Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Hope Values 2 – Pray Continually!

Matthew 28v20 “I am with you always.”

Today we continue to look at our 5 “values” at Hope. Our values define our priorities in life and cause us to decide one course of action over another. Most organisations have good stated values, but some also actual live by another set of values: sometimes with disastrous consequences.

The second of our values is to “Pray Continually”. Prayer is firstly engaging with the presence of God, and secondly asking in faith that God will respond.

Prayer rests on the words, “I am with you always” in the great commission. It is generally considered rude to have a friend with you and never engage with them. And when we do engage, we are not engaging with someone remote, but as a friend alongside us (the Holy Spirit), as a loving Father, and  as the one who gave his life for me. This is an intense privilege, and as we engage with this wonderful God, our perspective changes.

It is on the basis of this friendship and acceptance that we then make requests. These requests are to express what is on our hearts and to seek his mercy and provision. By my requests, I acknowledge that God is all-able and I am not. Some feel that they should not bother God with small details of their life, but if God can be bothered to send his Son to the cross for me, then it seems reasonable that he loves to hear what is on our hearts and to respond accordingly.

So we make prayer an intense priority in our daily schedule, and we make prayer a high priority in our calendar as a church family. Afterall, we have been brought into the presence of God and we have been given a calling that only he can do.

Where is prayer on your priority list? Who else can you join with in prayer?

With love and blessing,

Roland