Friends, we just wrapped up our 10 Days of Prayer on Saturday and that time should have encouraged our hearts to “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The Bible mentions prayer over 650 times and so let’s recall what has transpired over the last couple of weeks surrounding the 10 Days of Prayer. I agree with Pastor Mary that this is a time we all must enlarge our theology, faith, confession, and understanding of God, as Jesus leads the way, and prayer should be at the center of it all.
Thursday, September 26, 2024 –
It was a week prior to the start of the 10 Days of Prayer, and it was also the day that Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. It was the perfect prayer motivator for all believers to “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” – Colossians 4:2
The 10 Days of Prayer –
It was 10 days – 100 cities – 50 countries – who all came together to form 1 global upper room. We will talk about the “upper room” later. So, our 10 Days of Prayer began on Wed, Oct 2nd which also began the Jewish high holiday period. Rosh Hashanah (or the Day of Trumpets) began on the evening of Oct 2nd and it is the first of the ten-day period which God’s people enter into a time of self-examination and repentance, known as the Ten Days of Awe (or Ten Days of Repentance), in other words they pray throughout the 10 days. This period concludes on the evening of Oct 12th with Yom Kippur (or the Day of Atonement), a time when God’s people abandon everything to purse God and His heart. There is typically fasting and extended prayer. “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 –
One week into the Jewish high holiday period, one week into our 10 Days of Prayer, and almost two weeks after Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida. Matthew tells us that God cares about our heart, He does not care about fancy words or public displays of good deeds, or the consumerism of this world, God longs for us to cry out to His Holy Name and to build His Kingdom here on earth, NOW, in preparation for the time when Jesus will return, which seems to be soon, and so that each of us is ready to spend eternity with Jesus. – Pray The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-14
The “Upper Room” and the “Global Upper Room” –
If you recall, in Acts 1, after Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples are together for 10 days in the “upper room”, and through prayer, worship, fasting, and repentance, they were all in one accord, and as the Father promised – 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out onto them and the Church was born.
What began in that upper room, over 2,000 years ago, with 120 believers is now a global upper room with 2.4 billion Christian believers (which includes you and me). As the global Church we embody every nation, from every tribe, and included is every language. Our time of prayer did not end on Saturday night, no we have every reason to pray, worship, fast, and repent, EVERY DAY, and especially on the heels of these hurricanes.
I don’t know about you, but the prophetic messaging through the Apostle John that Jesus gives to His entire Church in the book of Revelation stirs within my heart and makes me realize that I must be spiritually ready for Jesus’s return. To quote Pastor Mary, “This life we now live is about the Revelation of Jesus!” It is as simple as that, and today’s passage should make you and I want to be a part of the Great Crowd.
Revelation 7:9-17 (NLT)
Praise from the Great Crowd
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for making it very clear throughout Your Word, that we are to commune with You all of the time in prayer. Help us, Holy Spirit, to be better prayer warriors, who trust You with every aspect of our lives and with the lives of our loved ones. Help us to grow close with You and to deepen our understanding of Who You are through Your Word every single day. We want to be ready when You return, Jesus. We continue to pray for all who have been impacted by hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Please continue to restore power and hearts, rebuild homes and broken spirits, repair damages and relationships with You and with loved ones. Thank You for bringing people together to help one another. Strengthen the linesmen, the workers, and all who are a part of restoring our communities. May hearts grow closer to You, Jesus, through these difficult times. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.