March 3, 2014
“Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him. See that you go on growing in the Lord and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all He has done.”
Colossians 2:7 (TLB)
The Community Prayer Group
North, South, East and West, He called us to His side.
He tore down the barriers, bridged chasms deep and wide.
North, South, East and West, come sisters and abide.
He knits our hearts together and buries foolish pride.
Two or more gather together, each time we come to pray,
Lifting up His Holy name, seeking His will and way.
Seeking God for our city and for His Kingdom glory,
Asking His Spirit to rest on man, and impart the Gospel story.
Praying for strongholds to be broken, for captives to be set free;
Praying for the church to rest in His peace and unity.
North, South, East and West, sweet aroma our prayers arise,
Filling Heaven with our love and with our Kingdom eyes.
North, South, East and West, come sisters and abide
In Him, who calls us and keeps us, together by His side.
Love you in Jesus!
“Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 (TLB)
One of the greatest gifts and blessings the Lord God gives to His people is the gift of relationship. Ultimately, Our Father desires to have relationship and connection with us, in an intimate relationship of a friend and a Father…a Savior, the Absolute Truth which is anchor of Hope for our souls, for our lives.
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf…” Hebrews 6:19, 20
And In His great love, He has given to us relationships and fellowship with members of His body, The Church…and He has given to each believer a role to fulfill in His Kingdom work. And in these incredibly beautiful and challenging relationships, we are given the opportunity to “Live life together and to make contribution into the lives of those with whom we live. It is no accident that Mary went immediately to Elizabeth when she received the wonderful news about the up-coming birth of her son. God carves out the place in every heart that only He can fill…and He uses His body to minister to and to embrace its members in His righteous name….
“Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
And He uses His body to expand His Kingdom through the power of His Spirit. He uses His body and His Word as His Compass for the lives of believers. As our roots grow down into our Lord God and as our relationship is anchored in Him, we are instructed to draw nourishment from Him. The English word nourishment comes from the Greek word ‘epichoregeo’, which means to supply fully, abundantly-having nourishment ministered; the work of Christ as the Head of the Church His Body; the work of the Holy Spirit to nourish individually and collectively in the body.
Clearly, the nourishment is two-fold: It comes to us as individuals through relationship with Him, and it comes to us collectively through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the Body of Christ….together, in relationships, we grow and are nourished in the ways, and the will, and the grace, and the mercy, and the strength, and the power, and the presence of our Lord…as we operate in His unity….as His hands…His feet…His heart. As Jesus restored the broken-hearted Peter, He gave him the mandate to feed His Lambs…to tend His sheep…to feed His sheep…and we must do the same, through the Spirit as we
“Live Life together”.
I am blessed to sit at many tables of relationships…my family table…doing life with my husband, our children and their children, our extended family, our friends ,our employees, our church, its ministries reaching out and reaching into lives, and the Community Prayer Group.
This group was founded in the spring of 2009 in preparation for Anne Graham Lotz’s JUST GIVE ME JESUS! The city of Waco was ignited with hope and excitement as churches worked together to usher in the tremendous message of hope and renewal. Prayer groups immerged throughout the city and the surrounding areas. The Community Prayer Group was one of them and met originally at the McDonalds in Bellmead, then relocated to World Cup Café in the neighborhood of Mission Waco and continues to meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Women from area churches of different denominations meet together to pray. Prayers for the city, the nation, God’s Kingdom are lifted up…and the group prays for one another… “Living Life together.” Tragedies and triumphs have defined the life experiences within the group…but God’s faithfulness is always glorified and is always the pronounced message within the group. When asked by a friend what the cohesive and sustaining elements were for the prayer group, obviously the unity of spirit and the call to prayer were defining characteristics of the group…And the commitment to honor the Lord by committing ourselves to one another in friendship and as a model of the first church of the followers of Jesus Christ.
There is often a tendency for discouragement and detachment when people we care about are living in challenging circumstances, especially circumstances which cannot be easily fixed or rectified…For years, I lived my life as a “fixer”, but to no avail; God has shown me through the years, that He is the only One who mends, heals, and fixes broken people and each one of us needs the healing and the mending touch at times in our lives. I, we, are called to reach out and to reach in to the lives of people as we Live Life together, trusting and believing that our Almighty God is the author of life and of hope.
Had it not been for the planning of the great event in our city, the lives of many of the ladies in our prayer group would not have connected…But through the Hands of our Master, our lives were brought together and our lives have been enriched by pressing in and reaching in one another’s lives. Our needs are diverse…praying for restored health, for heart surgeries, for back surgeries, for wayward children, for jobs, for protection, for marriages, for husbands, for people who feel hopeless, for aging parents, for daily sustenance, for the breaking of strongholds…celebrating new life…celebrating home-going…Living Life together…
Each Christmas the group gathers small gifts for marginalized women who are desperate for the love of God and for loving hands to reach into their lives. The Elegant Ladies Haven provides resources for these women, meeting their physical needs while sharing God’s message of Hope and of His Extravagant Love with each one of them. A single mom and her elementary age son decorate the gift bags with beautiful creativity; this Christmas, over forty bags were distributed… Living Life together…
And many of the women have dire needs…some have created their dilemmas, others have fallen victim to circumstance beyond their control….But each one needs the loving and the healing hand of God on and in their lives. They need to know that their lives are valuable…and intentional.
The truth is that your life is valuable and intentional…and you are created by the Loving and Master-filled Hand of the great Author of Life…He absolutely adores you and blesses you and empowers and strengthens you and sustains and treasures you…He provides His presence in you and through His body, the Church…And each one of us has a choice whether we embrace His gift of relationships, fellowship, and community…Life works best when we do.
And so it is when we sit at tables of support with one another.
I am blessed to sit at many tables of relationships…
My family table…
Doing life with my husband, our children and their children,
Doing life with our extended family,
Doing life with our friends,
Doing life with our employees,
Doing life with Lake Hills Church and its ministries, reaching out and reaching into lives… Doing life with the Community Prayer Group.
My prayer is that each one of us will continue to “Live life together” because we are not made to be alone…when we isolate ourselves, we limit the nourishment that relationships provide, according to God’s plan and purpose. May we reach out and reach in to… No matter what the circumstances are in our lives, or the lives of others, life works best when we Live Life together.
“Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him…”
Colossians 2:7
You will be nourished through the roots of your relationship with Him, and through the power of the Holy Spirit as you Live Life together in His body, the church.
Love you in Jesus!
Abundant Joy,
