In this E-pistle:
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
SEVEN GIFTS THAT ARE EASY ON YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
JESUS IN THE NEWS
The church prayer list often includes the names of Park people and friends who are suffering brokenness of physical health. Such prayer is altogether appropriate for those who serve One who sent his followers to heal the sick (Luke 10:8-9). One of the great distinctives of the Christian faith is its insistence on the inherent worth of the human body, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). There are, of course, other kinds of brokenness that afflict us from time to time. So in addition to those whose broken physical health we bring before God, we also bring those surely known by God and maybe known by us who suffer a brokenness of:
Relationships: Family ties or friendships that have grown tense or may have snapped.
Will: The lure of or addiction to food, drink, drugs, gambling, sex, power or self-disdain that has overcome our ability to say “no†to that which harms us or “yes†to that which strengthens us.
Finances: The loss of employment, under-employment, catastrophic emergencies or poor decision making that has led to a sense of being overwhelmed by financial obligations.
Hope: Sometimes health, relationship, addiction, financial and other circumstances seem bigger than our ability to manage.
Let’s pray for broken people – perhaps ourselves – that they, like the Apostle Paul, might hear the voice of Christ saying, “My grace is sufficient for you.†(2 Corinthians 12:9)