ChristianCrusaders.org E-Preview
July 20, 2008

For whom do you pray?
Temptation, hardship, a renewed commitment to Christ – all are reasons to turn to God in prayer. In this week’s sermon, we focus our thoughts on three petitions of King David and talk about when it is appropriate to pray for ourselves.

Sermon: “Pray for Yourself"

Scripture: Psalm 86

Hear, O Lord, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.

You are my God; save your servant

who trusts in you.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant,

for to you, O Lord,

I lift up my soul.

 You are forgiving and good, O Lord,

abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, O Lord;

listen to my cry for mercy.

In the day of my trouble I will call to you,

for you will answer me.

 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;

no deeds can compare with yours.

All the nations you have made

will come and worship before you, O Lord;

they will bring glory to your name.

For you are great and do marvelous deeds;

you alone are God.

 Teach me your way, O Lord,

and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

            that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

 The arrogant are attacking me, O God;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life –

men without regard for you.

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy on me;

grant your strength to your servant

and save the son of your maidservant.

Give me a sign of your goodness,

that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Renewing Reflections
We hope Renewing Reflections will strengthen you in the week ahead. These quotes are taken from the sermon “Lord, Teach Me How to Pray – for Myself,“ delivered by Rev. Homer Larsen on Christian Crusaders on June 30, 2002

“While I have prayed all of my life, I still feel like a real amateur when it comes to prayer – and especially praying for myself. Listen to your prayers for yourself and note how immature some of them are. It is not that what we pray is wrong; It is that they lack in depth. They do not get at the real problem and let the depth of our souls speak out. . . .  In the 18th chapter of Jeremiah, there is a beautiful picture of the potter and the clay. God tells Jeremiah to go to the potter’s shed and watch him work. He works with the rough edges of the clay and forms it just the way He wants it to be. Then God says, “O Israel, can I not do with you as the potter does with the clay?”

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We Want to Hear from You
This e-mail is designed to give you information about the upcoming broadcast that is not available anywhere else. The weekly letter also gives us a chance to share news about our site and our ministry. We’d love to hear any suggestions you might have for ways we can improve our site and e-newsletter. Thank you for visiting www.christiancrusaders.org.