We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.
‘Adoration’
Revelation 4:8-11; “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Living on this side of Heaven should open our eyes, ears, nose, mouth and heart to the awesome things we are blessed with to immerse ourselves in…in November. Living in Central Illinois I can watch the changes of seasons with a positive attitude or just sit and have a pity party complaining about the leaves dropping as fast as the temperature. Time out. Let the silence of a few moments collect and redirect your thoughts to all that our Awesome God has done and will accomplish through your life.
A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Triune God.
· Think about the provisions, protection, hope and love that surround you because of His unfailing love for you.
· Try to grasp the immense work that our Creator has and is doing in the lives of each Haitian child who are to walking to their Christian school this month and are receiving daily manna from Heaven.
· Consider how our God is using your daily energies.
‘Confession’
1 John 1:9; “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve.
God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured. He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him. He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint. Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you. He lived for you and died for you. Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.
· A time of personal confession.
Our sins are placed at the base of the Calvary cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.
‘Thanksgiving’
I was reading the recent newsletter from Trinity/HOPE and the article with the title “Joy” by Ari Rathke brought me to take an inventory of everything around me as I sat considered all of the ‘comforts’ that I now have here in Illinois and didn’t have while living in Petionville, Haiti. Ari is wise beyond her youthful years; she gets it. Beginning to understand how Haitian people with literally nothing have “joy” because of Jesus...Ari gets it.
Psalm 107:1; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”
· We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit and for Your continued blessings in our lives.
· We give thanks for the safe travel of Mission team members.
· We give thanks for this school year and the many students who will learn about Jesus, be filled with ‘JOY’ and receive a daily meal from Trinity/HOPE.
· We give you thanks for our providence and as we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide because of You.
· We give You thanks for many donors with the Matthew 25 Project and for the many more children that are being blessed each day.
‘Supplications’
“Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant, we pray, that we might be grounded and settled in Your truth by the coming of Your Holy Spirit in our hearts. What we do not know, reveal to us; what is lacking within us, make complete; what we do know, confirm in us; and keep us blameless in Your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Clement, c. 35–99, served as bishop in Rome after the apostle Peter.)
This month we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. which translates into another holiday, big meal, football, a reason to shop until you drop and being around family. On my first Thanksgiving while living in Haiti it became evident that our holiday didn’t appear on the Haitian calendar. A few of the Haitians that I worked with asked me to prepare a ‘typical’ thanksgiving meal on that Thursday for lunch. I bought a live chicken, some potatoes, green beans, milk and a loaf of French bread. I cleaned and baked the chicken, made mashed potatoes, chicken gravy and green beans. My friends had never eaten chicken gravy so the meal prep also served as a cooking class. We had a wonderful meal and talked about all that we were thankful for; family, friends and Jesus.
Heavenly Father, please hear our requests;
· Heavenly Father, please provide safe travel for Haitian pastors who will be coming to the U.S. for Trinity/HOPE events this month.
· Lord Jesus, cause Your Haitian children to be strong, courageous and faithful in their witness.
· May the fires started by the cooks scorch the lies of the vodou priests and bring those who still cling to those lies to the foot of the cross seeking Your favor.
· Heavenly Father, please bless new donors unknown to us but who are out there ready to help to feed Haitian children through the Matthew 25 Project.
· Father, provide teams with Trinity/HOPE who oversee the monthly records from Haitian schools abundant joy as they serve you in this way.
· Holy Spirit, please comfort the family of Pastor Darrell Stuehrenberg as they mourn his passing last week and uplift their spirits as they rejoice in his victory with Jesus.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,
In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer