Day 1 of 40
10,015…
That’s the number given out this past Sunday at church. It’s the number of families that live in Anthem, Arizona – a planned community located about 10 miles north of Phoenix. It also happens to be where the church that my wife and I attend is located – Canyon Church of Christ. It is the number of people that most of our church members are going to be praying for over the next 40 days, beginning today. I was so excited to get this started this morning I woke up like a kid on Christmas morning. I can’t believe the enthusiasm I have for this – it’s great!
I am going to be praying for 100 individual families and my wife is going to be praying for an additional 100 individual families. That’s 200 families that we are going to be praying for over the next 40 days. That’s roughly 8,000 prayers offered up collectively. And that’s just two people praying – that’s amazing. But what is even more phenomenal is that praying for the entire community over the next 40 days comes out to be about 400,600 prayers – one per individual household. What a daunting task. But, as Jesus himself said, "Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23).
Although I do find it quite clever and well planned that we have begun our 40 Days of Prayer on the Roman Catholic observed “All-Saints-Day” and that it ends the day before our church Christmas party which is going to be held at the Anthem Community Center. I’m not sure how much of that was planned or coincidental. I’m going with the “planned” angle because I would like to believe that we really were thoughtful and determined when we went about this, that there was a greater vision than just the prayer and that this community follow-up was part of that vision.
Well – here is hoping that our prayers are not in vain and that God will make in tremendous difference, not in just our prayer life, but most importantly in the life’s of those for whom we are praying on behalf of.
That’s the number given out this past Sunday at church. It’s the number of families that live in Anthem, Arizona – a planned community located about 10 miles north of Phoenix. It also happens to be where the church that my wife and I attend is located – Canyon Church of Christ. It is the number of people that most of our church members are going to be praying for over the next 40 days, beginning today. I was so excited to get this started this morning I woke up like a kid on Christmas morning. I can’t believe the enthusiasm I have for this – it’s great!
I am going to be praying for 100 individual families and my wife is going to be praying for an additional 100 individual families. That’s 200 families that we are going to be praying for over the next 40 days. That’s roughly 8,000 prayers offered up collectively. And that’s just two people praying – that’s amazing. But what is even more phenomenal is that praying for the entire community over the next 40 days comes out to be about 400,600 prayers – one per individual household. What a daunting task. But, as Jesus himself said, "Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23).
Although I do find it quite clever and well planned that we have begun our 40 Days of Prayer on the Roman Catholic observed “All-Saints-Day” and that it ends the day before our church Christmas party which is going to be held at the Anthem Community Center. I’m not sure how much of that was planned or coincidental. I’m going with the “planned” angle because I would like to believe that we really were thoughtful and determined when we went about this, that there was a greater vision than just the prayer and that this community follow-up was part of that vision.
Well – here is hoping that our prayers are not in vain and that God will make in tremendous difference, not in just our prayer life, but most importantly in the life’s of those for whom we are praying on behalf of.
posted by Shawn White | 11/01/2005 07:58:00 AM
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