We are a month into 2020 and if your life is anything like mine and Nancy’s, the euphoria and escape of Christmas and the new year have worn off and the challenges and adversities of life have reared their ugly heads again. Whatever your load is, I’m sure it feels heavy and hope feels theoretical and not real or practical.
I’m reminded of the story G. Campbell Morgan tells when he visited a graveyard in Italy. He noticed a huge marble slab over someone’s grave. At some point years before an acorn had wedged itself into the grave below the marble slab.
That acorn began to grow. A little shoot developed and then a sapling and then a full-grown tree. Over time, the full-grown tree split that huge marble slab in half.
Common sense says that no acorn can split a marble slab, but it did!
What’s the huge marble slab in your life in 2020?
Is it a prodigal child or grandchild who has walked away from Jesus?
Is it impossible financial difficulties?
Is it broken relationships in your life?
Is it unmet expectations with health or retirement?
Is it sin or addiction that is trampling your life?
There have been many times in my journey with Jesus where it felt like all my exits were blocked and God somehow wasn’t interested in answering my prayer requests. It felt like a huge, oppressive marble slab of defeat. Are you experiencing this today?
Acts 2 describes Pentecost, the day the church began through the outpouring of God’s promised Holy Spirit. Never before have men and women been so willing to suffer and proclaim Christ. Never before have we seen such intimate relationships between Christians. Never before have we seen a group of people so willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit called them to do. It was an explosion of the Gospel to all the nations and an explosion of spiritual fruit.
That’s why I am asking you to join us in praying this prayer request: Father, pour out your Spirit on us and move us forward together!
We are asking for the undeniable, unmistakable powerful work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, in our family’s lives and here at Church of the Open Door.
We are asking Him to heal and reconcile.
We are asking Him to empower and release.
We are asking Him for bold trust and miraculous movements of the Holy Spirit.
We believe our church is ready to experience the outpouring of God’s promised Spirit.
Are you willing to go on this journey with me? Do you believe that the love and power of the Holy Spirit can split the marble slabs that are covering our lives?
Join me in begging the Father to pour out His Spirit on us and move us forward together!
Much love,
Pastor David Anderson
P.S. We are also asking our heavenly Father to lead us to an unreached people group that we can invest in as a congregation over the course of this decade. I’d love for you to find out more about unreached people and how you can join us in this request during WorldReach 2020, starting Sunday.
