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Word from Nairnshire
by Sandy Shaw
How boring? That was how a colleague responded when he heard of people meeting for prayer, and praying for an hour, or over an hour!
“Whatever could you say for an hour? How would you fill the time?”
Soon, he discovered that an hour was never long enough.
He had been educated at Eton where he attended Chapel daily, but he and God never met. Following a distinguished career at King’s College, Cambridge, he then entered the army where he experienced a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
As these disciples of Jesus waited for something to happen, and they did not know what the nature of that might be, they gave themselves to prayer. The brothers of Jesus were present, as was His mother, Mary.
In one sense, they were desperate, and prayer is for those who are desperate, and for those who are desperately concerned about the state of the Church, and the condition of the nation.
Jesus regularly communed with His Father, very often early in the morning, when it was quiet, and when He knew He would not be disturbed and interrupted.
The Church of Jesus Christ was birthed during a prayer meeting, and the new believers were encouraged from the outset to devote themselves to prayer.
When the growing demands upon the church were increasing, the leadership delegated various responsibilities to others, but they were giving their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.
John’s brother Jacob had been executed, Peter’s life was under threat, and the church earnestly prayed for him. Peter’s release from prison was miraculous.
When Saul of Tarsus and the risen Lord Jesus Christ met outside Damascus, Saul spent the next three days in prayer.
Might this have been one of the secrets of Paul’s spiritually successful ministry?
Sandy Shaw
Nairn Christian Fellowship
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Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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