Stephen spoke last night from Eph 6:18 about how prayer is our essential kitbag. He likes collecting new tools, but tools ideally need to be stored safely.

When we store things, we can use different kinds of bag: a paper bag, for example (but then when it rains, the bag disintegrates and the contents are no longer protected) or a plastic bag (more resilient than a paper bag, but only able to support a certain weight.) A kitbag needs to be strong, like the ones issued by the army, and durable, able to carry heavy loads.

The tools we need for the Christian life are many and varied, often listed as the ‘armour of God‘ in Eph 6:12-18. Prayer is the vital carrier of victory in all situations, however; an essential and integral part of our lives. There can be many stumbling-blocks to prayer, however:

1) Our lives can be so busy and chaotic that we struggle to find time to pray. Often we are trying to solve problems ourselves and putting all our time and energy into that, rather than praying about these situations.

2) Sometimes our hearts are cold and we are discouraged because when we pray, our thoughts wander or we do not have the right words. Often, we do not know what to pray for or how we should pray: we wish God would just tell us what to do rather than leaving us to pray through the many complex decisions of life! We may wonder if we are praying with an open mind or weighing the options accurately. The good news is that when we do not know what to pray for or how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will. (Rom 8:26-27) He helps us in our weaknesses and helps us to persevere.

Prayer is the place where we reveal our hearts to God and allow Him to speak into situations and direct our lives. It’s the absolute essential of our everyday living and must be nurtured if we are to grow spiritually.

The ‘speaking and listening’ components in language exams are vital for a developing understanding of language. Long before we learn to read and write, we learn to listen and speak. When we learn a foreign language, we often try to simulate situations which are going to happen in real life and prepare students for conversation. Such role plays may focus on going to a shop to buy something or what to say when trying to reserve accommodation at a hotel, for example.

The problem we face is that conversation is spontaneous and cannot be meticulously rehearsed. If you go into a boulangerie in France to buy your baguette and the shop has run out of baguettes, the helpful assistant will try to offer something else to you… but if you have only learned your set phrase and standard reply, that will not help you to participate in further conversation! Similarly, we often try to prepare for conversations in the real world by rehearsing what we are going to say and imagining how the other person will respond… only to find our carefully practised dialogues disappearing as the other person responds in a completely unexpected fashion.

So often, real-life conversations (with people and with God) look either like this:

… or like this:

We are often much better at speaking than we are at listening. Often, when we listen, we hear something other than what the person has said: our own ideas, preconceptions, upbringing and temperament can shape what we hear far beyond the actual words that are said. Tone of voice, facial expressions, body language all contribute to conversation.

When it comes to prayer, we need to be real with God and speak honestly with Him, but we also need to listen for that gentle whisper, that inner nudge, the voice of the Shepherd leading His sheep. Everyday prayer has to have both these elements of speaking and listening, of hearing God’s voice and responding to that voice. Our part is to come regularly and honestly before God, setting time aside, realising that if we do not make this our habit, it will not happen accidentally of its own accord. Our part is to sit in His presence, not rushing away, listening carefully for the gentle whisper as well as the rap on the knuckles! God is eager to speak with us and to walk with us, even as He did with Adam in the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden. Our part is to come before Him daily: on our own, with others, praying in the Spirit on all occasions (Eph 6:18) and praying continually. (1 Thess 5:17)

This morning’s sermon looked at the topic of everyday prayer by examining Jeremiah’s prayer in Jer 15:15-21. Prayer is something that we need to do on a daily basis if we are to grow spiritually, but so often, we procrastinate, feeling we don’t have the time or space to devote to prayer and also sometimes feeling that our prayers are not answered or we are not sure how to pray. Jesus clearly demonstrates the importance of prayer to us by His own prayer life (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:16, Mark 9:51). He gave the disciples a template for prayer (Matt 6:9-15) and reminded them of the need for perseverance and persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1). Sometimes, however, we feel we can daunted rather than encouraged by this example!

The best way to learn to pray is by actually praying. Each one of us will pray differently, for we are all individuals and prayer is about an ongoing relationship with God. Jeremiah’s prayers can teach us many things.  Firstly, he prays directly to God: ‘Lord, You understand.’ (Jer 15:15) Eugene Peterson says ‘Prayer is the act in which we approach God as living person, a thou to whom we speak, not an it that we talk about.’ (‘Run With the Horses’ P 95) It can be easier to talk about God or to talk about prayer than to actually pray. Jeremiah is in a difficult situation, facing many enemies and feeling discouraged and lonely. He talks to God with brutal honesty, telling him how he feels. When we pray, our disappointments and hurt are laid bare before God: even our disappointment at times with Him. (‘You are to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails.’ (Jer 15:18)) Jeremiah understands that not only do we all go through these difficult times in life, we can pray to God directly about these things when we are going through those difficult times. ‘Everything he experienced and thought he set in a relationship with a living, knowing, saving God.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Run With the Horses’ P 101)

Jeremiah’s prayer shows us that prayer is a conversation, a dialogue not a monologue, for God answers him. Initially, the answers are not what Jeremiah wants to hear: God calls him to repent and to re-establish priorities. Having given us the total freedom to say whatever we like – which we may do tentatively, fearfully, boldly, angrily or in confusion, depending on our circumstances and our personalities – God is free to say whatever He likes in return and prayer is the place where priorities are re-established. Jeremiah is reminded of the need to speak worthy, not worthless, words and to influence people for good, rather than being overwhelmed by evil. (see Rom 12:21) We are called to take a stand for God and to be prepared to stand out from the crowd, to be salt and light in the world, to let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt 5:16), to shine like stars in the universe as we hold firmly to the word of truth. (Phil 2:15-16)

After God’s word of rebuke and His reminder of changed perspective and renewed priorities, He also reminds Jeremiah of the promises He has previously made to him. (Jer 15:20-21) We need constantly to be reminded of the things God has promised us (see Jer 1:18-19, 2 Cor 1:20) and challenged to hold on to these promises, confident that God will do for us what seems impossible in the natural. Everyday prayer involves the need to be engaged in daily conversation with God: conversation where we speak honestly to God and we listen attentively for His replies.

Last night’s ‘Churches Together’ meeting, attended by members of Goldthorpe Parish Church, Goldthorpe Salvation Army, Furlong Road Methodist Church and Great Houghton Methodist Church as well as GPCC members, looked at the topic of mission and how whole-life discipleship is needed if we are to fulfil Jesus’s Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20. We need to see that there is no such thing as a sacred/ secular divide, for as Mark Greene explains in this DVD clip, God is interested in every part of our lives and our influence in society is not restricted to the times we spend together in church gatherings or doing church events.

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a woman baking bread, using yeast. (Matt 13:33) Dave kindly baked two loaves for us, made with exactly the same ingredients except one used yeast and one didn’t. One was flat; the other, more than three times the size of the unleavened loaf. As God works in us by His Spirit to motivate, demonstrate love and inspire creative ways to serve Him, our influence can be transformation to our local communities. The same power which raised Christ from the dead works in us too! (Eph 1:19-21)

We spent time identifying our spheres of contact, those places where we go regularly and meet people, sometimes briefly, sometimes regularly (as in the context of work or neighbours, for example) and realising that we can pray for these people and for opportunities to be Christ to them. We also enjoyed an activity involving jigsaws, when we realised that if any of the pieces are missing, the picture will be incomplete… just as we are all needed in God’s service for His mission to be completed.

Here are the completed jigsaws:

We concluded the service by sharing Holy Communion together, celebrating Christ’s death and resurrection and sharing in this act of remembrance together as a sign of our unity. Christ’s power, available to us through this sacrament, is able to transform us and make us salt and light in our community and we pray God will use each one of us to make disciples.

After the service, we enjoyed good food as always – many thanks to all who provided refreshments for us to enjoy!

Don’t forget the ‘Churches Together’ meeting this Saturday evening, starting at our church at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. These meetings are a great opportunity to meet Christians from other local churches and to explore the many different strands of Christianity as well as showing us the common purposes of our faith: growing in grace and our knowledge of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and witnessing to His transforming power and unifying love. Tonight we’ll be looking at whole-life discipleship: how being a Christian affects every area of our lives and how we can be salt and light in our local communities.

The next ‘Churches Together’ meeting will be a joint community carol service at the parish church on Saturday 6th December, starting at 6 p.m. This will be a great time of witness and fellowship, so put this date in your diaries as well!

Other events where you can join with other Christians include the BigChurchNightIn which will be at Huddersfield Christian Fellowship (Cathedral House) on Saturday 15th November featuring worship led by Rend Collective and Phil Wickham. Doors open at 6.30 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start. If you want to know more about this, watch the promotional video here. Tickets cost £15 for this event and can be ordered online here.

October promises to be a good month for new worship albums! Chris Tomlin’s new album ‘Love Ran Red’ is released at the end of October and here’s a preview of one of the songs called ‘Jesus Loves Me‘:

‘Jesus, He loves me, He loves me, He is for me. He holds the stars and He holds my heart with healing hands that bear the scars.’

We need constantly to dwell on the reality of the cross and all it shows us of God’s love for us. The title song Love Ran Red (At the Cross) continues this theme:

‘There’s a place where mercy reigns and never dies,
There’s a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide.
Where all the love I’ve ever found,
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.’

October also sees the release of Aaron Shust’s Christmas album ‘Unto Us‘, recorded in the Czech Republic with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, and Worship Central complete the trio with the release of their live album ‘Set Apart’ on 26th October. Their first single ‘The Way‘ can be heard here.

I need to start saving…!