, and to make that a constant state of our hearts. Next year, if we did a survey of the top 10 reasons that people didn't pray, we want to be unable to answer that personally and corporately as a church.
The top 3 ways we can accomplish this are:
1. Deepen Our Relationship with God: This year, we want to learn to think relationally with God. We want to be a people who know Him, and live for His glory as an overflow of that relationship. This means keeping the Gospel central, and making it our passion to know Him (Philippians 3:10). Perhaps this year you need to constantly remind yourself that God is not a concept, but a person, not an idea but personal. Don’t forget this, as you seek to take steps to deepen your relationship with Him. He loves you, and that love is His guarantee of His goodness towards you (Romans 8:32). That leads to the second way we can make this year a year of prayer…
2. Delight Ourselves in His Goodness: He cares about you, and wants to hear from you. I have heard that some don’t pray because they don’t want to bother God with things that are small, and yet to Him, everything is small…and our prayers are a fragrance to Him. He is One who is not only all powerful, but cares deeply. He loves you and wants to hear from you, wants you to cry out to Him in your time of need (Philippians 4:4-6). He delights in the prayers of His people, because He loves us (Proverbs 16:8).
3. Depend on Him Actively: Make it not only a discipline you delight to pursue, but a King you obey in seeking His face always (Psalm 16:8). This active dependence is something that we do alone, and in community. So take the time to pray, to practice His presence and to pursue relationships in the family of God that deepen your pursuit of an active prayer life. Reminders can be so helpful, like an alarm on your phone or watch, or...
One of the ways that we want to encourage your prayer life this coming year is to give you a place to share your requests. This will go to the elder who is in charge of prayer, and you will be prayed for by God’s people at CBC. If you have a prayer request, please use this tool to share it, and know that you will be prayed for.
Prayer is powerful and effective, and as we pray God moves to help us!
One of the top worst reasons people called 911 included a bank card caught in an ATM, if that was you, next time call the bank.
This year, put aside excuses, grab reasons and call on God with us! Choose to live with the One who loves you personally in a vibrant relationship. Choose to be a person of prayer, and choose to join us in becoming more and more a house of prayer. If last year you did not pray enough, and you want this to change, join us in this pursuit for this coming year.
How Can We Pray for You?
Prayer request(s) submitted through the form below will remain confidential.