“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually!” -1 Chronicles 16:11
I recently had the privilege of joining one of our St. Luke’s mission teams in Houston. It was a quick trip filled with hard work and lots of travelling. The team worked hard cleaning houses and removing flood damaged debris so that homes could be restored. We really made a difference for a couple of families in the Houston area.
The mission team did many things to make a difference while in Texas. We removed wet sheetrock. We helped recover items for families that were damaged. We prepped the house to be treated and have new sheetrock installed. These were all necessary services, thanks to Hurricane Harvey. But, of all the work that needed to be done, and was done, perhaps the most significant thing that happened each day was the prayer that took place at each work site.
I remember gathering with a family at the end of our first day of work. The damage to their house was severe. There was so much trash piled in their front yard. Yet, when we all stopped to pray together the destruction around us seemed to disappear as we turned our eyes and thoughts towards Christ. For a moment, we opened our hearts to God’s presence in our midst and it made a world of difference.
Prayer is an essential part of our lives. It is an intentional time in our day when we focus our thoughts on the One who loves us. Prayer allows us to focus on the hope of heaven, the joy of know Christ and the strength that comes from the eternal presence of God. We often find ourselves in difficult situations. Moments in our lives seem overwhelming as we focus on the things that seem to not be going our way. When we pause to pray, we connect ourselves with the one who is greater than all the troubles we can possibly face (1 John 4:4). No matter what you are going through, take time to pray, you won’t regret it.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
