Standing in the Need of Prayer

Connecting Generations

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The service last Friday at Life Care Center was really special. One of the highlights for me was a visit from a teenager named Lindsay. Lindsay is a special needs child whose mom is one of our volunteers. She was super excited to be there but nervous, so she sat at a table near the back with her counselor. About halfway through the song session, Lindsay was loving the music, but her emotions became a bit overwhelmed, so she began expressing her joy with loud vocalizations. I couldn’t see exactly what was happening, but I was told later that, before anyone got too worried about the situation, one of the residents wheeled herself over to Lindsay, and with a smile, gently took hold of her hand to calm her. I was so blessed to hear of how God used that circumstance as a perfect demonstration of how Jesus wants to connect, one generation to another through Him. The exuberance of youth, the joy of worship and the gentle patience of this precious older woman all blended together in those moments to show the love of Christ in action.

I believe that Jesus on the Main Line is the song that set those wheels in motion, so, I hope you will enjoy listening to an abbreviated version of it along with a few words on the subject of prayer. I pray God will bless you, hear your prayers and connect you to others this week in the wonderful love of Jesus!

A Time for Praise

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 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13 ESV

The other day as we looked at the hymn, “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” I wrote about the times when we need to simply fall to our knees and watch with the Lord in our own Garden of Gethsemane. But there are also times when God delights in a tidal wave of praise and gratitude, such as James describes here. There are few places where such praise seems more out of place than a long-term care facility, but my friends there teach me that sometimes there is nothing better than good old-fashioned hand-clapping praise. Last week, they showed us just how that is done, when as my former pastor used to say, “If you can’t clap on that song, your arm must be broken!” I do hope that whatever situation you find yourself in this Thanksgiving, that you will find a way to praise, whether in health or sickness, surrounded by family or alone in your room, because God loves us and sent His only Son, to pray for us, heal us, wash away our sins and to die in our place. How can we not find times of joyful abandon to simply: “Call Him Up” – “Have a Little Talk With Jesus,” and tell Him that we are the ones who are “Standing in the Need of Prayer?”

Lively Praise at Assisted Living

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Not long ago, one of my fellow seniors in our Bible study group remarked that when the youth from the worship team do an occasional hymn, they sing everything soooo slowly! They must think that because we are older that we just can’t keep up a faster pace. Here is a pretty lively selection from a meeting a couple of weeks back at an assisted living facility that ought to put that idea to rest! I hope you tap your feet, clap your hands and sing along these three favorites which my fellow senior saints have no problem keeping up with!

Clap your hands, all you nations;
    shout to God with cries of joy.
Psalm 47:1 NIV