Don’t stop praying now

Have you ever wondered if you were just wasting your time when you were praying?  Has it ever felt like the prayers you were praying didn’t get much higher than your living room ceiling?  Does God really listen to us when we pray?  This is not a new question.  David asked in Psalm 13, “How long O lord?  Will you forget me forever?”

God DOES hear.  Our prayers are really an admission that we can’t do for ourselves what we need – we must have God’s help.  Even though God may delay in his response or answer in some way we didn’t expect or desire, he is tenderly disposed to hear our cries and help us just like a loving mother hears and responds to the cries of her baby. 

Sometimes God’s answer is so startling that it shocks us back into the place he wants us to be – that place of assurance that he has always been listening and has already designed an answer that perfectly fits the situation in every way.

So, don’t stop praying for the Czech people.  We have seen beautiful evidence of God’s work in several hearts these past two weeks.  Some have been slowly awakened to the reality of Jesus’ love; others have begun to seek him.  They all need our prayers.

No-Talent

Years ago, my home church would occasionally host a no-talent night at which anyone who was willing could present a poem, skit, song, or whatever they thought would amuse the audience.  The basic idea was that you didn’t need to have any talent to participate.  Some folks took that literally and so the presentations ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.  I’m not talking behind anyone’s back here.  I personally scripted and participated in some of the worst offerings that ever appeared in that venue.

I was reminded this morning that Jesus isn’t too concerned about the quality or quantity of our talents; he’s a lot more interested in what we do with them.  Jesus calls me to invest my talents – whatever they are, small or great – in the expansion of his kingdom.  I really don’t have much to offer the Czech people.  I don’t speak their language well, I am a stranger in their culture, I have not lived their history; but God is both willing and able to multiply the tiny offering I bring.  I am very encouraged by that. 

Say What??!!!

The claims of Jesus are so counterintuitive, so radical that they often catch me off guard; I’ve been a Christian for almost 40 years.  One of the most amazing things that he ever said was, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”  To help me grasp the meaning of this, I need to put it in simpler terms – maybe something like this: If we believe in Jesus, death cannot kill us.  What?!  That doesn’t even begin to make sense – until we consider Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

To understand the amazing claims of Jesus, we MUST have the help of God’s Spirit.  Apart from his help, such statements of eternal truth just fly over our heads.  Please pray with us that the Spirit will work in the hearts of all those who have come to English camp this week to enable us to hear and believe.

Like the Wind

Jesus once told a curious visitor that the Spirit of God is like the wind.  You can’t understand exactly where the wind is going and you really can’t see it, but it is known by its effects.  The Holy Spirit operates in similarly mysterious ways.  His direction is not always clearly discernable, but you can tell where he is at work by the things that are happening.

For the last three evenings, Dale VanDyke has been speaking to our campers and staff about the truths found in the Beatitudes.  His short messages have had an impact.  Some of our friends have been moved to consider the claims of Christ.  Such stirrings are the work of the Spirit, and we are blessed to be able to see them.

Please pray with us that these good beginnings would continue in the hearts of our friends and bear fruit to eternal life.  Please pray for Dale, too; he has had a big struggle with jet lag.