Thoughts from our Pastor for October 2024
Falling Into Prayer
As I sit down to write this article, the weather is still hot and dry. Fall will be upon us by the time you read this article. My hope is that we don’t go from the oven to the freezer too quickly.
As the fall season comes, we turn our attention to finishing up the garden. If there is enough produce, it will mean a day or two of canning and or freezing for later enjoyment. Then it will be time to put the garden to bed for the winter.
Fall may be a season for finishing, but it is also a season for beginning. Some farmers will be planting winter wheat. Some people will begin their Christmas shopping.
I will probably not plant anything in my garden, but I can do some planting of a different kind. I can plant my prayers.
As I was reading through the book of Nehemiah in my devotions recently, I took note of his prayer. It began in the fall of the year after hearing a bad report about the conditions in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was powerless to do anything, except pray. He was a captive in a foreign country, in service to the king. He couldn’t just drop everything and go. So, he prayed and prayed and prayed. It consumed him to the point that the next Spring; while serving the king, it was reflected in his appearance. The king noticed the sadness and asked Nehemiah, “Why are you so sad?”
From the Fall until Spring, Nehemiah had put on his game face when doing his duties. He buried his sadness and concern for months. Though he may have appeared to being doing nothing, he was doing something, he was praying. As a result of those prayers, he had a God inspired answer for the king.
Nehemiah shares about the plight of Jerusalem. The King listens and then says to Nehemiah, “Okay, how long will it take you to go and get the job done?” I can’t help but think of Sean Connery’s character in “The Untouchables.” He’s dying in the arms of Eliot Ness, his final words to Ness are, “What are you prepared to do about it?
Nehemiah had fallen into prayer in the Fall, now it is time to spring into action in the Spring. God gave him a plan, and he would go on with the help of his fellow countrymen to get the job done.
My challenge to you is to fall into prayer this Fall. Maybe you need to fall back into prayer. It’ll be like sowing a crop of winter wheat. You won’t know what you’re going to get until Spring. There will always be things you can’t do, but you can pray. Who knows, maybe you, like Nehemiah, are the answer to your prayers.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(NKJV) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Fall into prayer and get ready to spring into action!
Pastor Rick Borgman
As I sit down to write this article, the weather is still hot and dry. Fall will be upon us by the time you read this article. My hope is that we don’t go from the oven to the freezer too quickly.
As the fall season comes, we turn our attention to finishing up the garden. If there is enough produce, it will mean a day or two of canning and or freezing for later enjoyment. Then it will be time to put the garden to bed for the winter.
Fall may be a season for finishing, but it is also a season for beginning. Some farmers will be planting winter wheat. Some people will begin their Christmas shopping.
I will probably not plant anything in my garden, but I can do some planting of a different kind. I can plant my prayers.
As I was reading through the book of Nehemiah in my devotions recently, I took note of his prayer. It began in the fall of the year after hearing a bad report about the conditions in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was powerless to do anything, except pray. He was a captive in a foreign country, in service to the king. He couldn’t just drop everything and go. So, he prayed and prayed and prayed. It consumed him to the point that the next Spring; while serving the king, it was reflected in his appearance. The king noticed the sadness and asked Nehemiah, “Why are you so sad?”
From the Fall until Spring, Nehemiah had put on his game face when doing his duties. He buried his sadness and concern for months. Though he may have appeared to being doing nothing, he was doing something, he was praying. As a result of those prayers, he had a God inspired answer for the king.
Nehemiah shares about the plight of Jerusalem. The King listens and then says to Nehemiah, “Okay, how long will it take you to go and get the job done?” I can’t help but think of Sean Connery’s character in “The Untouchables.” He’s dying in the arms of Eliot Ness, his final words to Ness are, “What are you prepared to do about it?
Nehemiah had fallen into prayer in the Fall, now it is time to spring into action in the Spring. God gave him a plan, and he would go on with the help of his fellow countrymen to get the job done.
My challenge to you is to fall into prayer this Fall. Maybe you need to fall back into prayer. It’ll be like sowing a crop of winter wheat. You won’t know what you’re going to get until Spring. There will always be things you can’t do, but you can pray. Who knows, maybe you, like Nehemiah, are the answer to your prayers.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(NKJV) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Fall into prayer and get ready to spring into action!
Pastor Rick Borgman