Once per month or so, Fallon’s faith leaders offer their thoughts on faith and life. Any church or faith community of any kind is welcome and encouraged to participate. We have room for just a few in each column, and so we will publish in a rotation. If you have ideas for topics we should write about, or if you are a faith leader and would like to participate, please call Pastor Dawn Blundell at Epworth UMC, 775-423-4714.
THIS MONTH’S QUESTION: WHY DO YOU PRAY?
Pastor Brennen Behimer, Parkside Bible Fellowship
www.parksidebible.com, 775-423-3855
Drive-in and online worship Sunday mornings at 9:30am on Facebook Live
Christians pray in obedience to commands like that in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing!” Almighty God has given us the privilege and commandment to confess our sins to Him, make requests, and seek His blessing in prayer. We pray because God is in charge of all things and has the power to work as He wills in any situation, or even heart. Prayer forces us to realize and submit to the fact that, since He is in charge, we are not. Christians are ultimately comforted by being reminded in prayer that God is “working all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11), which includes any situation I am praying about. He is in charge. I am not. I can trust what He will do! Thus, prayer helps us not lose heart because it keeps our hope firmly placed in God’s activity, and not in my circumstances.
The Very Reverend Trudy Erquiaga, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
775-423-3551
Morning prayer online on Sunday and Wednesday mornings, call for details
“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit…” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Prayer transpires when we embrace the presence of God in our lives. God removes the veil (as with Moses) and meets us ‘face to face’. In this sacred space with God, we share stories of our lives and the lives of others: giving thanks for the many blessings, seeking healing for the wounded, pardon for misdeeds, and guidance as we revel in our relationship with God as a living companion. In silence we absorb God’s love and grace. Transformed by this personal encounter, our lives shine brighter as we reflect the Glory of God in others.
President Cary Jaques, Councilor
Fallon Nevada Stake, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
With the world in an abundance of turmoil and uncertainty, it’s obvious we can’t control what’s happening in the world around us any more than we can control the temperature outside. All we can control is ourselves. The rest we leave in God’s hands.
As our loving Father in heaven, God delights in answering our prayers, but prayer is more than a spiritual shopping list. We pray to express gratitude for the matchless blessings that He has already given us and others. We pray for peace and healing of heart and body. We petition the Lord for those things we and others need and even some of our desires. The true purpose in praying is to build a relationship with him. It’s a communication which includes listening and pondering as much as supplication. Praying quiets the noise and distractions of daily life and as we truly listen, we will hear Him.
Reverend Dawn Blundell, Epworth UMC
www.epworthfallon.org, 775-423-4714
Drive-in and online worship Sunday mornings at 9:00am, Facebook Live and KVLV Radio AM980 for the sermon beginning at 9:30am
The Bible mentions prayer hundreds of times, in every imaginable circumstance. Prayer is described as dancing, singing, being still in silence, crying out in sorrow or fear or anger or joy. Paul, who wrote a lot of the letters that are collected in the last part of the Bible, writes in Philippians 4 that we don’t need to worry about a single thing, because we can bring our prayers to God. For a Christian, that’s great to know, and an important reminder. For a person who isn’t sure what they believe, the fact that it’s in the Bible carries quite a bit less weight, I’m sure. So I can say this, from a personal perspective: prayer changes things, literally. I don’t know why or how, but it does. Every time. And most of all, it changes me.
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