International
Day of Prayer
March
01, 2008
2008 – Resource Packet
In the Morning!
Written by
Raquel C. Arrais
General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventist
Women’s Ministries Associate Director
Prepared by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist
Women’s Ministries Department
Table of
Contents
Introduction 3
Order of Service 4
Sermon 5
Children Story 11
Extra
Resources 12
When you Reclaim Your Mornings for
Christ 12
Praying Together Activity 13
Someone is Praying for You 17
Prayer Quotes from Ellen White 19
God Always Answers Prayer 21
My Dear Sisters:
The time has come once again for us to focus on the importance of prayer in our lives and in this ministry. I am particularly excited about this year’s International Women’s Day of Prayer packet which is filled with many resources and ideas you can use to enhance this day. This packet, “In the Morning” was written and compiled by Raquel Arrais, General Conference Women’s Ministries associate director and focuses on the importance of spending time with God each day.
Ellen G. White writes “Praying together will bind hearts to God in bonds that will endure…” Testimonies for the Church p175. In these days of uncertainty, trials, fear, and turmoil; prayer has become vital to our daily existence and peace of mind. The promise in these words surely gives us courage to face each day knowing that God binds us to Himself and nothing and no one can sever that bond.
As Women’s Ministries Leaders the task is yours to encourage your sisters to have a deep and meaningful relationship with God. And what better way to begin than with prayer. The task we have been called to do in touching hearts and telling the world about Jesus is great and it is only by binding our hearts to God’s heart will we receive the power we need for this time.
This year we are asking that you pray for your sisters in the North American Division, the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, and the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. In particular we seek your prayers in the areas of family challenges, single women, single parents, and widows. You can visit our website at http://wm.gc.adventist.org and find out more about the work in these and other divisions of our world church.
Remember, God is our Jehovah-jireh—our Provider—and He is able to provide all we ask for and so much more. So pray with faith, pray with belief, pray with confidence knowing that “God will supply all our needs…” Philippians 4:13.
Blessings and joy to you,
Heather-Dawn Small
Director
A Suggested Order of Service
Women’s Ministries Day of
Prayer
March 1, 2008
Prelude
Call to Worship:
Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, 701
“Shout Joyfully to the Lord”
Invocation
Hymn of Praise
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”, SDA Hymnal, 12
Scripture
Offering
Prayer for the
Offering and pastoral prayer: use this time to pray for the world’s women and
especially Adventist women as they meet and pray together. Open and close this
time with music.
Children’s Story
“A Gift of Sacrifice”
Special Music
Sermon: “In the
Morning!”
Hymn of Response
“Give me Jesus”
SDA Hymnal, 305
Benediction
Sharing the “Blessing Prayer” members of the congregation move around
shaking each other’s hand saying:
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you,
and give you peace”
Postlude
Sermon
In the Morning
By Raquel Arrais
Welcome
and Introduction to Sermon
Introduction
In the morning, when I rise,In the morning, when I riseIn the morning, when I rise,Give me Jesus. Chorus:
Give me Jesus,Give me Jesus,You can have all this worldBut give me Jesus. This
is a beautiful American Negro Spiritual,
#305 in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.
Each
one of us has had restless nights due to stress and worry about the coming
day. It happened to David. He had been
running from Absalom, and at Manaheim his men were sent out to stop the
Israelite army. Most likely Psalm 5 was written that morning. As David got up
that morning he felt powerless and knew he had nowhere else to turn but to God
in prayer. As we study this song, which is a prayer, notice how David lifted up
this prayer to God.
Psalms chapter 5, verse
3, in the NIV says: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my
voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and I wait in expectation.”
The New Living
translation expresses it: “Listen to my
voice in the morning Lord; each
morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.”
And the New King James
Version reads “My voice you shall hear in
the morning, O Lord; in the morning
I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”
Three different versions
with the same message
The Morning Factor
There
is just something special about starting our day with the Lord. David obviously
thought so, not only as recorded in Psalm 5:3, but we find in other places in
the psalms that mornings were special times for him.
”But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in
the morning my prayer comes before you” Psalms 88:13 (NIV).
“I rise before dawn and cry for help” Psalms
119:147 (NIV).
Have
you ever heard someone say, “I am a morning person”? There are a lot of people
who really like mornings, and the reason is because they like quietness.
The
world today seems to grow louder day by day, and sometimes our senses seem to
be invaded at every turn. Our task is to find moments of silence, of reverence
in a world filled with noise. That is why many people look forward for
mornings. It is in the morning that they feel more relaxed, and their minds are
more organized to start the day. It is in the morning that they find silence in
their private world so they can be in their favorite spot while the world still
sleeps. Sometimes when we finish a day,
there are moments when we think we have no more energy. We are tired,
exhausted, looking for rest and a good night of sleep; there is no time for
anything else.
1. In the Morning Pray: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice…
The
psalmist’s advice for us today is: in the morning pray and give all your cares
to Jesus. Why in the morning? One of the
reasons is that when we wake up, our mind is rested, calm and free of worries,
so if we pray, we not only will have quiet time with God but also we will be
able to listen to His voice. When we
begin each morning with heads bowed and hearts lifted, we remind ourselves of
God’s love and His protection.
Ellen
White advises us, “Consecrate your
Steps
to Christ, p. 70
In
other words she is saying, when we lose the morning we lose the day. When we
lose the day, we forget to pray. When we forget to pray, we lose the way.
2. In the Morning Wait: “in the
morning I lay my requests before you and
I wait in expectation.”
This
is one more element in the text that David urges us to do in order to get an
answer from God: wait in expectation.
Waiting is very hard to do, especially when years go by and our dreams and
plans have not yet been fulfilled. In fact, we may spend much of our lives
waiting for direction.
But
David says here, I "wait in expectation"
We
need to take time to wait. It is in the waiting that we will actually hear
God’s voice...we will sense His presence... and we will understand exactly what
He wants us to do.
However,
here in the Psalm the emphasis seems not to be so much on the waiting and
patience, but it seems to emphasize David’s total dependence on God. “I ....
wait in expectation.” His emphasis is not so much on time as on the person he
was waiting for, His God, the one he had total dependence upon!
The
American Heritage Dictionary offers
this definition of wait: “To remain inactive or stay in one spot until
something anticipated occurs or to be in state of readiness.”
In
another words, David is saying, “Do not run. Do not rush. Do not despair. Be
still. God knows what is best. Trust in Him.”
Ellen
White says, “There are precious promises
in the Scriptures to those who wait upon the Lord. We all desire an immediate
answer to our prayers and are tempted to become discouraged if our prayer is
not immediately answered. Now, my experience has taught me that this is a great
mistake. The delay is for our special benefit. We have a chance to see whether
our faith is true and sincere or changeable like the waves of the sea. We must
bind ourselves upon the altar with the strong cords of faith and love, and let
patience have her perfect work. Faith strengthens through continual exercise.
This waiting does not mean that because we ask the Lord to heal there is
nothing for us to do. On the contrary, we are to make the very best use of the
means which the Lord in His goodness has provided for us in our
necessities.” Counsels on Health, p.
381.
In
Hebrew the expression “wait in expectation” literally means “look up,” waiting
for an answer from above with patience even if God is showing you a different
plan.
For
many of us this is hard because nobody likes waiting patiently. Pressure is everywhere, and there is no time to wait in
line. But in terms of spiritual growth, waiting patiently helps us to grow in
our faith. This is very important because the Christian life is
a life of faith.
3.
In the Morning Believe
Genuine believers trust God and exercise confidence
in God. They believe the Word of God and act upon it no matter how they feel,
because God promises a good result. When I’m doing that, I am going forward in
a phenomenal way spiritually. When I am not doing that, I am going backward and
losing ground and falling away from God.
When God says, “Do not be afraid. Just trust me”
(Mark 5:36), He is giving us a lesson of the greatest importance. When praying
alone in the presence of God, we must trust implicitly in the love of God and
in the power of the Lord Jesus. Jesus gives grace for each new day, and our
faith must reach out according to the need of the day. Jesus often taught His
disciples how indispensable faith was to true prayer. He will teach us as well.
We need to persevere. As Psalm 145:2 (
It is a step forward in the Christian life when you
seek to have fellowship with God in His
word each day without fail. Faith and perseverance will be crowned with success
if you are really sincere. The experience may be somewhat as follows:
- When you wake up in the morning, set apart a time for prayer and
resolve to give God time to hear requests and to reveal Him
- Later on in the day, even if only a few minutes, take time to keep
up the fellowship with God.
- In the evening, take time to reflect on the day’s work and, with
confession of sin, receive the assurance of forgiveness. Then commit your
What a beautiful way
to be in His presence all day.
There is a song we all know very well that helps us
to remember how important it is to be in prayer. Let’s sing together.
“Sweet hour of
prayer, sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father’s throne,
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of
distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.”
Dr Larry Keefauver, in his book When God Doesn’t Heal Now, p. 162 provides
a helpful list of ways for a Christian to pray. He urges us to:
- Pray humbly
- Pray boldly, persisting in faith
- Pray continually
- Pray in faith for your need
- Pray for others
- Pray with praise
- Pray in His name and will
- Pray to receive
- Pray with another in agreement
- Pray the Word
We must realize that we have no power on our own to
maintain our spiritual life. Daily we need to receive new grace from heaven
through fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
In the morning look up, claim God, listen, wait and
find help under His wings. There is no better place to be.
Ellen White
says, “Make every effort to keep open the communion between Jesus
and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go where prayer is wont to be
made. Those who are really seeking for communion with God will be seen in the
prayer meeting, faithful to do their duty, and earnest and anxious to reap all
the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing
themselves where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.” Steps to Christ, p. 94
It is so wonderful that in our busy life God does
not give up on us. He doesn’t stop listening, doesn’t stop caring, doesn’t stop
answering prayers whenever and however we manage to bring them, and He can use
even the most hesitant, awkward prayer as a tool for our ongoing redemption.
If we only throw him occasional “flash prayers” or
only turn to him when we need something, He will still listen our prayers and
take us from there.
If we can manage only 15 minutes a day, He will
honor our faithfullness in those 15 minutes and use that time to draw us closer
to Him.
If we need a tool to focus our minds and discipline
our prayers, He will bless us abundantly through that.
In fact, the more time we spend with Him, the
better we will get to know Him, and the more freely His love will flow to our
lives.
Conclusion
The
brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could take his telescope and
look millions and millions of miles into space. Then he added, "But when I
lay it aside, go into my room, shut the door, and get down on my knees in
earnest prayer, I see more of Heaven and feel closer to the Lord than if I were
assisted by all the telescopes on earth."
As we draw close to God, he draws close to us. This is what prayer does in our spiritual
journey.
Appeal
If
you are praying and waiting in expectation for an answer from God, do not give
up. Listen to the one who says
everything will be all right, and keep praying and waiting. God is not
sleeping. He is with you today as you face all your challenges. He is saying to
you today, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end”
Prayer
To be in your presence
To sit at your feet
Where your love surrounds
me
And makes me complete.
To rest in your presence
Not rushing away
To cherish each moment
Here would I stay
AMEN
Children’s
Story
“A Gift of
Sacrifice”
Hannah
was a good woman who loved God. But she was sad, for she had no children. Each
year, her husband took her to a place called
She prayed so hard her mouth moved, but no words
came out. A priest asked if she was drunk. "No," she said. "I'm
pouring my heart out to God."
"May you find favor in God's eyes," said
the priest.
The following year, Hannah couldn't make the trip
to
She happily cared for Samuel until he was old
enough to leave her. Then she kept her promise to God, and took Samuel to live
with the priests in
It must have been difficult for Hannah to keep her
promise, but she did by presenting Samuel to Eli the priest.
She
stayed in close contact with Samuel. But she did let go of Samuel and gave him
back to God.
It's easy to get "selfish"
with the gifts God gives to us. We want to hold onto them, keeping them for
ourselves. But, like Hannah, when we give God that which is most precious to
us, we can trust him with it. And God always gives back much more
God gave Hannah many more children. And Hannah was
happy to know that Samuel was growing up in
If you are asking something of God, He will listen
to you. Keep praying, believing Jesus loves you and never will leave you alone.
Dear Jesus, thank you for hearing our prayers. Help
us to hear You and obey You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
When You
Reclaim Your Mornings for Christ
When you reclaim your mornings
for Christ:
You say “Good morning Lord” instead of “Good Lord, it’s morning.”
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
Your words no longer fall on deaf ears but they rise on eagles wings.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You no longer wander aimlessly but instead you follow faithfully
When you reclaim your mornings
for Christ:
You no longer while away [waste away] the hours, now you redeem the time for
eternity.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer rejected like an orphan, but you are accepted as a daughter.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You no longer live in fear but you face fear by the power of
the cross.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer looked at with suspicion but you are called and then
commissioned.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer satisfied with survival, you hunger for revival.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
It’s no longer us and them, but it’s Jesus coming again.
It’s no longer who I am, but Whose I am.
It’s no longer where I’ve been, but where I’m going.
It’s not about who I know, but Who I follow.
It’s not about “Out of my way”, but it’s about, “Can I help you find the Way?”
(source: www.annointed.net)
Praying Together Activity
Jesus promised that
when people gathered together in His name to pray, things would get done.
The activity can be done on Sabbath afternoon
program or Friday night. As you plan the weekend of prayer activities, these
are good ideas to involve people in prayer, intercession, praise, and
adoration.
All the exercises are provided for group use, but
you can do them with the church also.
(All the scripture readings are from
Activity 1: Two Kinds of Prayer
Scripture
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You
that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I
give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as
raise his eyes to heaven,
but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man
went down to his house justified rather
than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted” Luke 18: 9-14.
Prayer Activity #1
The
passage above is about the Pharisee and the tax collector, and the object is
for members of the group to pray for one another as they see themselves in the
light of both attitudes.
Begin
the prayer activity by having the passage read aloud. Then have the group
divide up into pairs. One person will pretend to be a very proud religious
leader who, like the Pharisee, seems to be “God’s man” and is well respected in
the religious community. The other person will adopt the attitude of, let us
say, a repentant criminal or someone with AIDS. Like the tax collector, he
doesn’t seem to be “God’s man” and is disliked by the community.
So
often, we Christians lose the humility our name advertises. This frequently
occurs with groups. Can you think of ways in which judgmentalism or a
“superior” attitude may be undermining your group’s prayers? Close the activity
with a time of prayer to ask God to help your group become more humble,
especially by holding ever before you the grace by which we all stand before
God, grace truly undeserved and … amazing.
Hymn: “Amazing Grace”, SDA Hymnal, 108
Activity 2 – Remembering People far Off
Scripture
“I Thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine making request for you all
with joy, 5for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day
until now, 6being confident of
this very thing, that He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ; 7just as it is right
for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as
both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of
grace. 8For God is my witness,
how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in
knowledge and all discernment, 10that you may approve
the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till
the day of Christ, 11being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and
praise of God.” Philippians 1:3-11
Prayer Activity #2
The
apostle Paul has written a letter to Christians whom he had not seen in a long
time. They were special to him, and it was a letter of thanksgiving and joy for
the ways that the Philippians had helped him. Have everyone in the group think
of people who live far away, perhaps overseas or in another state, and let it
be the people who have been a good influence in their lives.
Here
is a way everyone in the group can send a prayer letter to God for their far
away friends or loved ones. Begin by having the above passage read aloud. Then
go around the group and have each person pray for a farway friend by putting
Paul’s prayer in his own words, addressing it to God. Each person may want to
stop and highlight one or two of the verses that seem especially appropriate.
You
may long to see this friend, yet your love and affection for the person can go
up to God in prayer as you remember them in the group. Your love for the person
in prayer may result in your friend’s greater love and service to God. This is
what Paul wanted for his friends, and the way in which he prayed for it is bold
and rich.
Hymn: “Near to the Heart
of God”, SDA Hymnal, 495
Activity 3- Remembering the
Suffering
“Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all
our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5For as the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6Now if we are
afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings
which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7And our hope for
you is steadfast, because
we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation”
II Cor 1: 2-7.
“And He said to
me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me” II Cor 12:9.
Prayer Activity #3
Here
the group will pray for people who are hurting or suffering, be it physical,
emotional, or spiritual affliction. The object of this group prayer will be
both for healing from pain and suffering, and for the person to be comforted by
God the Father in the midst of affliction. That is the point of the passages,
and it is reinforced by God’s revelation that His grace will never be
insufficient.
A
suggestion, then, is to have the passages read aloud, and then go around the
group with each person praying for one or two people. Prayer could be made that
the suffering would receive strength, encouragement, and hope, If it is a
non-Christian being prayed for, prayer could be said that the person would find
God in the midst of the ordeal. Prayer could also be said that the person would
have opportunities to be an encouragement to others who suffer in similar ways.
No
one likes to suffer, and this is a very practical way to pray for those who are
afflicted. You may never know what their hardships are like, but you can
empathize in prayer for God to bring comfort.
Hymn: “Blessed
Assurance”, SDA Hymnal, 462
Activity 4: Remembering Our
Scripture
“Then the eleven
disciples went away into
Prayer Activity #4
Devote a group prayer
time to prayer guided by this command. Take time to establish the context for
the prayer by having the group read Matthew 28:16-20— out loud. Mention this
simple job description Jesus gave to each one of us: Go, make disciples, teach
and baptize. Then, pray for the challenges we have today as we touch a heart
and tell the word. Ask each one of the group to pray for the six challenges
women face: Poverty, Abuse, Illiteracy, Woman’s Workload, Threats to Health,
Lack of Training and Leadership Opportunities. Close the activity asking the
Holy Spirit to enable each one to be involved with our mission: “Touch a Heart,
Tell the World.”
Hymn: “So Send I You”,
SDA Hymnal, 578
Source (Into His Presence: Spiritual Disciplines for
Inner Life, Ian Bunting general editor, Thomas nelson Publishers, 1993).
Someone Is Praying For You
Somewhere someone's praying
Down upon their knees
Lifting you before the
Throne
With love and gentle pleas
Asking God to give you
strength
To face another day
And when the night is
darkest
Shine light upon your way
Somewhere someone's kneeling
To whisper your name in
prayer
Knowing that you need to
feel
God's love and tender care
They intercede on your
behalf
Because they love you so
Knowing that you have a need
To their Father they will go
They pray when you're not
able
To speak a single word
What peace there is in
knowing
Their prayers will be heard
They lay you on the altar
As they kneel there at His
feet
Giving all your cares to Him
There at the mercy seat