Participants:
Series Code: PHTDP
Program Code: PHTDP200012S
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00:15 Hi, and welcome to Day 2 of 10 Days of Prayer.
00:18 My friend Donald Owen is joining me today. 00:21 He serves in the pastoral department 00:23 at 3ABN, and it's a pleasure to have him. 00:26 He and I are here to remind you to pause to pray. 00:30 In Ephesians 3:18, the Apostle Paul prayed 00:33 that we might be able to comprehend 00:35 how wide and long and high and how deep 00:39 is the love of Christ. 00:41 But how can we experience the fullness of God's love? 00:45 Well, in Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul prays 00:47 that we would be spiritually energized 00:49 by the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:51 Imagine yourself being plugged in to the Holy Spirit 00:55 as your power source, energized. 00:58 The result is that we experience 00:59 the fullness of God's love. 01:02 He gives us the power to grasp how wide and long and high 01:06 and how deep is the love of Christ. 01:09 But is it really humanly possible to fully grasp 01:14 the love, 01:15 because His love always stays a step ahead of us. 01:19 Well, in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, 01:22 we hear the full story of salvation, 01:24 the repentance and confession of the sinner, 01:27 the father who longingly waits, 01:29 and the joyous welcome when he returned. 01:32 As the son went back to his father, 01:34 so we too can return to the unconditional love 01:37 of our Heavenly Father, 01:39 He will not fail to welcome you. 01:41 Only when the son returned, 01:43 could the father pour out all his love. 01:45 Only then was the son open to receiving 01:48 all that his father wanted to offer. 01:50 At last, nothing stood in the way 01:53 of their intimate relationship, 01:54 and the son could experience 01:56 the complete goodness of his father, 01:58 who had never stopped waiting for him 02:00 all along. 02:02 We experienced the complete fullness of God's love, 02:05 only by living in full daily surrender to Christ, 02:08 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 02:11 And when God's love fills our lives, 02:14 we become channels of His love to others. 02:17 The more we give, the more we receive. 02:20 And today, I encourage you to plug into Christ, 02:23 and let His love dwell in you. 02:35 How deep the Father's love for us 02:41 How vast beyond all measure 02:46 That He should give His only Son 02:52 To make a wretch His treasure 02:58 How great the pain of searing loss 03:03 The Father turns His face away 03:10 As wounds which mar the Chosen One 03:15 Bring many sons 03:18 To glory 03:24 Donald, when I think of the love of Christ, 03:27 that He would give His life, the love of God, 03:30 that He would give His Son. 03:33 And then when Christ left 03:35 the love that He had to want to continue 03:41 our walk with Him, and He knew that he, 03:44 you know, to do it individually, 03:46 there would be no way He could go around the world 03:49 and meet each person individually. 03:51 So He sent the Holy Spirit. 03:52 Amen. 03:54 So I love that He left the Holy Spirit 03:57 to speak to us daily. 04:00 And I love that we have that privilege, 04:02 that opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. 04:06 So I welcome you, Donald, 04:10 to just jump in and begin to pray. 04:14 Sure. 04:15 And let's just... Have a word of prayer. 04:17 Have a word of prayer. That's good. 04:19 Our Heavenly Father we are, as Tim says, so thankful. 04:23 What an amazing gift that You have given us, 04:26 the precious life of Your Son in our place. 04:30 But more than that, 04:32 You've poured out even a greater gift. 04:34 That is the gift of Your love in that, 04:37 I guess I'll say it the Godhead. 04:38 All three of you are working 04:40 for the advancement of humanity. 04:43 The Holy Spirit, Lord, You send to comfort us, 04:46 to guide us, to direct us, to lead us 04:48 into those gates one day soon, 04:50 and where we can have that rest and assurance that blessed hope 04:54 that we will one day, Lord, see You face to face. 04:56 Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit for guiding us, 04:59 for directing us and for helping us, 05:01 Lord, to conquer that 05:03 which we cannot conquer of ourselves 05:05 that you can conquer through us. 05:07 We ask that You'll guide each one 05:08 that's viewing this program, listening to it, Lord, 05:11 that You'll prompt their hearts 05:13 to realize who they are 05:14 and how precious they are in Your sight 05:15 and how You've called them and chosen them, 05:18 how You are going to pour all Your Spirit in them, 05:21 Your Word in Matthew 5:6 says, 05:23 "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst 05:24 after righteousness, for they shall be filled." 05:27 We're hungering and thirsting after Christ 05:29 and you will fill us with Your Holy Spirit. 05:30 We thank You, Lord, we ask this in Jesus' name. 05:33 Amen. Wow. 05:35 Thank you, Lord. 05:38 We have so many people. 05:39 And I know You know, all too well, 05:41 from working in pastoral, the calls that you receive, 05:45 the needs, we are a needy people. 05:49 But we serve a mighty God who is able, 05:52 and willing and loving and caring, and He delights 05:56 in giving good gifts to His children, 05:58 gifts of healing, gifts of blessings. 06:02 So we are grateful, oh God, for Your goodness. 06:05 I want to just read some requests, 06:08 and I'll hand it back to you. 06:12 A viewer writes in and says, 06:14 "Please pray that God will end a destructive relationship 06:17 in my daughter's life." 06:20 Oh Lord, I pray that You would give us wisdom 06:24 to see the dangers of being connected with people 06:29 who are not necessarily they're not good for us. 06:36 But, Father, even then I pray that You will give us the heart 06:40 and the compassion to pray for them. 06:45 But, Lord, I pray that sometimes we have a mentality 06:49 that we can make it work, we can be the exception, God. 06:56 Sometimes love is a blind thing. 06:59 And it thinks that it can do more than it really can. 07:01 But, Lord, above all, 07:03 we ask God that You would touch this relationship 07:06 in this mother who sees her daughter 07:08 in a situation that she's despairing. 07:14 So, God, I pray that You would truly touch 07:16 all of our relationships. 07:17 Fill us with love for each other, 07:19 in our relationships, in our marriages, 07:21 in our work relationships, God make things right 07:24 that we've allowed things to get in between us, 07:30 even, again with our co-workers, Lord. 07:35 There's so many 07:37 when we are relating to each other, 07:39 that is the, one of the greatest things 07:41 that we have in life. 07:44 So, Lord, we want purity and wholeness 07:47 in our relationships. 07:53 How about you? 07:55 I'm just thinking about 07:56 all the stress in this world right now. 07:59 A lot of people are stressed, a lot of people are angry. 08:03 And I'm thinking about this concept of God's love 08:05 and it's the antidote for anger. 08:09 Right. 08:11 And so I guess I'll, I'd like to lift up the Lord in prayer. 08:13 Amen. Yeah. 08:15 Heavenly Father, you know, this world can press us down. 08:19 It can shake us. 08:21 It can try to break us. 08:24 But Your love, Lord. 08:25 Your love is strong. 08:27 It says a three-fold cord is not easily broken. 08:29 Psalm 46:10 says, 08:31 "Be still and know that I am God." 08:32 How do we know you? 08:34 We're so immersed in anger and confusion. 08:38 We can cry out to you and cry help 08:40 just like Peter did, help save me. 08:42 We can cry out to You, Lord, 08:44 You will be there at a moment's notice just quickly there. 08:45 So we ask, Lord, for those who are struggling right now 08:48 with the concept of love, maybe don't feel love, 08:50 maybe don't know what love is or see the concept. 08:53 It's a broken, jaded word, 08:55 this word "love" now in this world, 08:56 but when we read Your word "love," 08:58 we see a different picture. 09:00 So, Lord, I ask that You'll guide 09:01 and direct those that are in these relationships, 09:04 these hurts, these pains, these anger, 09:06 that You'll touch and mend their souls 09:08 with the love of Christ, 09:10 we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 09:13 Someone writes in and says, 09:15 "Please pray for my protection and safety 09:17 as I work in the Lord's vineyard." 09:20 Lord, we know that You have chosen 09:23 and called men and women to be missionaries, 09:26 and pastors and teachers, 09:32 Father, to proclaim Your Word. 09:35 And we thank You for the wisdom that You give these people 09:40 that have committed their lives to You to studying Your Word 09:42 and to seeking out Your heart and the answers. 09:47 God, I pray that You will protect them, 09:50 that You will grant them favor. 09:53 Grant them favor with the people 09:54 that they are the missionaries, Lord, 09:56 the people that they are ministering to. 10:02 Oh God, I just ask that You will touch hearts 10:06 and use these men and women, 10:09 protect them from persecution. 10:15 Father God, have Your holy way in Jesus' name. 10:21 This one writes, "Prayer for my grandchildren 10:23 who grew up in a church but have departed 10:25 and want nothing to do with God." 10:29 Yeah, I think about that is sad. 10:31 I know, as a parent, I'm not a parent. 10:32 But as a parent, I can only imagine 10:34 that when you see your children 10:36 straying away from something that can heal you, 10:37 that can touch you, that can help you have hope. 10:40 It's got to be heart wrenching. 10:42 So, Heavenly Father, 10:43 we just want to lift up this family before You today. 10:47 You know, the sadness, what will come that day 10:50 when we look outside that city, that New Jerusalem, 10:52 when we see our loved ones 10:53 who declined to take that invitation. 10:57 They declined it, Lord. 10:59 And now they're sitting outside wishing they could get in, 11:03 wishing that they had made that choice. 11:06 Lord, it's a season of regret. 11:08 And if we just make that choice now, 11:10 today is a day of salvation. 11:12 "If you hear my voice, hard not your hearts," 11:14 I'm asking, Lord, they want to harden their hearts. 11:16 But they'll listen to that invitation. 11:18 And that that those lost souls, lost sheep, 11:22 Lord, will be added into Your fold. 11:23 We thank You, Lord, and ask in Jesus' name, amen. 11:28 There are people who are in need of work. 11:35 People who are struggling financially. 11:41 Father, we thank You that You are the great provider. 11:47 Lord, I know that You are able to pair up a job with a worker. 11:53 And thank You that You care that You provide 11:57 all of our needs according to Your riches and glory, 11:59 we know that You own it all. 12:04 So, God, I pray that You will open the door, 12:08 that You will make it obvious... 12:12 for that person to walk through and grant them favor 12:16 with their employer that would increase their pay. 12:22 And, Lord, above all, 12:25 I ask that You will grant us good stewardship, 12:28 that we would be faithful with the money 12:30 and the blessings that You give us 12:33 that we would be givers. 12:37 Lord, I love the way Your kingdom works. 12:40 Wow. 12:41 Amen. 12:42 One more prayer? 12:44 Yes. 12:45 Lord, I'm just asking this person writes, 12:47 pray for those with severe depression. 12:49 How many right now, Lord, do we see 12:52 on this environment we're in today. 12:55 Our lost, Lord, are struggling to make ends meet. 13:00 Don't know where the money is coming from, 13:01 don't know how to put food on the table, 13:02 don't know if they can even pay rent 13:05 or afford to live in a house 13:06 they've made a nest or a home and, Lord, 13:10 You've told us that You will provide. 13:12 I think of this scripture in Psalm 103:3, 13:15 it says, "You forgiveth all our iniquities, 13:17 You healeth all our diseases." 13:19 And that, You can heal our mental anguish. 13:21 You can strengthen our resolve. 13:23 You can help buoy us up 13:25 in this time of uncertainty and darkness. 13:28 That when we look to Jesus, 13:29 we see the light and that light is in Your Son 13:32 who can give us that strength to keep pressing forward, 13:35 and we thank You and ask this in Jesus' name. 13:37 Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus. 13:39 Thank you for joining us. 13:41 Come back for Day 3 tomorrow, keeping a spirit of prayer. |
Revised 2021-01-22