First Word for September 2024
I was overwhelmed by God's presence, His goodness, and His nearness this morning at our Tuesday 6AM prayer time. As Tommy Stanley led us in worship, we began to sing loudly and an awareness that God was with us was tangible. The ONE who calms the sea, the ONE who said, “Let there be light,” is with us, available to us. He has come near to us. He is touchable.
This all reminded me of Max Lucado’s book “God Came Near.” Please enjoy a few of the excerpts below….
“Many of the names in the Bible that refer to our Lord are nothing less than palatial and august: Son of God, The lamb of God, The Light of the World, The Resurrection and the Life, The Bright and Morning Star…
He was touchable, approachable, reachable. And, what’s more, he was ordinary. If he were here today, you probably wouldn’t notice him as he walked through a shopping mall. He wouldn’t turn heads by the clothes he wore or the jewelry he flashed…
‘Just call me Jesus,’ you can almost hear him say…
He would wrestle on the floor with your kids, doze on your couch, and cook steaks on your grill. He’d laugh at your jokes and tell a few of his own. And when you spoke, he’d listen to you as if he had all the time in eternity….
And one thing’s for sure, you’d invite him back…
There is not a hint of one person who was afraid to draw near him. There were those who mocked him. There were those who misunderstood him. There were those who revered him. But there was not one person who considered him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected…
Remember. It is man who creates the distance. It is Jesus who builds the bridge.”
We are gearing up for our week of prayer. We are a people who pray first and express our dependence on God. We have a God who invites us to come to him. What about you? Are you counting on your job, your intellect, your relationships, your good looks, or are you dependent upon the living God? In January we have a time of prayer and fasting, and in September we have a time of prayer and feasting. Would you join me and set aside the week of September 23rd for a time of prayer and feasting?
- John Privett
