Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.  
(Ephesians 3:20-21)

Lynette Hatcher, an ambassador of Christ and Calvary in Vienna (Austria), responded to last week’s blog meditation by offering another good reason to quit trying so hard to micromanage God. She wrote, “I have found that God often does something that I never would have considered or dreamed in my wildest dreams. His creativity is boundless, and I think He often likes to surprise us so that we know without a doubt that the answer is from Him and not our own plan.”

I immediately thought of an example from my own life. Many years ago when our oldest son, Ian, was a little boy, we investigated a private school for gifted children because we were unhappy with the instruction he was receiving at our local public school. Ian was accepted into the school, but the high tuition was a problem. I remember praying fervently, asking God to cause the school to offer us a big scholarship. They did not, and we could not afford to send Ian to that school. But a year later, the Lord led us into homeschooling, which turned out to be a tremendous blessing to all three of our sons and to us as parents. When I was praying for the scholarship, I had no idea of God’s superior solution.

As you pray for yourself and others this week, acknowledge with thanksgiving that the Lord’s answer to your prayers may be far greater than anything you can imagine.

Here are matters for prayer this week:

1.  Meditate on and praise the Lord for the ways He is different from us. For example, He is eternal – outside of time, not just really, really old. Also think about the ways He is like us.  For example, He is personal and experiences emotions. Praise Him for making us in His image.
 
2.  Continue to pray for Greg Hodgson and his family. Greg remains in very critical condition, now with some sort of obstruction in his artificial heart. Ask the Lord to cover Greg with His mercy and to replace any fear he may be feeling with peace. Pray for his parents, Char and Gary, who must be exhausted from their hospital vigil. 
 
3.  Lift up the WeChat event next Sunday, September 25, between services. This is a chance for people from our English and Chinese congregations to gather informally to get to know one another. It also gives recent Chinese immigrants the opportunity to practice their English with native speakers. Pray that many people from both congregations will make it a priority to attend and that the Lord will be glorified by this demonstration of gospel unity.
 
4.  Pray for people in our church family who are walking through the trial of cancer and under active treatment. Here are the ones I know of:  Esther Whitney, Lorraine Kratt, Kay Lewis, Wendy Chen, and Demi Gao. If I have omitted someone, please let me know.

5.  Thank God for the good progress little A.J. Gilbert has made in the past week. Doctors closed his chest, removed all drainage tubes, and weaned him off the respirator. Best of all, he has had no more episodes of a sudden drop in heart rate.

6.  Remember Dave and Carrie Tebay before the Lord as they wind down their sabbatical. Ask Him to fill them with a spirit of anticipation to get back to work and with assurance that He will be guiding them as they do.

7.  Pray over the women’s conference coming up September 30 – October 1. Lift up our women’s ministry team as they make final preparations and the conference speaker, Maureen Schaffer.
 

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea