CMCS Foundation
How to pray in tough times
In a recent release from Christianity Today, noted Christian author Philip Yancey shared that in one of the most turbulent weeks of our nation's current financial challenges - when stock markets around the world declined by $7 trillion - an editor at Time magazine phoned him and simply asked, "How should a person pray during a crisis like this?" Three compelling insights on prayer emerged in that conversation:
1. Help! Yancey explains that when someone faces a major challenge in their life, such as a job loss, health issue, or watching their life savings dwindle away, they tend to cry out for help instinctively. Prayer gives voice to these fears and worries. Yancey says he has learned to resist the temptation to try and edit his prayers to make them more "sophisticated" because God wants us to come to him as we are, with childlike faith.
2. Meditate. Yancey observes that times of uncertainty provide a good opportunity to evaluate what we are truly putting our faith in. He advises not only talking, but listening in our prayers, and asking God to show us what He wants us to learn from the current economic challenges we face.
3. Compassion for others. The third thought is perhaps the most difficult - taking our eyes off of our own financial worries, and looking with compassion and prayer on the staggering needs of others. Yancey notes, for example, that in the same week the global stock market sank by $7 trillion, the inflation rate in Zimbabwe soared by 231 million percent (in other words, if you lived in Zimbabwe and had $1 million yesterday, it would be worth just $158 dollars today).
Yancey concluded with a surprising challenge for American Christians: "What a testimony it would be if, in 2009, Christians resolved to increase their giving to build houses for the poor, combat AIDS in Africa, and announce kingdom values to a decadent, celebrity-driven culture. Such a response defies all logic and common sense."
Need some encouragement? Central Minnesota Christian School wants to help! Ask for a FREE copy of “Moving from a Scarcity to an Abundance Mentality” by simply contacting Kevin Wassenaar from Central Minnesota Christian School at (320) 978-8700 or kevinw@willmarnet.com
Source: "A Surefire Investment: how to pray in the midst of financial catastrophe" by Philip Yancey in Christianity Today
In a recent release from Christianity Today, noted Christian author Philip Yancey shared that in one of the most turbulent weeks of our nation's current financial challenges - when stock markets around the world declined by $7 trillion - an editor at Time magazine phoned him and simply asked, "How should a person pray during a crisis like this?" Three compelling insights on prayer emerged in that conversation:
1. Help! Yancey explains that when someone faces a major challenge in their life, such as a job loss, health issue, or watching their life savings dwindle away, they tend to cry out for help instinctively. Prayer gives voice to these fears and worries. Yancey says he has learned to resist the temptation to try and edit his prayers to make them more "sophisticated" because God wants us to come to him as we are, with childlike faith.
2. Meditate. Yancey observes that times of uncertainty provide a good opportunity to evaluate what we are truly putting our faith in. He advises not only talking, but listening in our prayers, and asking God to show us what He wants us to learn from the current economic challenges we face.
3. Compassion for others. The third thought is perhaps the most difficult - taking our eyes off of our own financial worries, and looking with compassion and prayer on the staggering needs of others. Yancey notes, for example, that in the same week the global stock market sank by $7 trillion, the inflation rate in Zimbabwe soared by 231 million percent (in other words, if you lived in Zimbabwe and had $1 million yesterday, it would be worth just $158 dollars today).
Yancey concluded with a surprising challenge for American Christians: "What a testimony it would be if, in 2009, Christians resolved to increase their giving to build houses for the poor, combat AIDS in Africa, and announce kingdom values to a decadent, celebrity-driven culture. Such a response defies all logic and common sense."
Need some encouragement? Central Minnesota Christian School wants to help! Ask for a FREE copy of “Moving from a Scarcity to an Abundance Mentality” by simply contacting Kevin Wassenaar from Central Minnesota Christian School at (320) 978-8700 or kevinw@willmarnet.com
Source: "A Surefire Investment: how to pray in the midst of financial catastrophe" by Philip Yancey in Christianity Today
"How To Pray In Tough Times"
- May 2009
- May 2009
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