Pray until it Rains...

Deuteronomy 4:7
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Psalm 5:2
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Jeremiah 42:3
Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."

Luke 18:1
[ The Parable of the Persistent Widow ] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Ephesians 3:16
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Ephesians 3:16-18

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:19
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

Pray Continually!

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray continually;

• Is prayer a priority in your life?
• Do you make a specific time to pray for MOPS?

Spending Time Alone With Him

Excerpt taken from: Chapter One, “The Power Of a Praying Woman” by Stormie Omartian

“We can never draw close to God and get to know Him well, or develop the kind of intimate relationship we want, unless we spend time alone with Him. It’s in those private times that we are refreshed, strengthened, and rejuvenated. It’s then we can see our lives from God’s perspective and discover what is really important. That’s where we understand who it is we belong to and believe in.

God has so much to speak into your life. But if you don’t draw apart from the busyness of your day and spend time alone with Him in quietness and solitude, you will not hear it. Jesus Himself spent much time alone with God. If anyone could get away with not doing it, surely it would have been Him. How much more important must it be for us?

I know finding time alone to pray can be difficult. Especially when the enemy of your soul doesn’t want you to do that. But if you will make it a priority by setting a specific time to pray daily, perhaps writing it in your calendar the way you would any other important date, and determine to keep that standing appointment with God, you’ll see answers to your prayers like never before.

Remember, if you haven’t been praying much, you can’t expect things to change overnight. It takes a while to get the enormous ocean liner of your life turned around and headed in a different direction. It doesn’t immediately reposition itself the moment you begin steering. In fact, you may see hardly any change at first. It’s the same way with prayer. Prayer can turn your life around, but it doesn’t always happen the moment you utter your first words. It may take a time of continued prayer before you actually see the scenery change. This is normal, so don’t give up. You will soon be heading full speed in a new direction. Far too often people give up just before their breakthrough into the realm of answered prayer. Remember, this trip is not a mini-vacation tour around the harbor, it’s a lifelong voyage to meet your destiny. Giving up is not an option”.

• It can be hard to find a time to pray when you are a Mum of young children…. You can’t even (to borrow a term from Nat S) “poo in peace” right?

• I talk to God in my head all the time….constantly chattering. Whether I’m driving, cooking, doing the girls’ hair for school…I’m a big believer of arrow prayers, shooting a specific need up as it flies into my head because I know I’ll get busy & forget later. Rosalie has influenced me here.

• Do you remember at the Regional Training Day the lady who spoke about the prayer plant? Whenever she watered or tended the plant she prayed for a specific person… and I suggested some people might need a cactus! For the prickly ones….? I kill plants so I use visual cues to remember to pray for people.

• Here’s some visual cues to prompt you to pray…

Whenever you see a newborn baby – pray for the Capps family

Whenever you see a pram – pray for MOPS and the women you are influencing for Jesus.

Whenever you are driving – pray for those that drive this ministry; your MOPS Coordinator & the MOPPETS Coordinator

When you are doing your washing (laundry) – pray for the continual obstacles that stand in your way like mountains…e.g. Your need for more carers, your need for a MOPPETS Coordinator, your need for $ to subsidise the cost of conference…

AS for your MOPS Mums: Each consecutive day of the week

- Table Leaders (and Mentors) could pray for one of the Mums on their table (e.g. Sunday is Sarah’s day, Monday is Mel’s day….)

- You could pray for each of the Leaders on the team (1 per day)

- MOPPETS Leaders could pray for each child in their care

Pray on the drive to MOPS

(whether it be for the MOPPETS, the Program, the Message, the Speaker, a specific Mum….)

Pray on the way home from MOPS

( Praise God: for what he’s done that morning, for his provision of MOPPETS Leaders, for the new Mums, for the non-christian Mums, or simply that you got to sit undisturbed and that your child was settled in MOPPETS)

• And Can I challenge you as a team to spend time in prayer together?

If all you did was get together at team meetings to pray, Wow….imagine what God could do with this group.

• There’s this village in Africa that does this rain dance and every time they dance; it Rains. A team of researchers went over to analyse why this phenomenon occurs and do you know what they found?
• They simply Dance until it rains!

I encourage you to dance until it rains (with prayer)….Pray until it’s done!

Sharing Your Faith

Just came across this great article on the International Website....

“Mom! There’s nothing to eat! Can we pick something up on my way to practice?” my son bellowed, his head hidden by the half-open refrigerator door.

Yes, that twinge of mother guilt hit me hard. I just did not have time to get to the store, and we really were out of most of the quick fix food items for hungry teenage boys. The refrigerator was empty, as were the counters. But for some reason the suggestion of getting something on the way felt like an added insult to my mothering. Wasn’t I supposed to be the source of sustenance for my family?

As I busied myself with a makeshift grilled cheese for him, an interesting parallel shot through my mind (which I think was no accident):

Mother guilt
Evangelism guilt

Not doing all I could as a mother
Not doing all I could to spread the good news of God’s love

Empty refrigerator
Empty sense of God’s impact in my own life

Not finding time to grocery shop and fill up
Not finding time to be filled by God

Grocery shopping
Time spent with God

I thought about how the kitchen looks after I make a trip to the store–food overflowing onto the counters, bread in the breadbox, fruit in the fruit bowl, that coveted box of donuts in plain sight. It is very apparent that I’ve “filled up” at the store. But what about “filling up” in my life? When people look at me, is it apparent that I have been filled up by God? Is his love overflowing from me to those around me? Am I taking the time with God to be filled by him?

Evangelism, telling others about the good news of Christ, is an overflow from our lives with Christ. If we are living on empty, we have little to share.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Sharing the gospel with others comes from an active and vital relationship with Jesus. As we are filled through relationship with him, we can in turn fill others. Hope sloshes out of us and onto them. We cannot help but be a living example for the hope we have found.

Over the years, I have found that evangelism guilt (just like mother guilt) is completely unproductive and unhelpful. I have to think it grieves God greatly when our perception is that telling others about him is a chore or something we have to do. How he must delight in us when our lives are a living testament to him, when our conversations are infused with his love, when our joy overflows onto those around us.

The following are a few thoughts I had to help promote a lifestyle of evangelism, a life so full in God that it is outwardly apparent to all those we hope to touch by his grace and love.

1. Make time with God a part of our every day. This does not have to look like a regularly scheduled time, it can be an on-going attitude of gratitude for all he does; an on-going intentional inclusion of him in all we do.
2. Recognize that our part in evangelism is the willingness to speak about the joy we have found in our relationship with God and give credit where credit is due. Any “conversion” of the heart is in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
3. Focus outside of ourselves. Even though the default of the human condition is to always see things through our own eyes, being intentional about seeing things from another point of view will help us see everyday opportunities of what is inside us that can overflow encouragement onto others.
4. Increase our ability to observe and discern places where people need help or encouragement; this way we can tailor our encouragement to the specific needs of others. Treating people as unique creations helps them see that the good news of God’s love is for them specifically.
5. Take the opportunity to talk about our own stories, how God has impacted our lives in very real ways. This tangible example is much more impacting than a bunch of arguments and logical reasons to believe in God.
6. Remember that lives changed by God’s love are the greatest legacy you can leave in this world.

So the next time you’re feeling guilty or empty or guilty for feeling empty, remember where your source of joy comes from, that you are meant to live a hope-filled life, a life that is not contained, spilling out and covering those around you.

Liz Selzer is the Director of Leadership Development at MOPS International.