John 17
The Upper Room Living Prayer Center provides a remote prayer ministry, which United Methodist Church Huntington Cold Spring Harbor is a blessed participant. There is no charge to participate in the ministry, and there is no charge for your prayers and no charge for requesting prayer and no charge to having your prayers answered. There is simply no charge to you.
Intercessory prayer is provided by persons, who care for the essentials of human beings. Volunteers are trained through the ministry and local churches provide financial gifts to cover the overhead expense of using telephone lines. Yes, you may phone in to speak with a volunteer concerning your prayer request or leave a message requesting prayer, then receive an intercessory prayer through the prayer line during the 24/7 period of existence. Barring trouble with the telephone lines, the intercessory prayer ministry is operative for you to call 1-800-251-2468. For more information and updates on the entire ministry, please visit the website www.upperroom.org/prayer.
The voice was weakened by age or illness. Still it was a voice, so familiar. A voice that had been heard almost everyday from June 22, 1955 until April 15, 2002. When I walked into Mother's room on April 13, 2002, she perked into an amazing expression of love and joy having her baby for a final family member visit. When asked of her desire, she only requested: "To see His (Jesus) face." I prayed that she would be able to see the face of our Lord. A face she had spoken of so many times through the forty six years I was blessed to hear her voice. I cannot recall the cost of the hospital bill for the care Mother received. She had been in and out for nearly two years attempting to survive an illness that had defeated her mother and father, and was to have carried her away in 2000. She fought the good fight at the urging of her sons for a little more time. She gave all the time allowed and I soaked in every moment I could. Mother, unlike many seniors, was well covered in medical benefits. The expenses to her care left no financial strain on the family, so there was no charge post her life on earth. No charge for the prayer, no charge for the care, and no charge for the time. Simply, no charge to me.
Some times the ways of men and women in relation to prayer has an expense. One of the sites advertising on blog sites, including this one invites you to share prayer requests. I went through the Ad one day, just because I like to examine what is being advertised on the site. I started out providing information on myself, which I did not have issue with though you only are asked for first names in your request to the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. Then, they asked for contact information, I thought: "Oh, why not, a Christian ministry that prayers with me may contact me." Okay, the next phrase had a line of questions pop up one after the answer giving to the previous. Oh my, there it was in question #4: How much are you willing to ... $9 or $15, etc. I smiled, clicked out of the site and said: "No charge!"
The intent of the use of the funds is not known to me. We may be assured that the witness of the faithful is trustworthy, and we just have a difference in the manner of the request for funding a valid prayer ministry. After all, they are praying. As for me, it came across as though there was a required donation in order to have the prayer offered and answered. The sense of a charge factor threw me into a place of retreat. It ended my longing to ask, seek, and knock through the ministry. I felt that there was a cost for prayer.
The cost for the prayer of Christ, the cost of a praying Mother, and the cost for prayer one for the other in this house has no charge. Donations for the prayer ministry are not to be sent in or given as payment for a charge. There is no free will offering collected in this house for the prayer ministry. Monies given are out of sincerity of heart for the sake of providing the ministry to others, not a bribe to God or reward to prayer participants, are utilized for the prayer ministry as one of numerous ministries in the local church. Mercy, Lord, mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, and thank you for paying the cost and leaving us with no charge. Amen.
The Upper Room Living Prayer Center provides a remote prayer ministry, which United Methodist Church Huntington Cold Spring Harbor is a blessed participant. There is no charge to participate in the ministry, and there is no charge for your prayers and no charge for requesting prayer and no charge to having your prayers answered. There is simply no charge to you.
Intercessory prayer is provided by persons, who care for the essentials of human beings. Volunteers are trained through the ministry and local churches provide financial gifts to cover the overhead expense of using telephone lines. Yes, you may phone in to speak with a volunteer concerning your prayer request or leave a message requesting prayer, then receive an intercessory prayer through the prayer line during the 24/7 period of existence. Barring trouble with the telephone lines, the intercessory prayer ministry is operative for you to call 1-800-251-2468. For more information and updates on the entire ministry, please visit the website www.upperroom.org/prayer.
The voice was weakened by age or illness. Still it was a voice, so familiar. A voice that had been heard almost everyday from June 22, 1955 until April 15, 2002. When I walked into Mother's room on April 13, 2002, she perked into an amazing expression of love and joy having her baby for a final family member visit. When asked of her desire, she only requested: "To see His (Jesus) face." I prayed that she would be able to see the face of our Lord. A face she had spoken of so many times through the forty six years I was blessed to hear her voice. I cannot recall the cost of the hospital bill for the care Mother received. She had been in and out for nearly two years attempting to survive an illness that had defeated her mother and father, and was to have carried her away in 2000. She fought the good fight at the urging of her sons for a little more time. She gave all the time allowed and I soaked in every moment I could. Mother, unlike many seniors, was well covered in medical benefits. The expenses to her care left no financial strain on the family, so there was no charge post her life on earth. No charge for the prayer, no charge for the care, and no charge for the time. Simply, no charge to me.
Some times the ways of men and women in relation to prayer has an expense. One of the sites advertising on blog sites, including this one invites you to share prayer requests. I went through the Ad one day, just because I like to examine what is being advertised on the site. I started out providing information on myself, which I did not have issue with though you only are asked for first names in your request to the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. Then, they asked for contact information, I thought: "Oh, why not, a Christian ministry that prayers with me may contact me." Okay, the next phrase had a line of questions pop up one after the answer giving to the previous. Oh my, there it was in question #4: How much are you willing to ... $9 or $15, etc. I smiled, clicked out of the site and said: "No charge!"
The intent of the use of the funds is not known to me. We may be assured that the witness of the faithful is trustworthy, and we just have a difference in the manner of the request for funding a valid prayer ministry. After all, they are praying. As for me, it came across as though there was a required donation in order to have the prayer offered and answered. The sense of a charge factor threw me into a place of retreat. It ended my longing to ask, seek, and knock through the ministry. I felt that there was a cost for prayer.
The cost for the prayer of Christ, the cost of a praying Mother, and the cost for prayer one for the other in this house has no charge. Donations for the prayer ministry are not to be sent in or given as payment for a charge. There is no free will offering collected in this house for the prayer ministry. Monies given are out of sincerity of heart for the sake of providing the ministry to others, not a bribe to God or reward to prayer participants, are utilized for the prayer ministry as one of numerous ministries in the local church. Mercy, Lord, mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, and thank you for paying the cost and leaving us with no charge. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment