It happens to everyone at least once in their lifetime – the betrayal of a dear friend. You thought they would stick with you through thick and thin, when the chips were down, or when you were the last person to be chosen when they were picking teams. When the betrayal comes, it’s a dagger in our heart and the loss is felt with a grief like death. I speak as one who knows…and you do, too. We read in II Timothy 1 that Paul did, too…
This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
When you think of your energy level on Sunday evening after a day of being in God’s house, where would you rank it? A 2 or 3? Yeah, It thought so. There’s a good reason for that, and its has to do with more than wrestling the patent leather shoes onto a three year-old.
Every Sunday when you get yourself (and perhaps your family) ready and head out the door to worship, you are doing battle – a spiritual one. Satan doesn’t want you there where you’ll hear the Word of God. He doesn’t want your marriage strengthened and your children in a place where they’ll be taught Truth from the Bible, and so he fights us. Attitudes get out of whack, you fight to concentrate on the messages, your children are the crankiest on that day. By the end of the Sunday services, we’ve done real battle with the enemy – and it’s exhausting!
If the believer in the pew is fighting a spiritual battle, imagine what your pastor is facing as he endeavors to stand in the pulpit and preach the Word of God! He sees people nodding off, passing notes, flipping through their phones, or looking uninterested, and the devil plants seeds of discouragement in him. He fights with just wanting to sit down and quit. He struggles to remember passages of Scripture or the next illustration. The power point is almost sure to fail during his most important point – even though he spent much time and effort putting it together to aid the preaching of the Word.
It’s for all these reasons and many more that every pastor desperately needs the prayer of the saints. I’ve made a list of some of my favorite passages of Scripture to pray for my husband or whoever will be in the pulpit at our church. Here are the verses I like to pray, with a brief description:
After you spend some time praying through some passages of Scripture for your pastor, why not write him a note or send a text and let him know that you’ve prayed specifically for his preaching? It’s sure to refresh him and encourage him as he heads to the pulpit to deliver God’s Word.
Will you pray for your pastor and then let him know?
Think of the scenarios in which those words would make all the difference in a person’s day! They would mean… No Cancer! You were found not guilty! You can graduate! The last of the hard project is over! The prisoner is no longer captive!
One word can, indeed make all the difference in a day.
As I recently read through the Book of John, I was struck by this thought as I heard Jesus say one word that would change everything for Mary. Remember that she is the first one to the tomb after Jesus’ death. She found the stone rolled away and then seeing a man, she assumed he was the gardener. Then He called her name,
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Mary went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken to her. In my mind’s eye, I see her joy, I hear her amazement and relief! She was no longer weeping! Hearing Him say her name had changed everything for her with just a single word.
Is your heart heavy today? There is so much going on around us to cause grief in our heart, but we can have the same experience that Mary had; we can get alone with the Lord, open His Word and allow Him to speak a single word to us to give us joy and remove our tears.
Forgiven!
Hope!
Loved!
Rapture!
Heaven!
Mary was encouraged because she went looking for Jesus on that early Resurrection morning. We, too, must “go looking for Jesus” as we open the pages of His Word. Then we will find comfort and then everything will be changed when He gives us the Word that we need to hear.
What word has the Lord given you today that has filled your heart with hope again, even in the midst of heartache?
Weeks can be long and days so busy that we feel stressed and strained by Friday. Maybe you’ve come through a tough one with school beginning, or your job or home responsibilities. My life stays on the go, too, so I try to find ways to have little moments of refreshment that help me stay charged and not overwhelmed each day.
The first way I do that is time in God’s Word and prayer each day. Without it, I’m literally running on Empty! Right now I’m reading through the Bible in a year. I also study our Sunday lesson -currently Mark. Then I try to find little ways to have some bright spots in the week. Sometimes those times are planned; sometimes they’re pleasant surprises!
Here are ways I refreshed myself last week that could also encourage you! Let’s start with the surprise!
Every person on the planet has a need to be encouraged. We all struggle with something – maybe it’s wondering if you’re able to do a task, if you’re making a difference for Christ, if you’re progressing in your spiritual life, or if you’re smart enough to go to college.
RefreshHer 