PM - Article: Prayer...an Act of Dependence

Prayer...an Act of Dependence
By Steve Schwartz

In his classic book entitled Prayer, O. Hallesby writes "To pray is to give Jesus permission to employ His powers in the alleviation of our distress. To pray is to let Jesus glorify His name in the midst of our needs." Ultimately, prayer is about acknowledging our helplessness. O. Hallesby goes on to say, "Only he who is helpless can truly pray."

Prayer has always been a key element of what we do at Paxton Ministries. Through prayer, we as a ministry, acknowledge our weakness. We come before God’s throne in realization of our own frailty. In the face of God we recognize our need for His love in our hearts and His intervention in the situations that we face.

And as we come, we truly learn that God is good. He answers prayer. He heals the brokenhearted. He fulfills His promises. He is the lifter of our heads.

Once again we are reminded that any true ministry that occurs comes from Jesus. We as a ministry and a community of believers are on a journey toward an ever-increasing dependence on God.

An Act of Intercession
One of our ministry goals is that "all current and future staff will testify to a personal faith in Jesus Christ and strive to depend on the Holy Spirit for strength, wisdom and guidance." Our staff meet daily to lift up our residents, our ministry needs, the needs of Paxton Ministries supporters that we may be aware of and to support fellow staff members in prayer.

And we are not alone on this journey. Many of our friends and supporters pray for us on a regular basis using the prayer requests listed in this newsletter. And a small group of committed intercessors, 51 to be exact, receive our monthly prayer newsletter In The Gap which more specifically details our prayer needs, praises and gives other insights into the spiritual life of Paxton Ministries. Do you feel led to join our circle of prayer partners on this grand journey in prayer? If so, contact John Gill at jgill@paxtonmin.org or (717) 236-5508 and we'll see that you are added to this group.

An Act of Compassion
Prayer for the needs of others flows out of a heart of compassion. Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, "If we genuinely love people, we desire for them far more than it is within our power to give, and that will cause us to pray."

We can’t heal the hurt that many of our residents have endured in their life due to abuse, neglect, or institutionalization, but He empowers us to love each other. We can’t take away the pain and struggle that persons face on a daily basis due to their illness, but we can lift them to Jesus.

An Act of Diligence
And prayer isn’t always about dropping what we’re doing and getting on our hands and knees. Through out the day we whisper prayers as we pass someone in the halls of Paxton Street Home or as the Lord lays someone on our heart. Richard Foster adds, "We could change the atmosphere of a nation if thousands of us would constantly throw a cloak of prayer around everyone in our inner circle." Just think what prayer can do at Paxton Ministries! Foster goes on to say that as we pray, "We are working with God to determine the future! Certain things will happen in history if we pray rightly. We are to change the world by prayer. What more motivation do we need to learn this loftiest human exercise?" (ref. Exodus 32:14; Jonah 3:10)

An Act of Praise
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul challenges us to "pray without ceasing." (I Thess. 5:17) Then he goes on to remind us "in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thess. 5:18) As we pray without ceasing, we must continually thank God for answered prayer and for giving us a renewed life in Him.

As we do all of this, we individually and corporately see God moving in our midst and we praise Him, for without Him we truly are helpless. To God be the glory, great things He has done and continues to do in the lives of all His people at Paxton Ministries.

Three part series on the importance we place on the support we receive from the surrounding community:
Article #1: Giving...an Act of Worship
Article #2: Service...an Act of Obedience
Article #3: Prayer...an Act of Dependence

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