"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." (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV) Prayer is a method of communicating our requests and praise to God in the most personal manner. We can pray even if no one else in the entire world has enough faith to pray. Indeed, we should be praying constantly because sincere, fervent prayer strengthens our faith, hope and love. Galina arrived in Moscow a few hours ago from Pskov, Russia. She had to pull herself away from little granddaughter Sonya and her daughter Maya to get on the train. It was a teary goodbye. They did not see each other for two years and who knows how long it will be until the next time. That is how hard it is for many families in our modern global world. Galina is in the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. This is the airport for domestic flights in Russia. Even though she will be flying to Magadan, which is eight time zones from Moscow, it is a domestic flight. Russia covers a lot of this planet. She has a cell phone with her, and with a calling card plan that I have with a company here in America, it costs less than 10c per minute for me to call. Magadan is out in the Russian Far East and is where we have our mission work. I am not always able to make a clear connection. I started calling her very early this morning, even before the train arrived in Moscow. It is such a huge city and she had to make the trip from the train station to the airport. So, I was very concerned for her safety. She made it to the airport with a nice family who helped her with the luggage. The Russian authorities still do not allow me to visit Russia. Because of mission activities, they put a 5 year ban on me which will expire this coming February. Then I will attempt a visit. Galina will spend 4 Sundays with our fellow Christians in Magadan. Then she will come back through Ukraine for one farewell with her parents and my stepson Zhenya. Sometimes it seems like my call goes through, but due to her being in a very busy terminal all I can hear are loud noises and what sounds like announcements. Nevertheless, I go ahead and speak to her as if she is hearing me. She must be because she does not hang up. I will find out later if she heard me when I am able to hear her voice. God wants to hear from us. Often we are not eager to pray because we are not 100% certain that God is hearing us. However, remember that He never hangs up. God is always ready to accept our prayer. Moreover, God wants to know what is on our hearts. It is my strong conviction that most churches do not have enough prayer services. When Christians come together to pray, it is a very special time to express faith, hope and love. If our love for the church has grown cold, it may be because we are not praying enough. When our love is rekindled, and we start praying again, our faith and hope will be revived. Before Jesus was handed over to be crucified, we know that he spent a night in prayer. This prayer is recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 17. Knowing the great suffering that he was about to experience, Jesus prayed for himself. Then, he prayed for the disciples who were following him and helping him. Then, he prayed for all believers who would come after his death, burial and resurrection. We learn from the New Testament that we are to pray when we are in trouble. Do you have problems that seem too big? Take those problems to the Lord. "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." (James 5:13a NIV) God expects us to pray for one another. Do you have any prayer requests that we can pray about? "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV) Would you like to start each day with a group of people who meet to pray? Join us at 08.00 each morning Monday – Friday. We read a few verses of scripture and then we talk to God. You are invited to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. You may also request to receive the daily WORD OF THE DAY by e-mail. Check out our web site at: http://www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 