Due to this being our Year of Prayer here at Grace Ministries, we are using the five Sundays in January to kick off the year with a message series on prayer. We started last Sunday looking at the way Jesus prayed and we saw four characteristics that we could apply to our lives. This Sunday we will see the Mansion of Prayer.
We have called this message series PRAY ’10. Now we obviously called this series PRAY ’10 because the year 2010 is our Year of Prayer. But looking at a whole year of prayer might be somewhat overwhelming for some. It is kind of like this. If we were going to leave Lititz today and head to California in our car, it would be overwhelming to count down the miles to California. You would feel like you would never get there. So instead we would start by counting down the miles to Ohio – then Indiana – then Illinois – then Missouri – then Kansas – then Colorado – and so on.
So let’s do the same with PRAY ’10. Instead of it only communicating 2010 as our Year of Prayer, let’s break it down a little bit. Let’s make it something smaller…something more manageable. Let’s say that PRAY 10 simply means a commitment to praying just 10 minutes every day for the entire year. That’s it – just 10 minutes. Not too hard, huh? Can you make it a priority to pray 10 minutes every day this year in a place where it is completely personal – just you and God?
It may seem like just 10 minutes but let’s do some “prayer math.” Get your calculators out and ready:
Counting today there are 359 days left in 2010.
Ten minutes of prayer every day starting today for the rest of the year would result in you spending 3,590 minutes in prayer this year.
Now if just 1,000 people who are part of this ministry did that it would mean that the people of Grace Church would spend 3,590,000 minutes alone with God in prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 59,833 hours of prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 2,493 days of prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 356 weeks of prayer in 2010.
Now, if nothing of eternal importance happens apart from prayer and the people of Grace Church spend 3,630,000 minutes or 60,500 hours, or 2,493 days, or 356 weeks in prayer this year, what do you think might happen in 2010?
If 1,200 people participated in personal prayer with God for 10 minutes every day it gets even better. Now it would equal 4,308,000 minutes in prayer; 71,800 hours in prayer; more than 2,991 days of prayer; more than 427 weeks in prayer – all in 2010.
If 1,500 people participated in personal prayer with God for 10 minutes every day it gets even better. Now it would equal 5,385,000 minutes in prayer; 89,750 hours in prayer; more than 3,739 days of prayer; more than 534 weeks in prayer – all in 2010.
PRAY ’10 – It adds up to something eternal!
We have called this message series PRAY ’10. Now we obviously called this series PRAY ’10 because the year 2010 is our Year of Prayer. But looking at a whole year of prayer might be somewhat overwhelming for some. It is kind of like this. If we were going to leave Lititz today and head to California in our car, it would be overwhelming to count down the miles to California. You would feel like you would never get there. So instead we would start by counting down the miles to Ohio – then Indiana – then Illinois – then Missouri – then Kansas – then Colorado – and so on.
So let’s do the same with PRAY ’10. Instead of it only communicating 2010 as our Year of Prayer, let’s break it down a little bit. Let’s make it something smaller…something more manageable. Let’s say that PRAY 10 simply means a commitment to praying just 10 minutes every day for the entire year. That’s it – just 10 minutes. Not too hard, huh? Can you make it a priority to pray 10 minutes every day this year in a place where it is completely personal – just you and God?
It may seem like just 10 minutes but let’s do some “prayer math.” Get your calculators out and ready:
Counting today there are 359 days left in 2010.
Ten minutes of prayer every day starting today for the rest of the year would result in you spending 3,590 minutes in prayer this year.
Now if just 1,000 people who are part of this ministry did that it would mean that the people of Grace Church would spend 3,590,000 minutes alone with God in prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 59,833 hours of prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 2,493 days of prayer in 2010.
That would be the equivalent of more than 356 weeks of prayer in 2010.
Now, if nothing of eternal importance happens apart from prayer and the people of Grace Church spend 3,630,000 minutes or 60,500 hours, or 2,493 days, or 356 weeks in prayer this year, what do you think might happen in 2010?
If 1,200 people participated in personal prayer with God for 10 minutes every day it gets even better. Now it would equal 4,308,000 minutes in prayer; 71,800 hours in prayer; more than 2,991 days of prayer; more than 427 weeks in prayer – all in 2010.
If 1,500 people participated in personal prayer with God for 10 minutes every day it gets even better. Now it would equal 5,385,000 minutes in prayer; 89,750 hours in prayer; more than 3,739 days of prayer; more than 534 weeks in prayer – all in 2010.
PRAY ’10 – It adds up to something eternal!
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