The Rock Church

Tag Archive: pray

  1. Recall Who He Is and What He Has Done

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    Recall Who He Is and What He Has Done — a word by Pastor Caleb Yetton from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "So, how do we do that? How do we remind ourselves? This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are some ways to recall God’s truth."

    I don’t know about you, but I need reminding often. I forget things so quickly. They go in one ear and out the other. Do you struggle with that? I think we certainly all do in our human nature. And I believe the writers of the New Testament knew that as well. Paul and Peter both wrote to tell the early Church to recall God’s truths. (2 Peter 1:12-13, Romans 15:15)

    The disciples also knew they needed reminding. They spent three years physically walking with Jesus, and it’s clear they always required a lot of reminders from our Lord. They knew what Jesus had taught them; they could indeed repeat it. However, many times throughout their days, He reminded them. It’s almost like they needed a good shake to recall His teachings.

    Pastor Bill has shared this quote from Samuel Johnson several times, and I think it applies. “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”

    Amen to that. If you have kids, you know this is true.

    Many things during our days (especially our smartphones) distract us from the truth, and we naturally think about other things.

    Reminders in Life

    Peter and Paul encouraged their readers that we all need reminders.

    Reminders of God’s goodness are critical when life is hard. We also need reminders of God’s grace and forgiveness when we stumble. Equally important, we need reminders of His holiness when we are sinful idiots.

    We certainly need reminders of God’s provision when finances are tight. Without a doubt, we need a reminder of God’s faithfulness when we are sinned against. And surely, we need a reminder of His peace when anxious. 

    We absolutely need reminders of God’s closeness when we are lonely. At the same time, we need reminders of God’s care when we grieve and God’s promises when we doubt. 

    Ways to Recall His Goodness

    Simply put, we must recall who God is and what He has done.

    So, how do we do that? How do we remind ourselves? This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are some ways to recall God’s truth.

    Read God’s Word (Psalm 143:8; Deuteronomy 6:8-9)

    Let’s dig into God’s Word and decrees. As Deuteronomy 6 says, we should also plaster them around our houses and lives. They’ll remind us daily. 

    Pray (Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 3:4)

    We can pray, cry out, and commune with the Holy Spirit. As a result, it reminds us that we can (and should) “approach the Throne of Grace with confidence” (as Hebrews 4 says).

    Meditate  (Psalm 63:5-8; Psalm 1:1-2)

    We should meditate on God, His Word, and His faithfulness in our lives. In the morning, in the day, in the night. It helps us to recall His truth.

    Be in Fellowship  (Hebrews 10:25; Colossians 3:16)

    Fellowship with Believers should be a priority in our lives. Being with the Body of Christ allows us to be reminded of and spurred on by truth.

    Serve Others (Acts 20:35; Proverbs 11:25

    Taking our eyes off ourselves reminds us of Jesus’ example. Serving others turns our attention from ourselves to God’s ways. 

    May we remember, like Asaph, to recall all that the Lord has done. (Psalm 77:11-15)

    Grace and peace, 

    Caleb

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  2. Prayerful

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    Prayerful — a word by Pastor Billy Johnson from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Are you a prayerful person? Most of us would say we have room to grow in prayer. One of the most encouraging aspects of believers’ lives"

    Are you a prayerful person? Most of us would say we have room to grow in prayer. One of the most encouraging aspects of believers’ lives is pouring out our hearts to God and watching as He responds. There is absolutely no better way for us to communicate our thankfulness, adoration, desires, or grievances with God than through prayer. Yet, for so many of us, it becomes an afterthought. We can also be robotic or neglect to pray altogether.

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  3. Pray About Everything

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    Pray About Everything – a word by Pastor Steve McInroy from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "The right response is to pray about everything. Perhaps you feel like you’re in an uphill battle. Are you distraught, downtrodden, sick,..."

    The right response is to pray about everything. Perhaps you feel like you’re in an uphill battle. Are you distraught, downtrodden, sick, bankrupt, or confused? Oftentimes, life can be utterly brutal. And yet, in the same life, we can also experience the downhill thrill of blessings. Being in love, landing the perfect job, receiving gifts, learning new skills, having children, going on vacation, hearing, tasting, and so on.

    In all our ups and downs, the Apostle Paul encourages us to assume the position of prayer.

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  4. Entrusted

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    Entrusted – a word by Pastor Bill Young from the Rock Church in Draper, UT. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

    “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” — Luke 12:48

    Recently, I taught a message from Romans 3:1-8. Those verses are clear. God entrusts us with His Word. In fact, as disciples, we must unapologetically share the Good News of the Gospel of Grace to a lost world.

    If we want to see lives changed, we need to take personal responsibility for this charge. But, if you are like me, we can often feel like Moses when he complained, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” — Exodus 4:13 (NIV84)

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  5. One Thing

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    One Thing – a word by Pastor Caleb Yetton from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”

    Recently, I spoke about prayer at our monthly meeting for The Rock Men. Preparing for it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”

    Prayer really is a lifeline for Christians. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” It is such an essential and powerful part of our lives. Sadly, it can too easily be put on the back burner in the craziness of life. Simply put, we live in the most distracting time in the history of the world. We have enough content in our phones to fill multiple lifetimes. So, how do we pray more? How do we implement that “one thing”?

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  6. Suffering

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    Suffering A Word from Pastor Billy Johnson

    “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27

    These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold all the way back to the book of Genesis. Isaiah 53 calls Him the “Man of Sorrows”.

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  7. Pray

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    Pray

    Most of us would say we have room to grow in the area of prayer. Ask any Christian (who has a great relationship with God) if they pray much. I guarantee you they’ll tell you that they do. That’s because there’s no other way for us to communicate with God except through prayer. Yet, for some reason, so many of us fall terribly short in our prayer lives.

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  8. Monthly Prayer Request List

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    Did you know that The Rock Church has a Monthly Prayer Request list? It changes each month and you can easily find the link to access it in the weekly ERock Newsletter (it is also on our web site). You can keep up-to-date with all of the needs/requests of The Rock Church and pray for them either by yourself or with someone else! If you’d rather have a paper copy, pick one up at the Storefront or at the Connections Booth today!

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  9. Pray

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    by Steve McInroy

    I’m thankful to be a part of a group of Utah County pastors and leaders who meet monthly, in an effort to build unity and pray together for the cause of Christ. We met last week and spent some time sharing about the different ways each of our ministries were reaching out to our communities. I was very encouraged by all the stories of people trusting God and the creative ideas being implemented. There were so many ministries being led just within the small group of leaders that had attended our prayer time this month.

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