prayer Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Artesian Ministries

Dear Pastor: Will You Forgive Us?

Posted on July 12, 2019July 11, 2019 by Donna Snow

Pastors have answered a high and difficult calling. There are few things that boil my blood faster or put my feet on a soap box quicker than when I hear God’s people hurling mean-spirited or spiteful comments at God-loving, servant-hearted pastors.

It gets ugly when sheep turn on their shepherds. And Satan, along with the world, watches. Smiling.

I love to intentionally encourage my pastors. When I see them at some mid-week church function, I am fully aware that they may have faced strenuous spiritual warfare. The enemy has likely lobbed a stream of fiery darts at them, whether it’s tough counseling sessions, disheartening church politics, or the death of a member.

It’s critical to convey to our pastors and pastor friends just how vital they are to God’s work and His church — to let these grace-filled men of faith know how much they, their families, and their ministries mean to so many.

So…to my pastors, all my pastor friends, and your beautiful families:

You embrace the calling to be crucified with Christ, yet sometimes we are the ones pounding in the nails.

Please forgive us.

You take up the cross of Christ without hesitation because it is not merely your day job–it’s your very calling, passion and purpose. Yet sometimes we watch from comfortable pews without lifting a finger as you stumble under that staggering weight alone.

Please forgive us.

You love us enough to sacrifice family time, shorten vacations and make yourself available 24-7-365. Yet when you need to unplug and allow God to recharge you, we haughtily demand your instantaneous appearance.

Please forgive us.

When life blindsides us with loss, relationship difficulties, health scares or financial burdens, you are the first to offer prayer and call in the posse to help. Yet when you need us, we wear busyness as a badge to dodge.

Please forgive us.

You willingly live in a glass house with our noses pressed against it, gracefully shouldering our smart aleck remarks and quick judgments. Yet when you lovingly ask us accountability questions, our self-righteous indignation could choke God Almighty.

Please forgive us.

But I want you to hear loud and clear: You are not expendable.

You are VITAL.
You are VALUABLE.
You are LOVED.

As you stand at the vanguard of deadly spiritual warfare, it’s an amazing privilege to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you on God’s battlefield. To heartily encourage you when you are weary. To follow where God calls you to lead.

THANK YOU for your integrity and tireless commitment.

Church, when was the last time you prayed for your pastor?

When We Need To Know Who We’re Praying To

Posted on May 25, 2017May 24, 2017 by Donna Snow

Whether it’s first thing in the morning, or before turning in for the night, prayer can be hard on some days.

Depending on our circumstances, some days we want God to be massive and huge. We need Him to take on our bullies and win with one hand behind His back.

Other days, we need Him close enough to catch our tears and hear painful words we can only whisper.

The good news is that He is both.

Simply looking at the universe confirms that God is far bigger than we can ever grasp. We live on a little blue globe that orbits in one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known universe.

In fact, Earth isn’t even the biggest deal in our own solar system next to Jupiter.

Yet Earth is the one privileged place where God chose to place His most precious creation: mankind.

We are the only things in ALL of creation made in His image.

Heaven’s expanse declares the size and glory of God. We cannot measure God with a tape measure, ruler or yard stick. In the economy of the universe, He is measured in light years. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second and one light year is 5.58 trillion miles.

Yet God didn’t even lift a finger to create the heavens and earth:

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6

Our God breathes stars and galaxies.

Yet in spite of God’s vastness, He chose to make us. Fragile, demanding, unruly, self-centered us.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God Himself.

Out of the seven billion people currently on Earth, no two are alike. For each person, God mapped out and wrote a brand new DNA code that had never before existed, nor will ever exist in the future. You and I are the definition of “custom made.”

Each of the 75 trillion cells in your body consists of a DNA that makes up unique, miraculous you.

You may not think that you are special, but you are a walking miracle.

God promised that for those who trust in Him, He will hold us in the palm of His hand and carry us all of the days of our life.

Even when we can’t fathom His bigness, even when we can’t feel His closeness, He promised us something incredible:

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

So when you’re facing your toughest day, your hardest trial, how do you know if God can hold you together?

Because He promised it.

He may not change your circumstances — He didn’t change them for Jesus — but He works in every circumstance to bring about good.

So as we pray, we are communicating with the universe-Maker who became mankind’s Savior.

The star breather who became our sin bearer.

And He holds you in the palm of His mighty hand …

… simply because of how much He loves you.

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