PLC’s prayer blog (week of May 13, 2013)

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” — Corrie ten Boom

• 1-Minute Devotional Thought:

Compare these two verses:

1 Peter 5:8   Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Revelation 5:5   Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered …   

What do you see?

2 lions!

The first lion is the devil. If you are not a Christian, then when this lion thinks of you, he sees a meal to devour; a soul to lead down with him to eternal judgment. If you are a Christian, he knows he has lost the ability to lead you to hell — for you are Christ’s own possession now. But, because he hates Christ, he will relentless seek to thwart your ability to live a life that brings praise to God. This lion … is the evil one.

The second lion is Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian, then when this lion thinks of you, He sees a soul to save — “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). If you are a Christian, He knows you have been redeemed from your sin by His precious blood and for His name’s sake. He knows that your salvation is secure because the Holy Spirit has sealed you for eternity and the Father guarantees that no one will snatch you out of His hand. This lion … is the righteous one.

Two lions, but one prevails over the other. The “stronger man” (Luke 11:21) defeats the weaker. The armies of heaven prevail over the army of the devil (Revelation 19). God’s champion prevails over the Philistine (1 Samuel 17).

In prayer, speak to the Lion of Judah … and hear His righteous roar!

• As citizens of the City of Man: Pray for your local school officials as they wrap up another year of education. Seek to know some of these people on a first-name basis. Pray for them.

• Pray for pro-life ministries throughout our land and the world. President Obama recently became the first President to address Planned Parenthood. And, on the eve of Mother’s Day, the White House tweeted this mockery:

Since when is “birth control” a synonym for “preventative care”? Babies are…disease? Pregnancy is…sickness?

Tweets expose worldview.

#HappyMothersDay does not belong on a tweet extolling the praises of government funded insurance programs which pay for abortion.

• Pray for the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) ministry taking place at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia — led by Chris Bowen:

Chris Bowen is a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., and a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. He moved to Kennesaw, Ga., in July of 2006 to start the ministry of RUF at Kennesaw State. In the spring of 2007, Chris met Jennifer Leck, which after a beautiful story of providence, grace, redemption and forgiveness were wed on July 11, 2009. This year is his sixth year as the RUF campus minister at Kennesaw State University. They are excited to begin their life together by serving students in Kennesaw.

• Using the new 2013 “watchlist” produced by Open Doors, we pray for the persecuted Christians of a different country each week.

Teachers/parents, consider this a great way to introduce geography into the weekly lessons. Show students where the nation is, then pray for Christians in that place.

This week we pray for the Christians of Libya, which ranks No. 17 on the watchlist:

During Gaddafi’s reign, the main source of persecution was the government and its secret services. Today opposition comes from the family, community and fanatical armed groups. But it is still forbidden to import Arabic Scriptures or to evangelize. There is no central government and the rule of law is absent, so Islamist extremist movements like the Salafists are able to perpetrate violence upon believers. Because of the civil unrest, 75 percent of expat Christians have left the country.

 PRAY

• For strength for persecuted Christians. They are forbidden from meeting together
• For a stable government that rules wisely and with justice
• Give thanks that Christian programs on TV, radio and the internet are generating growing interest in the Christian faith.

• Prayer for the nation – focusing this week on the state of Kansas.

• In 2013, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the emerging new Reformed body, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbytreians. You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations, missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog. (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ’s name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done.

• Prayers for the PCUSA: Pray for the presbyteries of the Northeast Synod: Newark, Newton, Northern New England, Northern New York, Palisades, Southern New England, Susquehanna Valley, Utica, West Jersey and Western New York.

Prayers for Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC): the Southeast (John Perry, stated clerk).

• Prayers for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): the churches of the Southern New England Presbytery.

• Prayers for ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

• Prayers for The Fellowship of Presbyterians.