The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. (Job 1:21)

Prayer is a place where your unarticulated attitudes are revealed and your thinking is corrected. My husband is facing open-heart surgery soon, and the surgeon has told us that the combined mortality/morbidity rate is 10%. (Morbidity means bad things happening other than death, such as stroke.) At times, fear grips my heart, and what ifs rear their ugly head. What if John is in the 10% category? During my prayer walks, the Holy Spirit articulates what my fear is really saying: If John falls in the 10%, that means God tried but failed, or intended but forgot. Is that really what I believe? No! I believe that the Lord is sovereign; He gives and He takes away. I must humbly accept whatever He chooses to do and praise His name no matter what. May the Holy Spirit correct your thinking as necessary as you pray this week!

Here are some items to get you started in prayer this week:

1. Praise the Lord for what He is doing in the Chinese congregation! Half a dozen new believers have been baptized in recent weeks. Ask God to grow their faith and to protect them from the attacks of the enemy in the wake of their act of obedience.

2. I was privileged recently to attend an appreciation dinner for the Worship Ministry team. I’d like to share how the worship team prays for us, the congregation. They affirm before God that all of us – not just the leaders on the platform – are the royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:5,9) They pray that we would not be a passive audience, waiting to be pleased or moved by the music to join in the worship, but rather that we would actively and wholeheartedly worship the audience of One. Let’s join them in that prayer.

3. Ruth Hanning e-mailed me to report that she is recovering very well from her broken leg and feels very loved by her church family. She says, “God is good in hard times as well as easy times.” Amen! Another praise: Brenda Roth shares that her parents are safe and well and that the threat against them has dissolved.

4. Do you know who the Equippers are at Calvary? Equippers are the leaders of our discipleship groups, other Bible study classes, and life groups. The Equippers are meeting for the first time in this new year on Thursday evening. Pray that they will serve and lead well and that a fresh spirit of community will grow among the Equippers this year.

5. Pray for young adults who are making poor decisions in life. Ask the Lord to protect them and do His work to turn their lives around. Pray for their parents too – for strength to stand firm for godliness.

6. Thursday is the thirteenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Pray against the evil that motivated those attacks and that continues to prowl earth today.

7. Calvary is offering Financial Peace University starting September 28. Lay your checkbook, bank statement, and other financial records before the Lord and ask Him if you are doing a good job as steward of what He has entrusted to you. Ask Him if He wants you to take this class to improve your money management skills, and listen.

In Christ,

Carol Gilbert, Prayer Chair

Calvary Community Church of Brea