11/2/13- Prayer Vigils

2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4:2) 

44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Lk. 22:44-46)

Thoughts:  Jesus took prayer seriously when he was on earth.  He began His ministry fasting and praying for forty days- in an intense prayer vigil.  He ended His free time on this earth praying in the Garden of Gethsemane so earnestly he bled.
    The most consistently fast-growing Presbyterian Church in the last 50 years has been the Presbyterian Church in Korea.  The reason why- is clear when you observe the church.  The church survived the persecution of the North Koreans, but also puts a high priority on extended prayer.  Each day the average Korean Presbyterian Church begins with a 5:00 A.M. prayer meeting before people go to work and the attendance on average is almost the same as Sunday morning attendance.  Many also have a prayer retreat center and a prayer closet where people can go on nights to pray all night for a special need.  The key to getting in touch with God's love, God's faith, and God's hope is to make prayer a priority- even with extended prayer.  

    So my church, Lake Murray Presbyterian, is having a Prayer Vigil to end its Thirty Days in Prayer.  Hopefully, we will have many pray for our homecoming/anniversary service Sunday, and that our church will be a blessing to God.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to see how important it is to pray to you.