Britton Christian Church

Good Morning,

I am so excited! At midnight tomorrow night we will kick-off 24 hours of continuous prayer at BCC. We will join with other believers from around the country in humbling ourselves before the throne of God and interceding for our friends, neighbors, community, nation, and world.

As I read Scripture I see two things very clearly. 1) God calls us to pray. Many of you know the Scripture from 2 Chronicles 7,

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NIV)

Or maybe you have read God’s Word to His people in Jeremiah’s day.

3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV)

God calls us to pray. He knows that we face difficulties and He knows that He has the answers to what ails us. For us to find peace in the midst of the storm we must go to Him in prayer.

The second thing that I see so clearly in God’s Word is this: 2) Things happen when God’s people pray. The illustrations from Scripture are endless, but let me show you just one. In 2 Chronicles, the enemies of God’s people in Judah were too strong, too power, and too numerous. Instead of meeting in the “War Room” and coming up with a strategy, King Jehosophat went to God. He prayed.

12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” 13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD. (2 Chronicles 20:12-13 NIV)

When God’s people prayed, God answered. He reassured them of His presence. He consoled their fears. He reminded them that their enemies were not “God.” He established them in the land. God showed up. Here is the message He had delivered to the king.

15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV)

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our problems are no more than those who have gone before us, but we must follow in their footsteps and fall on our knees in humility as we cry out to God. I hope you will join me beginning at midnight tomorrow night.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,

For some time now we have been constantly reminded of the mounting problems that are ailing our nation. The economy, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, abortion, crime, drugs and addiction, the unbelievable number of high school drop outs in our cities, the threat of terrorism, and the list goes on and on and on. Now we have to deal with “swine flu.” As you listen to newscasts and read the newspapers you can hear the proposed solutions to all of these problems. There is one solution that is consistently absent from the list of proposed solutions being offered by our leaders. Prayer.

As you read God’s Word you run into numerous problems that were faced by God’s people throughout the 1500 years of history recorded from Genesis through Revelation. Each and every time crisis arose, God called His people to pray. To run to Him. To cry out to Him. To confess their need for Him and Him alone.

I am so looking forward to the National Day of Prayer this coming Thursday. I am praying that this Thursday will be a spark that ignites a holy passion within the people of God to come before His presence on their knees, broken over our personal sin, and the sin of our nation.

I will have the privilege of beginning our 24 hours of prayer at midnight early Thursday morning, but many of you have signed-up to pray during the 24 hours. I want to encourage you to fulfill your commitment. If you have forgotten when you signed-up then please call the church office and we will be glad to let you know when your time to pray will be.

We will have a “prayer list” in the prayer room for suggested prayer needs, but I want to encourage you to “be still” during your time of prayer and let the Lord speak to your heart about what He would have you pray about. This is going to be an incredible blessing for our church, community, and far beyond.

In His Steps,
Mike