Pastor Bill Hayden
It is very challenging these days to keep your head up and mind clear when each day we are exposed to negative occurrences in the world. We must constantly guard our hearts from the destructive behavior of others, to maintain peace of mind. If we succumb to the world’s conflicts then our ability to influence people to rely upon Christ’ promised peace will be diminished. John 14:27 ESV “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
I know that as a nation we are at a crossroad and it will take all our efforts to bring peace to our land. So, I offer you this solution, as a step in the right direction… stay prayerful. If the statement “Prayer changes things” is true, then shouldn’t we try praying?
Prayer is simply having a conversation with the Lord and allowing Him to give us wisdom and direction as we wait for Him to speak to our hearts. Prayer, especially in times of trouble, brings comfort, help, hope and blessings to us. Trouble may not totally disappear but prayer will enable us to endure as we submit to God and know that we are not alone.
Prayer opens our spiritual eyes to see God working amid the trouble. Prayer also brings us together in amazing ways to restore the faith of the faint of heart. During times of trouble, prayer along with meditation on God’s word will drive away unbelief. We can be rescued from doubt and delivered from vain and foolish questioning concerning the will of God.
Without prayerfulness, people will continue to look to our leaders for answers to our conditions but the solution will continue to evade them. When we continue to look to man’s wisdom we will end up with the same results.
May I humbly submit to you that prayer is the appropriate action for us to see God’s hand amid our times of trouble. Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, in believing that all things will work together for our good because we love Him and He loves us.
One characteristics of our time is… “men are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7)
Psalms 50:15 NKJV “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
If you need friendship, you can find it in our Chapel. Please join us at the Villages Community Chapel in Cribari Auditorium, every Sunday at 10 a.m. to be encouraged over the Word and enjoy a cup of coffee and cookies with friends. The chapel is a place for needs to be met, faith to be affirmed and new friends to embrace.
You can view our worship services on YouTube at Villages Community Chapel San Jose, CA.