1,000 hours of prayer - my hour

Our church is in the middle of our 1,000 hours of prayer of which this morning was my hour.

We were provided with a prayer guide in which there was a specific time for adoration, confession, thanksgiving - each of these will have their own posts - and then... supplication.

I wrote out a list of friends that I was praying for and then a list of things to be praying for them. The commonalities were a bit overwhelming: for marriages to remain a living testimony of Christ and the church, for parents to raise their children in a God-honoring way, for wisdom in taking jobs (and trust in God when a job is lost), for strength in ministry to their families, friends, neighbors, and churches....

I couldn't help but pray for the other 5 people who were praying at the same time as I. That they would be encouraged as I was this morning, that their hearts would be drawn more to God, that their ministry in the area would be expanded by the Spirit's work in and through them....

Then we were asked to pray for ourselves, "that God would use your current circumstance
for the advance of the Gospel" (Phil. 1:12) Wow. In conversation with a friend the other day, we talked about how the gospel is not just for salvation, not just for those who don't yet know God. The gospel is for life! When I am struggling with a particular sin, I am pointed to the cross. When I am rejoicing in God's faithfulness, I am led to the cross.

Oh, that our lives would show the gospel in action and our lips speak the gospel with words.