Pastor Tom's Community

Jesus appears. It is the advent of peace and grace. He comes with mercy and deliverance. He comes to save wretches.

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” — Romans 7:24

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked …” — Revelation 3:17

No one aspires to wretchedness. All resist the implication that they are wretched. No one wants to be known as a wretch.

However, to be a recipient of grace, the soul must know its great need and acknowledge that it is depraved and lost in a sea of sin.

The sound of grace, the voice of God, the Word of the Gospel, that Word which was made flesh has sounded forth from Heaven into the realm of time and space. It has declared with unambiguous truth, “Thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and bind, and naked.”

And without a breath or a rest in the song of grace, it has declared to us, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve that we shall be called Benjamin, for we are “the beloved of the Lord.”

Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, wretched in his righteousness, zealous in his misguided legalism, vengeful in his passion to please God. “Why persecutest thou me,” our Lord inquires. And grace came to Brother Saul and the wretched one became the instrument of proclaiming grace to the nations, even “the least of the Apostles” and the chief of sinners who would declare,

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” — I Corinthians 5:10

How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

We must know our state apart from grace that we might fully appreciate what God has wrought in us and done for us. It evokes in the heart of an honest soul both gratitude and hope, flowing from the fount of humility.

To be eligible for great grace, we must know how great our need is.

I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. — I Timothy 2:1

With echoes of II Chronicles 7:13–14 in the background, Paul is not calling for extraordinary prayer here, but for daily, ongoing, consistent, persistent, passionate prayer for souls of men and women and the welfare of society.

This call to prayer is for all men first.

Then Paul becomes specific in commanding believers to pray for people in civil authority that the church might enjoy, with the larger community, quiet, peace, godliness, and honesty.

Furthermore, we are adjured to pray because it is God’s will to bring all men to salvation and truth.

It is sad that we need a special day to remind us that we ought to be praying all the time.

The following is merely an illustration, not meant to endorse one form of medicine over another. I have some pills that I must take every day by prescription. I try to minimize these with good nutrition and vitamins, but because of years of neglect and abuse, my body needs these medicines to function properly — at least for now.

If I forget to take a pill for my stomach, I can get by with it for a few hours, but at least by the second day, I will be hurting, and the reminders will be evident.

If I forget my anticoagulant medication, however, I may have no symptoms whatsoever. I will have no symptoms over time, but I will gradually increase my susceptibility to a blood clot. I will place myself in danger of a sudden heart attack, DVT, or stroke down the road.

Now God has prescribed prayer for us, for others, and for our society.

If we live in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, we will most likely notice it if we miss a day of prayer. But the larger implications may show no symptoms at first. We will lull ourselves into complacency and false comfort.

In the meantime, our spiritual lives and the spiritual climate around us will erode until there is some great catastrophe as the natural result of the absence of supernatural intervention.

God’s message to us on this matter is that prayer matters.

It makes a difference.

Pray.

As I post these words, it is a national day of prayer, called, curiously enough, the National Day of Prayer.

Most of the time and in most places, there will be gatherings with litanies of specific prayers that will be heart-felt, well-prepared, and sermonic.

With all of its limitations and opportunities to pontificate, corporate prayer in the public square is a good thing and most events will be inspiring and encouraging times for people of faith to pray for their leaders and fellow citizens.

For this year’s National Day of Prayer, I have many things on my intercession list. Mostly, I pray for a manifestation of the four qualities I find in Psalm 85:10 — Mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace.

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

I must start with my own circle of influence after I start with myself.

God grant that I might receive, show, and give mercy (Chesed — love, grace, and mercy all wrapped together).

God grant that I might be a man of truth who speaks truth to power, truth to the lowly, and truth to myself.

God grant that I might live a life of righteousness — doing the right thing and heading in the right direction, rightly related to You and to my neighbor.

God grant me peace, that I might be at peace with you through my relationship with Jesus and at peace with my neighbors, friends, and family. Grant that I might be a peacemaker in my community and my life.

God grant these requests for me and for all who can join me in this prayer in their own way. I pray in the name of my Savior and Master, Jesus. Amen.

This is prayer.

We move in the direction of God.

The movement itself is far more important that the words we use or the sentiments we experience. It is the movement that expresses the true intentions of our hearts.

The movement is the most honest and reliable indicator of our spiritual progress … whether we know it or feel it or not.

Let us move toward God today.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16, New International Version (©1984)

When I say I pray for you, I do. I come beside you, stand with you, and bring you before the God I serve. It is my way of loving you.

A three-letter word for prayer: AWE!

“I stand amazed in the presence …”

Another word for prayer: WONDER!

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) — not quitting and maintaining the attitude and constant awareness of One who is Other.

I do pray for America today and invite others to pray in whatever way they pray. For those who don’t, do what you and wish America well.

I am not just praying for our nation today. I am praying for our larger community on the planet — No permission or sanction needed — but encouragement welcome and concerted effort celebrated.

Do we NEED a national day of prayer? I think so — DAILY!

I am amused by the fuss we make over symbols and language when prayer and gathering to pray is always legal. If it is ever not, we still will.

This is a day of prayer. It matters little whether it is declared or not (It has been). It is always legal in any jurisdiction to pray.