Every day you spend 24 hours in the presence of God, the One who created you for the express purpose of having you as a friend.
Jonesboro
United MethodistChurch 407 West Main Street Sanford, NC27332
Church Office:919-775-7023
JUMC@windstream.net
JUMC Prayer Corner
As the second addition to JUMC’s “Prayer Corner,” I have been asked to include some specific prayers someone would be able to use in times of need.
The internet offers thousands of sites containing such prayers, and while it is impossible to check out all the sites, the three listed below are all excellent and contain prayers for almost any situation. So how could you use these and other sites?
If you have a specific need you feel you want to pray about, the sites listed below, especially the third site, have prayers for many common situations.
Try starting your prayer – your conversation with God – with one of the prayers there and then continue with your conversation using your own words.The more often you try this, the more easily your own words will come until you may no longer need to get started with a prayer written by someone else.
If you feel ambitious,check out some of the web sites you will find by searching “prayer” or “prayers” or maybe more specifically “Christian prayers” and see what you find.
If you run across a site you find particularly useful, please contact someone on the prayer committee or leave a note in one of the prayer boxes at church and your favorite site can be included in this “Prayer Corner.”In addition, if you feel you have a special prayer that gives you comfort, write it down for inclusion here.
Here are some suggestions that might help in starting a conversation with God, and once started keep it from being limited to a few minutes each day.
1.Tell God what you are thinking about Him at the moment.Praise Him when that is in your heart; express any frustration you have with Him (he knows about it anyway so this won’t surprise Him); tell God that you love and trust Him (and then show that by how you act); and admit to Him those times when He seems more distant than you would like.
2.Thank God when He has done something good in your life. Remember the little things as well as the big ones.When you open a door for a stranger – a little thing – he or she usually thanks you.Can you do less with God?
3.Tell God when you are sorry.He knows that not one of us is perfect, so admit your mistakes to Him.Did you mistreat someone?Remember that was one of God’s children you mistreated.You not only owe that person an apology, but you need to apologize to God for treating His child that way.
4.Ask God for forgiveness.He has promised it to each of us if we just ask – so why not ask?
5.If you have a problem, ask God for advice in solving that problem – and then LISTEN!We all know people who ask friends for advice and then never listen to what they say.God’s solution will be the right one, so make sure you LISTEN and then take His advice.
One more thing.Try praying out loud when you are alone so you can hear your own words. You do talk our loud to your best friend don’t you?
The intention of the prayer committee is to help Jonesboro members – in fact ALL PEOPLE - become more intentional and consistent in their prayer life, including each of the committee members. We encourage your input and any suggestions you may have to help the prayer committee serve as Jonesboro United Methodist Church – GOD’S CHURCH – becomes all He wants it to be.
Brad B., Chair
Tony C.
Richard G.
Audrey S.
Leroy S.
Sarah S.
So often people say they just don’t know how to pray.A little story might help all of us out here.
A young man came to Aristotle and asked him for knowledge. Aristotle took the man to the bank of a river, walked him into the water, and then held the man’s head under water until the man had nearly drowned.When the man was finally able to speak again he asked Aristotle why he had done that.
“Young man,” said Aristotle, “when you want knowledge as much as you wanted air when I was holding you under the water, you won’t have to ask anyone for it.”
When you truly want to have a conversation with God which leads to a closer relationship with Him, a relationship which is eternal, you won’t have to ask anyone how to carry on that conversation.
