40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 19

Focus: Light of the World
By Don Golden, IOC


Scripture Reference:
You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14a).

Devotional:

The Scriptures often use light as a metaphor for Christian living. Christ is pure white light, and we are commanded to become like Christ. Before we accept Christ into our lives, we are filled with darkness. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells us, and we become light bearers. The problem is that we, ourselves, block Christ’s light from illuminating the world.

I like to think of our sin and our human nature as concentric colored glass cylinders around the flame of pure light that is our Lord. Each of these cylinders represents sin or a human failing: pride, greed, covetousness, blasphemy, gluttony, lust …and the list goes on. Each one of these cylinders blocks some of Christ’s light from shining forth. We know that our witness is damaged by sinful acts, by swearing, by repeating a hurtful joke, by gossip, and by being insensitive to the needs of others. These sins are light blockers.

The Lord is gracious to gently (or perhaps, not so gently) convict us of our sins. We choose to ask for forgiveness and for strength to repent and God does a miracle. He removes the cylinder and smashes it with a smile. And the light we emit as His representatives becomes more nearly white and pure.

What color is your light? Are you ready to have it become more nearly white? Turn to Him and let Him purify your witness.

Prayer Points:

* Pray for the light of wisdom for Mercy Ships leaders.
* Pray for the light of salvation for our unsaved family members.
* Pray for the light of peace for Liberia, Africa and the world.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 18

Focus: Heaven’s View
By Richard Brewster, Anastasis

Scripture Reference:
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8).

Devotional:

When Jesus was here on earth, He came as fully man and fully God, as Paul writes in Colossians 1:19, “…God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.” He appeared on earth as a man and was condemned and killed as such. But from the heavenly prospective, it was God in all His glory that died on the cross that day!


As Malcolm Boyd says in To Enjoy Him Forever, “Jesus is…our perfectly beautiful One…our altogether lovely One.” And we know that He is the essence of purity and holiness! The hymn writer tells us that He is, “The lily of the valley, the bright morning star, the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.” David, in Psalm 27:4, says, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” Also Psalm 50:2 states, “From Zion, perfect in beauty, God…shines forth.”

So we can understand that when, in eternity, we come face to face with that One, we will see the most beautiful Being! As Paul explains at the end of 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Then we shall see face to face…then I shall know fully.”

But then we shall know that it was this altogether lovely One who was tortured and killed to atone for our sins! So now, instead of the man Jesus, picture the Calvary scene with that Being of absolute beauty, holiness, and purity, suffering and dying on the cross. Now we can’t look. It is too horrible!!

And yet, He will carry His scars through all eternity and this will be a reminder of what our sins have done. But, in a now unfathomable manner, these scars will enhance the beauty of our Lord. Praise His holy name!

Prayer Points:

* Pray that God will reveal His beauty to our souls.
* Pray that we will understand the price that Christ has paid to atone for our sins.
* Pray that God will increase our love for Him.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 17

Focus: The Kingdom
By Phil Astwood, Africa Mercy

Scripture Reference:
He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
(Acts 1:3).


Devotional:

The good news [Gospel] of the kingdom dominated the preaching, teaching and stories of Jesus. From the time He came out of His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:17; Luke 4:18-19) to the day He ascended to the throne of His Father.

The Jews, Muslims and sadly Christians at various times have sought to establish the kingdom of God by force. But our Father’s kingdom is not established in this way.

Jesus said “the kingdom of God is within YOU and the people of the kingdom have been running with the mandate that Jesus gave, to take the good news of the kingdom to every people group in the world. And further they seek to establish among the people, communities of the kingdom.


These communities are commonly known as the church, groups of believers sharing their lives, their possessions, their joy’s and sorrows, and loving and encouraging one another . . . loving and blessing and doing good to ALL people . . . even their enemies. The believers are becoming Jesus’s witnesses through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of their father, God the creator, and of Jesus . . . their Saviour, their Lord and their King.

These kingdom communities should be communities of shalom [wholeness] in a world that is broken; of peace, in a world that is violent, ravaged by anger hate and revenge; communities where love is the only rule and Biblical jubilee is the normal way of life. These communities should be living witnesses to all people that the kingdom of God is come among them. The citizens of the kingdom are not known by their race, occupation or possessions but by their love for each other (John13:35).

In the kingdom communities of Mercy Ships, let us continually pray: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth (in our communities), as it is in heaven.” I pray that Jesus will speak to us about the kingdom in these 40 days of prayer and fasting; that we may receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit, each one experiencing our own personal Pentecost. Let us continually be filled with His Spirit so that people will say of us, “God is really among you.” May we be a living revelation that the kingdom of God is here.

Prayer Points:

* Pray that the Kingdom of God will come in our lives.
* Pray for strength to help and encourage others.
* Pray for revelation concerning the Kingdom of God.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 16

Focus: Living in Expectation of the Kingdom of God
By Marion Kirkpatrick, IOC

Scripture Reference:
“There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.” Luke 23: 50-54(MSG.)

Devotional:

While reading thru the Gospels in preparation for this season of Resurrection, I came across an interesting note about Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was the man who boldly begged the body of Jesus from Pilate, prepared him for burial and placed him in his own tomb.

The Scriptures indicate that Joseph was a good and upright man, a disciple of Jesus and a respected member of the Sanhedrin who had not consented to their decision and action regarding the trial of Jesus.

What was it about this man whose actions are recorded in all four Gospels? The clue is found in Luke 23:52, “He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God.” Alert means that he was vigilant, attentive, conscious, sensitive and wide-awake in anticipation of the time when the Lord would ultimately reign and God’s will would be fulfilled. This expectation led him to take action in asking for and preparing the Lord’s body for burial. It was a personal thing. He wrapped it in linen, along with 75 pounds of “myrrh and aloes” and placed him in his own new tomb.

Jesus instructed his disciples to pray for the kingdom of God to come and that His will be done on earth “as it is in heaven.” In heaven there is no suffering such as we experience with people we serve in the developing nations. As we take personal action to serve on earth to alleviate the suffering, and as we pray that the Kingdom of God would come, are we living in expectation of it?
Do we really believe that time will come? Are we watching? Are we anxiously waiting? Do we envision that it will happen? That is ultimately what brings joy in our work and fulfillment in our calling. May we learn this simple truth from Joseph of Arimathea and live in “alert expectation of the Kingdom of God.”

Prayer Points:

* Pray that each one of us would experience a personal revival of “expectancy” of God’s Kingdom that is coming.

* Pray that we would seek to live and work in vigilant anticipation of God’s will being fulfilled on earth.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 15

Focus: What does it mean to finish well?
By Chris Guillebeau, Anastasis

Scripture Reference:

“I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” -Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)

Devotional:

On the Anastasis, our focus is on living for the present moment each day we are in Liberia.

This week, the Church Empowerment team is preparing to host our first-ever Church Leaders’ Conference in the interior of Liberia. For more than two years, pastors have asked over and over, “When can you leave Monrovia and work more upcountry?” The answer is, “Now we can.”


Thanks to our Community Development team, Royesville Central School now has a new roof. More importantly, it has a new community of students, teachers, and leaders. Can you imagine returning to primary school after being away for 12 years? That’s exactly what’s happening in Liberia right now.

More than 1,100 patients have received life-changing surgery since the ship’s arrival in March 2005. More than 550 more will be helped before we leave in May.

Finishing well means working hard, but it also means keeping our focus. With unlimited needs and limited resources, we also need God’s wisdom to make good decisions. For the next 90 days on the Anastasis, that’s what we’ll be doing – staying the course, straining to reach the end of the race, and finishing well.

Prayer Points:

* Pray for the crew of the Anastasis, that they will finish the race with joy, determined to leave a legacy of Rebuilding Hope in Liberia.

* Pray for the Church Leaders’ Conference being held from April 17-20 in Gbanga, about four hours from Monrovia. The theme of the conference is “The Church as a Change Agent in Society.”

* Pray for Liberians struggling without electricity, running water, or adequate sewage facilities. The new government has promised bright hope for the future, but the present situation is still dire.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 14

Focus: A Time of Testing
By David Baines, Africa Mercy.

Scripture Reference:
“…God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able…”
(1 Corinthians. 10:13).

Devotional:

Most school kids don’t like tests and examinations. Adults share this dislike, but whether we like it or not, our Lord tests us, and he tends to do this at some very crucial times.

Jesus was tested while in the wilderness, but it is more accurate to say that he underwent three major tests from Satan at the end of his forty days, when he was hungry and exhausted (Matthew 4:2-3).


Here in England, we have had nearly seven years of wanting and waiting for the Africa Mercy to finish refit. The crucial testing hits us now, and we could worry about sea-trials, deadlines, storage space, visas for crew members, furniture for my school, the commissioning, and so on. It’s truly a time of Lent - of testing.

But we worry only if we fail to trust God. He knows our needs and our future much better than we do, and we have all His promises written in Scripture. How did Jesus preface his responses to Satan? “It is written…”


We strive to trust, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, but being human we reach a degree of exhaustion at some point. A man’s reach always exceeds his grasp. We may enjoy an outreach that is fulfilling both physically and spiritually, but there is always much more remaining to be attempted. Our ‘out grasp’ will be far less than perfect, but the Lord is patient and understanding. He will surely place more value on our faithfulness than on any statistics similar to scores on a school examination.

Jesus is faithful. One of my favourite psalms states: “O taste and see how gracious the Lord is.”
And that is a taste allowed to us in the fasting season.

Prayer Points:

* Pray for faith strong enough to carry us through times of testing.

* Pray for a devotion to the written word of God.

* Pray for revelation that there is no place for worry when the Lord is in command.

* Pray that folk will see something of Jesus in us and in what we do.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2006 - Day 13

Focus: About My God
By Kay L. White, IOC


Scripture Reference:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” . . . (Exodus 3:14a).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).


Devotional:

IF EVERYTHING ABOUT MY GOD
I COULD TOTALLY UNDERSTAND,
I WOULD THEN HAVE TO BELIEVE
THAT HE BE NOT GOD BUT MAN.

Prayer Points:

* Pray that we would understand that our Father is all knowing.

* Pray that we would remember that Jesus does not make mistakes and that He will not make mistakes with me.

* Pray that we will never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit.

* Pray that we will no longer ask, “Why me? How come? Who knows?”, and that we will remember that only God is all knowing.