So we pray.

As I sit to write this blog, my thoughts can’t seem to focus on anything but what is going on in the world right now. 

On the heels of a global pandemic that attacked millions worldwide, there is yet another attack on innocent lives, again with global consequences.

Today, (March 2) I am reading reports that: 

• Russia has ramped up assaults on key Ukrainian cities.

• President Zelensky pleads for more international assistance

• A second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to take place.

• According to the UN more than 800,000 refugees have fled Ukraine during Russia’s invasion.

• The UN also reported at least 136 Ukraine civilian deaths but cautioned the toll is likely "much higher."

Perhaps you like me are asking WHY?  

Why is this happening? And WHAT can we do?

You can do a quick google search to understand the politics behind the why.  And in our helplessness, what can we do? We can do the most powerful thing we can.

We can PRAY.

When one part of the Body of Christ is hurt, the whole body suffers with it. 

So we pray. We pray for the people and democratically elected government of Ukraine.

As the world aches under the weight of violence, instability, and threats to global order. 

So we pray. We pray for world leaders, asking God to grant them wisdom and courage in pursuing peace and human flourishing.

As we pray you may wonder why? Why bother praying when it doesn’t seem to be working?

Let me tell you why we pray. We pray because prayers can invoke the powers of heaven to intervene in the affairs of nations, but prayer can also rid us of the malice and envy that cuts through the heart of every human being.

How will prayers be answered?

• Perhaps by God opening the hearts and moving our thoughts to ways of peace and reconciliation.

• Perhaps by awakening in us an intense compassion for the victims of war.

It may well be that prayer, and the power it invokes, may be the only thing that can rid the world of war and division.

So we pray.

We pray for peace and as we do, let us remember that:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way.  (Psalm 46:1-2)

In prayer we place our violent world back into the hands of its Creator, echoing the Psalmist who promised:

The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter…
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46:6-7)

So we pray.

I will not be afraid!

We all have all experienced tremendous changes in our lives, particularly over the past 2 years.  I still give my head a shake when I put on my mask to go into the grocery store.  Even after this long, I feel like I am living in a Sci-Fi movie. But the changes we have experienced are not just pandemic related. We have lost loved ones, and there have been additions to our family; there have been job losses and job promotions; there have been good times and not so good times.

From day to day we need God to help us get through whatever may come our way. On the days we are shouting, "Praise God!" to the days we are crying out, "I need a miracle!" Whatever the day brings, changes will come and we need to have a godly mindset in order to handle them.

Though the changes in our lives are endless it’s comforting for me to know that God does not change. In Malachi 3:6, God says, "For I am the Lord, I change not." 

God does not change and neither does God’s promise to each of us. God has said,  in Hebrews 13:5-6,

“Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”

So as the changes come, we will not walk in fear, but in faith! We can trust God with all the changes, and know that God promises to help us.

Remarkable and Unmistakable Change.

Our little Cockapoo pup, Luna, has been with us for a little over 2 weeks and the changes in her have been remarkable and unmistakable.

She was so tiny and timid when she first came home. Today she seems to have doubled in size and now, so comfortable and courageous in her new home. She is learning so much, like how to sit, stay, leave it, lie down, and today we learned to fetch! It has been amazing to witness the changes in her development.

Spiritual changes happen in much the same way. Jesus accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay that way. Over time, the Lord changes us from the inside out.

Colossians 3:9-10 reminds us that we have "taken off the old self" and "put on the new self." As we listen and submit to the Word of God, our desires change. We begin to think and act and love as Jesus did. And in time we look less like the rest of the world, and more like our Saviour and King. Once we know Jesus, we can’t go back to the people we were before. Soon everyone can see that we are not who we used to be, the change is remarkable and unmistakable.

Just as a puppies fullest potential is not to stay a puppy, our fullest potential is not to stay the way we are!

Join us this week as we conclude our series, entitled Keep the Change!