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I read recently of an older gentleman who would often begin his prayers with the phrase, "Let the great God of heaven and earth be magnified." A young man who grew up in the same church later observed, "It sounded strange at the time, but now that I'm older I see the enormous value in those powerful words of worship."
So I begin my story with that same thought: May our great God be magnified.
Early one morning about a month ago I woke up - without warning - with double vision. It's a startling sensation, and more than a little scary. As a nurse my first thoughts were of all the possible causes. Our doctor ordered a series of tests in an attempt to determine what could be the cause.
All of the tests came back negative, so he handed us off to a neurologist in Atlanta, a couple of hours from our home. The neurologist found a small growth on the MRI, on the 6th cranial nerve behind my right eye - a meningioma (which is a medical term for tumor). He began talking about surgery and radiation and all kinds of things we weren't eager to discuss. He also assured us that 80% of them in this part of the cranium are benign, but he wanted to be sure so, more tests.
Before we headed back to Atlanta, Israel Rogers, (whom some of you will remember from the Pastors' Prayer Conference in Monterey, California), called a little group together for special prayer for me. He's a dear friend, a bi-vocational Baptist pastor who is also Director of Radiology for our local hospital. It was a sweet, quiet, but precious service. Some placed their hands on our shoulders, or on my head, as each one prayed. We felt very blessed and very loved.
When we went to Atlanta for the repeat MRI and LP (spinal tap), we had peace even in the midst of the uncertainty. We were there long enough to get acquainted with a great crew of technicians and other staff. I even gave away four books that day, (5 Secrets for Peace in a Storm) because the Holy Spirit seemed to have gone before us, as He has promised, and prepared their hearts. We have since learned that my neurologist is reading, "God Wants to Hear You Sing!" What an awesome God!
After the tests were over, we returned home to await the report. We had been home less than an hour when the phone rang. It was the neurologist, and the first thing he said was, "It's gone!" "What's gone?" we asked. He continued, "I have studied the films carefully and there is no meningioma there. I feel so much better." He felt better? We did, too!
We are planning a time when we can tell him about the prayer service because we all believe he needs to have that piece of the story. He and all the new friends we made in Atlanta are now on my list of people that I bring to God each day.
About the double vision...it's still there, but better. In fact, each day it improves. The doctor says that the pattern is within 4 - 6 weeks it will be gone and my vision will be as good as new. Or better.
When God does something that only He can do we can only say, "May the great God of heaven and earth be magnified!"
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I want to praise God for all the daily, weekly, and monthly prayer calls we're learning about. I even know of three that are 24/7, and God is doing amazing things as people come together, pressing to His throne. Dexter Ravenell, in Baltimore, leads a 24/7 prayer call where there have been baptisms as the result of being available to pray with people who come with their needs.
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| Dexter Ravenell leads a 24/7 Prayer Call |
Pastors James Shires and Michael Smith in Oklahoma meet with a group every Friday evening at 7 PM Central time. A group of 10 - 15 from across the conference usually join them. I'll use his outline because it is similar to many others. This is not a hard and fast template, but these are elements they always try to include:
- They find out who is on. It's important to let everyone speak briefly so you know who is there, and from which church.
- Then often someone reads a brief passage from Scripture. In all of our praying, it's vital to let God speak first. It directs our prayers, and gives Him praise.
- Testimonies - short stories of what those on the line have experienced that week. These stories also help set the tone for praise and true worship, because they are answers to prayer. We often hear prayer requests, and we also need to hear His answers. He promised, "Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.".
- They pray for the larger church family, mentioning leaders by name: The General Conference president, Ted Wilson, Dan and Donna Jackson, Union and Conference leaders.
- Prayer for pastors in general, and specific pastors who make requests - sometimes for their sermon the next morning, or for evangelism, but it's so encouraging to hear prayers for one another, "bearing one another's burdens."
- The last few minutes focus on specific needs and requests.
This time of intense intercession is a true delight as God's word tells us it will be. If your conference or church isn't part of the regular prayer calls, you may want to ask the Lord for help in getting started. There are many free conference call companies but one that is easy to use is www.GreaterCalling.com. You'll get a number and access code which you can share with others in your church or conference, decide together the best time to meet, and you're off and running. You'll be blessed, and so will the many people you pray for, and God will be glorified as your group comes together in worship.
HOPE Heals
Houses of Prayer Everywhere
Most of you know that we launched the
www.Hope-Heals.org website just a short time ago. Even though it's a new site we've already had more than 1,600 visits. Four hundred of them came in one day. Many of the visitors leave notes, some personal, some telling of their passion to see their church become truly a House of Prayer.
You'll find videos, inspirational messages, resources to print, a source for stand-up banners for your foyer or platform, a list of outstanding books on developing a praying church, and a host of other motivators. If you think of other materials we might include there be sure to let us know.
Ruthie
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Ruthie Jacobsen
NAD Prayer Coordinator
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This Month's Zinger
When Abraham was praying for the salvation of Sodom, God never stopped saying yes until Abraham stopped asking.
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All Night Call to Prayer
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Phone: 404-891-6338
ID 772 937#
Our next all-night call will be
February 4.
10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. (EST)
Mark that date on your calendar.
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Children Making Houses of Prayer Everywhere
by Michael Roland
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Part 1: PRAYING HANDS
"Let the little children come to Me."
And He took them up in His arms,
laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
~Mark 10:14, 16
The Northridge Church in Southern California, like so many churches across North America, participated in the 2015 NAD Pray One Million Initiative (
www.PrayOneMillion.org). The church leadership not only encouraged each member to spend one minute each day in intercessory prayer for someone special that God laid on their hearts but corporately led them in one minute of silent prayer during the worship hour each Sabbath.
So it should be no surprise that the testimonies they share are of healed relationships and increased faith. Several tell of having the person they were praying for ask if they may come to church and worship with them. (They, prompted by God's Spirit, asked if they could come to church without being invited.) And one person being prayed for was healed of cancer just prior to receiving intensive chemo therapy and a bone marrow transplant (see photo below). Of course the chemo therapy and transplant procedures were cancelled. All of these are stories of miracles and testimony to the power of prayer and the love of God.
Inspired by these shared experiences, the Adventurer Club, directed by Lettie Mendoza, joined forces with the Northridge Prayer Ministry and the NAD Prayer Ministry to help launch the NAD's 2016 Prayer Initiative: Houses of Prayer Everywhere (
www.hope-heals.org
). They made cards. "
'Let the little children come to Me.'
And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them." (Mark 10:14, 16) They placed their hands in tempera paint and placed them on each card. Then they prayed the priestly prayer of blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 for everyone who would get a card. After laminating the cards the Adventurers gave out over ninety "Praying Hands" and blessings to the congregation.
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| Adventurer Angelique gives church guest and miracle cancer survivor a Praying Hands Card. |
What would happen if our churches in the North American Division encouraged all Adventurers to become "Prayer Warriors" and we all continued to pray at least one minute each day for someone that the Holy Spirit puts on our hearts? We would have Houses of Prayer Everywhere.
Part 2: PRAYING BLESSINGS
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you,
And give you peace."
~Numbers 6:24-26
After the children had made the Praying Hands Cards and had the opportunity to see how others would respond to knowing that they had been prayed for, the Northridge Prayer Ministry wanted to give the Adventurer Club a tool they could use for praying for others.
Remembering that God has promised His word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11) they decided to teach the children the power of praying God's word back to Him. Prayer Coordinator, Ronnie Philip taught the children the priestly prayer of blessing from Numbers 6:24-26. And then he told the story of how in many Jewish homes, even today, on Friday night, as they enter into the Sabbath together parents pray that prayer for each of their children.
I was quietly sitting off to the side of the room observing the children as Ronnie passed the Prayer of Blessing Cards to each child. "Here, I want each of you to take two," he added, "so you can share one with someone else."
Then he asked them to divide up into groups of two. By this time, the children were so excited about praying the prayer of blessing that they naturally gravitated like little magnets into their groups. He asked them to turn the cards over where it showed the same prayer but with blanks spaces in the bible verses. He told them that he wanted them to pray for their prayer partner by praying the verses out loud and putting the other person's name in the verses where the blanks were.
Then, as they prayed, I recognized something familiar. I recognized that beautiful sound of prayer filling the room... that gentle rumble that sounds like music lingering for a moment before rising heavenward. Then, it dawned on me; I had never experienced that before with such young voices. I panned the room and watched the little ones. Some of them were paired up with their parents. I saw tears forming in mother's eyes as they were hearing their prayer partner praying, "Dear Lord, Bless Mommy and keep Mommy..."
"How can there not be Houses of Prayer Everywhere", I thought, "When children pray like this?"
Prayer Focus: Pray for our churches with a special focus on our children!
Free Available Resources:
Praying Hands Cards with instructions.
Prayer of Blessing Card
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Prayer Conference Videos
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Pray For Our Conferences and Their Leaders By Name
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PRAY FOR ALL OUR LEADERS
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Calendar
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All Night Call to Prayer - February 4
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