 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4: 6 ESV
Welcome to our October 2009 1st Friday Call to Prayer. Our aim is to provide you with teaching that we trust will enhance your prayer experience and will be an encouragement to you. We will also provide you with praise items and prayer requests coming from within ANiC and the Anglican Communion worldwide.
We encourage you to set aside the first Friday, October 2nd, as a day of prayer and fasting for the Church in these critical days, ideally gathering with other believers in your parish or region for corporate prayer at some point in the day.
Prayer Quotes
"If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ."
C. H. Spurgeon
Satisfaction
Over the past few years, as the Lord has been deepening in me a longing for His presence and a fresh desire for intimacy with Him, I have found the first eight verses of Psalm 63 both a comfort and a challenge. My heart resonates with the psalmist David’s as I read them, and I am beginning to understand in the smallest way the Father’s desire for intimacy with me.
A phrase that has struck me in Psalm 63 is in verse five: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food”. Here we have the concept of satisfaction expressed, a term with which we may be unfamiliar in this context, or perhaps even uncomfortable. I find myself thinking, “Whom do I think I am that I should ask whether I’m “satisfied” with Jesus?” Surely the relevant issue is much more whether He is satisfied with me?
But the concept of satisfaction here is not that of a rich patron in a high-class restaurant checking the wine list to ensure his satisfaction with the variety and quality of offerings. No, it’s not a question of “is it good enough?” It is, however, a question of having every need met, a question of complete contentment, needing nothing or no one else. It is the concept expressed in Psalm 23 as David testifies, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (ESV) or as other translations say, “I have all that I need (NLT), I shall not lack (AMP).”
It is not a concept foreign to Judeo-Christian thought. Let’s look at some of the other scriptures where this concept is expressed: -
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
Psalm 36: 7-9 NKJV
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103: 1-5 ESV
“I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 31:14 ESV
Note that often the image used is one of a fabulous banquet, feasting on the bountiful goodness of the Lord, and the recipients are completely satisfied to the point where to look anywhere else would seem ludicrous.
So then the question that arises for us all must be “Are we satisfied with Jesus?” Are we content with Him, needing nothing or no one else, or have we added Him to the many sources of provision that we pursue? I find that I need to wrestle with this question more and more frequently. We sing worship songs with words like, “Lord, You are all I need”, but so quickly I slip into needing Jesus and a bunch of other stuff as well. How often I must repent of my lack of dependency on Him for all that I need!
As intercessors, are we satisfied with our intercessory role in the Church? Is obedience to God’s call on our life in prayer enough or is prayer just a justification for lack of action? Are we satisfied to leave the results of our prayer in God’s hands or do we insist on seeing the fruit of answered prayer to justify our continuance? Do we show our lack of satisfaction with God by insisting on Him answering our prayers according to our prescription and in our timing?
A dear pastor friend with a profound Bible understanding once said, “To hurry God is to find fault with Him”. He was teaching on Psalm 40 where the first verse reads, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” (ESV). The phrase “waiting patiently” seems to convey complete contentment, satisfaction in the waiting process. When we are impatient with God because He is not operating according to our schedule, we demonstrate a lack of satisfaction. When we are frustrated with God because we did not receive the answer we were sure was His will, we demonstrate a lack of satisfaction.
I was recently preparing to teach on “Dealing with Anxiety” and was studying Jesus’ words concerning “worry” recorded in Matthew 6. In speaking about our need for food and clothes, Jesus urges the crowd not to worry because “the Father knows you need them”.
Isn’t that the real issue regarding satisfaction? Knowing that the Father knows what we need, and that His desire is to meet every need that we have, but on His terms, not ours. As Paul struggled with his “thorn in the flesh” referenced in 2 Corinthians 12:9, God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”. Paul did not receive the release from his “thorn”, but he was totally satisfied with God’s answer to his petition.
Satisfaction, contentment - these are words expressing a trust that flows out of a growing intimacy with our Lord. The closer we draw to Him and the more we experience what He is really like, then the more we are able to trust Him with all details of our lives and ministry.
The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58: 11 ESV
Garth V. Hunt
Praise God …
That He loves us unconditionally and knows our needs, so we can rest confidently in His goodness.
That He hears and answers our prayers when we pray in submission to His will – and answers in His way and in His time.
For our churches, for the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) and for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).
For faithful Anglican bishops, clergy and laity – throughout the Communion – who standing for truth – even when their stand for Christ and His Word makes them targets for attack.
For those who are providing leadership to the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans around the globe and for the growing unity of orthodox Anglicans in the Communion.
For the reformation God is working out in global Anglicanism. In the midst of chaos, He is building His Kingdom and refining His bride, the Church.
For His blessing on ANiC, for how He has led and for what He has planned for the future.
For the many ANiC “projects” – the small, but growing congregations of faithful Anglicans – He is adding to our number.
Please pray…
That we would release our grip on material and temporal security “blankets” and depend solely on our loving Heavenly Father for our security and satisfaction.
That God would teach us to be totally content with His provision and completely satisfied by His loving care.
That we would desire God – and communion with Him – above everything.
That we would fall deeper in love with Jesus, growing more like our Saviour each day.
That we see as Jesus saw, love as He loved, serve as He served, and die to ourselves as He died to Himself.
For Bishops Donald Harvey, Malcolm Harding and Ronald Ferris, and their families – as well as for bishops-elect Trevor Walters, Stephen Leung and Charlie Masters. Pray for spiritual and physical protection and for a daily closer walk with God.
For those suffering under the attack of the enemy in our congregations and families. Pray for victory in Christ and healing, if that is God’s will.
For new and forming ANiC congregations as they attend to the many details of organizing and launching a parish – and for other congregations considering joining ANiC.
For congregations that have lost their places of worship as well as for those forced to appeal to the courts and facing the possible loss of their buildings. May they demonstrate love to those who persecute them.
For the court proceedings, for the judges considering the cases, for parish wardens, trustees and clergy who have put so much on the line, and for generous donations to ANiC’s legal defense fund to cover the costs of supporting threatened parishes.
| • |
For Mr Justice Stephen Kelleher who is now reviewing and weight the evidence form the three-week court case in Vancouver involving four ANiC parishes. |
| • |
For the case involving St Aidan’s in Windsor, ON. |
| • |
For St George’s (Lowville, ON), Good Shepherd (St Catharines, ON) and St Hilda’s (Oakville, ON) in their dispute with the Diocese of Niagara. |
| • |
For a change of heart on the part of the dioceses pursuing ANiC parishes. May they relent and work with parishes to reach amicable settlements. |
For those planning and preparing for ANiC’s November 11-13 synod – including the consecration of our three new bishops.
For the leaders of Anglican Essentials Federation, Anglican Essentials Network and Anglican Essentials Canada as they provide support for orthodox Anglicans in the ACoC.
For the recovery of a lively orthodoxy in the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) and for those who feel called to remain in the ACoC to pray and work for reformation and for a renewed commitment to Jesus Christ and His inspired Word.
For Biblically-faithful Anglicans in Canada who feel isolated in liberal churches and dioceses as well as for those who feel they can no longer remain in the Anglican Church of Canada. May they find Christian fellowship and spiritual nourishment.
For Archbishop Gregory Venables (and his wife, Sylvia) who graciously provided a temporary “home” for ANiC members when we needed Primatial oversight.
For our new province, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA):
| • |
For Archbishop Bob Duncan (and wife, Nara) |
| • |
For the other dioceses and the bishops giving leadership – especially those in Canada: the Anglican Coalition in Canada and the Reformed Episcopal Church. |
For the orthodox Primates and bishops who are courageously standing for the Truth. Pray for spiritual and physical protection and for discernment, grace and strength as they lead in a torn Communion.
For the Covenant process. May the Lord clearly lead and may His will be done.
For the Archbishop of Canterbury. May he pursue God wholeheartedly and seek the wisdom and discernment he needs to fulfill his responsibilities to the glory of God.
For suffering Christians around the world in conditions of persecution, war, drought, famine and poverty – especially:
| • |
For those facing persecution in Pakistan, Iran, northern Nigeria & Iraq; |
| • |
For those suffering from famine and drought in Eastern Africa; and |
| • |
For those suffering from floods in the Philippines. |
For those in authority over us. Pray for wise decisions that honour the Lord and promote the welfare of Canadian citizens. Pray also for protection for those who are in “harms way” as they serve our country. Specifically, pray:
| • |
For those in government – both for members of Parliament creating laws and for civil servants in positions of responsibility; |
| • |
For judges in our court system; |
| • |
For officers of the law; and |
| • |
For those who serve our country in the military. |
That God would revive us, our church and, ultimately, our nation.
... back to "Prayer ministry" main page
|
|
|
 |
