Hi Church Family,
Prayer is work. Prayer is hard work. Truth is prayer might be one of the hardest things to do.
The Apostle Paul says of Epaphras that, “He is always wrestling in prayer for you” (Colossians
4:12). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed so intensely he sweat blood.
If you struggle in your prayer life, then you are not alone. Many of the Psalmists are honest
about the real struggle of prayer. In Psalm 10 it begins by asking, “Why, O Lord, do you stand
far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” What honesty! Prayer is often a struggle
because we don’t always sense His presence.
We certainly have times when we know His presence is real and that our communion with Him
is intimate. But this is not always the case. When that happens, we struggle in our prayers.
J.I. Packer summed up prayer by saying this, “Prayer is finding our way through duty to delight.”
So, even in those difficult times when it feels more of a duty than a delight, we are to persist in
praying. And my personal experience has been that when continue with the discipline of prayer
that there will be those times of sweetness in our communion with God.
I have learned to feel less guilty over my prayer life and instead see it as a journey. It might just
be me but, comparing myself to those who woke up at 4:00 AM and prayed for two hours, only
left me discouraged about my prayer life. It didn’t motivate me to greater communion with God.
The problem wasn’t with the saints whose practice was to pray early and long, but with my own
comparison.
To speak of prayer as a journey suggests that we will never arrive in this perfect communion
with God through prayer. That means we continue to grow in our prayer life while
acknowledging that the deeper satisfactions we long for will never be completely fulfilled this
side of heaven.
My word to you is persist in prayer- even when you may not feel like it. Prayer helps us endure.
Like the disciples dare to ask, “Jesus, teach me to pray.” It isn’t about finding the right
technique or duplicating what others have done but, recognize it as hard work. It is all about
talking with God. God has spoken to us through His Word and prayer is continuing that
conversation with Him.
Tim Keller put it this way, “Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle, yet the way to reality. There is
nothing more important, or harder, or richer, or more life-altering. There is absolutely nothing so
great as prayer.”
Church, pray!
Fellow prayer struggler,
Pastor Brian
Looking Forward
Sermon Direction
A Blessed Life That Blesses Others
1 Peter 3:8-12
Link to This Sunday Worship Service
Cindy Adkins’ Community Group
Cindy’s community group is looking for three more women to join them on Friday evenings at 6:00. For more information please the office.
Operation Christmas Child
Pick up your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to fill at the back of the church. Collection week starts November 14th & ends November 21st. If you have questions, Dave & Betsy will be available to answer them.
Ushers and Greeters Needed
We are looking for some friendly faces to join the hospitality team as ushers and greeters. This is a great opportunity to serve the body and guests of our church. Please email Susan Lyle at susan.lyle@gmail.com for more information.
Living Hope ~~~~ Church Directory
We are updating our church directory. Please consider taking a few minutes to add or update your information for the directory. If you would prefer not being in the directory, please email or call the office. Click the link to add or update information. Also you can find paper forms on ministry counter. Link to form
EBC Kids Volunteer Training Brunch
The EBC Kids Training and Encouragement Brunch for this Saturday, November 5th, has been cancelled.
Workday
Workday on Saturday, November 12 from 8-noon. Please come out to help even if you cannot be here the entire time. An hour or more would be appreciated! See the insert in the bulletin for more details. If you have any questions, please see/contact Bill Wixson.
Buildings@ebclaconia.com 603-
Welcome Luncheon
Sunday, November 13th there will be a Welcome Luncheon following the second service. If you have started attending church in the last two years, you are invited to attend.