As a part of my annual pledge to my new church, First United Methodist, Montgomery, I pledged to pray for the church its staff and ministries on Mondays. With God’s help, I begin the satisfaction of that pledge today.
I noticed in going through my contacts list that there are
about a dozen ministers, missionaries, and church staff, so I created a group styled “Pastors.”
You are on the prayer list. You come from different denominations, ages, seniority of staff appointments, missions, locations, and seasons of life.
Please know that I am praying for you today.
Holy Father, today in this writing I offer up to you publicly the men and women herein above described as I have named them in private prayer as between You and me.
Holy Father, they come to you each individually different in circumstance but alike in calling and devotion to you. I pray today that you will take special notice of them and the ministries they represent.
Give them open hearts to feel Your Presence, open ears to hear Your still, small voice, open mouths to speak Your truth, and open arms to receive that which You offer to them for this day.
“In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN. ”
Matthew’s gospel speaks of situations that you probably have encountered in your ministry: labor and tribulation. But Matthew also speaks of rest. “Come into me, all you who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. KJV.
What does it mean, “I will give you rest? How can we define “rest?” To whom is this promise applicable? Does this promise mean the same thing to people in different circumstances and different seasons of life?
Of Matthew 11:28, Mathew A.T. Robertson, in” Word Pictures” records:
Come unto me (deute pro me). Verses 28 to 30 are not in Luke and are among the special treasures of Matthew’s Gospel. No sublimer words exist than this call of Jesus to the toiling and the burdened… [He tells us that the phrase is a] perfect passive participle, state of weariness) to come to him.
[Christ] towers above all men as he challenges us. “I will refresh you” (kago anapausw ma). Far more than mere rest, rejuvenation. The English slang expression “rest up” is close to the idea of the Greek compound ana-pauw. It is causative active voice.
My special prayer for you today, then is “rest,” rest from the weekend’s labor and rest to strengthen you for the week to come.
REST.
johnthebaptist15 