Friday, November 11, 2016

I feel constrained, based on our study of Malachi, to call on God’s people to seek God’s face in prayer in behalf of all those who are leaders in Christ’s church. They play such a critical role in the life and health of the church. They can’t lead others beyond where they are in their walk with God. If and when they fail, it impacts the church negatively in significant ways. This is seen throughout the book of Malachi and the whole Bible for that matter. We’ve seen this in our own lifetime to an appalling degree. Let me suggest the following prayer based on Malachi 2:2-7: “Father, thank You for giving Your servant/leaders in the church, life and peace. May they with thanksgiving revere You and stand in awe of all Your name represents. May they aspire always to give true instruction. May nothing false be found on their lips. Enable them to walk with You in peace and uprightness and may this result in their turning many from sin. Cause their communication to preserve knowledge and may this inspire others to seek instruction that would lead to a full and fruitful life of service. May they set their hearts to honor Your name in all they say and do. Encourage and enable them to walk, work and worship with divine clarity and a growing relationship with You as they live and serve amidst human ambiguity and ambivalence.” This is my prayer for myself. I covet your prayers for me as I seek to serve God. It would be a real encouragement to me to hear from you that you are praying for me.