April 11, 2024
Day 4 – April 11
Contributed by Jessica Christian
Jesus' Example
Jesus was a praying man, and the Gospels include many instances of Him separating Himself from His disciples and followers to spend hours with God.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7: 7-8) Jesus shared a glimpse of His beliefs about the value of prayer when He said
if we have a need, we should ask;
if we are looking for answers, we will find them;
if we want opportunities to open for us, He will hear us when we knock.
Even with so many examples in the life of Jesus, and the multiple promises of the power of prayer in Scripture, we often don’t spend as much time with God as we should.
So many of life’s situations can take an emotional, physical or spiritual toll, and we often refer to these as “burdens.” If we try to carry these by ourselves, we can get worn out.
The Bible tells us to cast our burdens on the Lord so He can sustain us.
(Psalm 55: 22; Psalm 68: 19)
And again in I Peter 5: 7, we are told,
“Cast all your anxiety on Him
because He cares for you.”
By God’s design, we don’t have to be exhausted by our burdens because His strength inhabits us when we share our concerns with Him in prayer. Not only will we find a Friend who cares and wants to share our load, we will also find comfort, fulfillment, answers and opportunities.
Contributed by Ted Stokes
Matthew 11: 28
Come to me all you
who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest.
Looking Back
On April 6, 1780 at Morristown, General Washington ordered "Congress having been pleased by their Proclamation of the 11th of last month to appoint Wednesday the 22nd instant to be set apart and observed as a day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer ... there should be no labour, or recreations on that day."
May God bless our prayer journey together.
Board of Deacons
United Church of Colchester
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