Today is a special day of prayer for our church. Many of us are fasting today, except for the communion meal. We are asking for God's guidance and provision for our church, especially as we look forward to a new senior pastor coming after my retirement at the end of 2020. Christ encourages us to pray confidently, trusting in the positive love of the Father. He will hear and answer our prayers when we call on him in faith. We ask God, we seek his truth and his will, and we knock at the doors of opportunity confidently. Christ even chides us for our doubts, reminding us that we, though we are imperfect, still listen compassionately to our children's requests. It is unthinkable that any child with a caring parent should not be heard! So we should expect God to hear us when we pray. The Bible tells us that none of us prays perfectly (Rom. 8:26). Effective prayers are prayed according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15), asked in faith (James 1:6-7), and asked by people who have confessed their sins up to date (1 John 1:9-10). Yet behind all of these matters is the simple reality that God is patient, kind, and loving, and is predisposed to hear and to answer his children. May God increase our faith and confidence in his unconditional love for us. Pastor David Packer
