empowering prayer: Pray courageously

Every day we are confronted with so much uncertainty and fear. It is easy to find ourselves unsettled about the events around us and unfortunately, the trouble is always layered and complicated. The international scene is a great example. The war in the Middle East continues to expand.  The tension with China has not decreased. The war between Russia and Ukraine remains constant. This may be of little concern for many people personally, but it is definitely “black noise” (as opposed to soothing “white noise”) in the background. This is only one layer of our lives and it is one that we can keep at a distance, but many other things are much closer to home. The economy, health, family, and emotional wellness are sources of burdens and heartaches in our lives. What are we to do? This backdrop has been the reason for our series Empowering Prayer. When we pray, it changes our hearts, minds, and circumstances. Even though our series will end this week with the sermon Pray Courageously, the power of prayer remains a resource for our lives. This week we turn to Matthew 9:12-22. This section is a series of events and encounters that may seem distant to prayer, but in this chapter, there are 3 miracles that Jesus does for people who had no other hope but God’s grace and power. In our verses, 2 of these people turn their faith into requests and prayer. In each instance, the tide of Jesus’s power and hope rises to dramatically transform people’s lives. This tide of power and hope is still rising for all of us. As we look closely at these words, we discern a path to pray courageously for God to touch us! Our prayer is that the rising tide of Jesus’s love and power will lift your heart and infuse your spirit with joyful hope as you read Matthew 9:12-22.

Matthew 9:12-22 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. ¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” ¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. ²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” ²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (NIV)