Pray with us... (Thursday letter)

Hey, Beloved… Will you join us in prayer? Tonight from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., the Elders are gathering at the church to seek the face of God once again about the future of Mt. Hope, and in particular, the big decision our congregation will be making on Sunday. We would love for you to join us for any (or all) of our time together tonight. Come pray with us (come and go as you like) as we seek God for wisdom, provision, guidance, resource, and most importantly, His anointing.  
 
But why do we need to pray? Don’t we already know what God is doing? Do we really need to ask Him for something He already has in the works? Great questions. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
 BUT first… the reminder details… 
 

• THIS Sunday we conclude a week-long prayer focus to seek the Lord for our next decision about our potential facility expansion--whether or not to proceed into the costly technical design and construction permitting phase of the project. We do not want to make this decision without the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and His anointing. 

 

• TONIGHT (Thursday) we invite everyone to join Elders Meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. (*Come and go as you like); we will devote the entire evening to seeking God in the sanctuary for His provision, wisdom, and empowerment. 

 

• Then… THIS Sunday morning, March 1, we are calling everyone to join us early for church--9:15 a.m. for a 25-minute prayer meeting to call upon the Lord. 

 

• Then… right after church, we will gather once again for final discussions, Q&A, and a vote of our Covenant Partners on whether or not to proceed and commit significant funds to the next phase of the project. 

 

• Important reminder for our Covenant Partners—new this year, all Covenant Partners must renew their partnership at our Annual Celebration or shortly thereafter. If you were not in attendance for that meeting three weeks ago, we simply ask you review the livestream from the meeting, and then click here to download the Covenant Partnership form and bring it to us on Sunday. 

 
Other important stuff to know: 
 

• Please stay vigilant against ongoing email scams some bad guys are attacking our Mt. Hope email list with. I will NEVER email you to ask you to do something for me because “I am in a meeting and need your help….” Our online church directory has been hacked, and they are using sophisticated means, fake email addresses, and my picture to trick you into thinking I am reaching out for help. If I need help from you, I will call you. Do NOT respond to email requests for help!  

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 

• Also… please note, our Daily Six reminder emails are coming from a new dedicated Daily Six email address. If you don’t see it in your inbox and you are a subscriber, check your spam folder or let us know! 

 

• Teens: Youth Group after service on Sunday, 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Snacks, connection, discussion and prayer. Let us know if your student needs a ride home. 

 

• NEXT Saturday, March7: FIRE Worship Night, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner, connection, music, devotional & discussion. Our theme is BELONGING. Friends are welcome! 

 

• Young Adults: Come hang out with Chris and Sherri (and each other!) at their home, TOMORROW, Friday night, February 27, 6:30 p.m. – whenever. Yummy food and great fellowship included. Text or call Sherri at 571-437-3127 for details and to RSVP! 

 
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… 
 
BUT…  
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts 
 
Why do we need to pray about everything going on? Hasn’t God already directed our course? Don’t we already have a collective impression of what He wants us to do? Isn’t the momentum among our people obvious? Don’t we already have a solid plan that we are convinced God is leading us to? 
 
This is exactly why we need to pray. 
 
“To a man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue” (Proverbs 16:1). 
 
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). 
 
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end is leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). 
 
You might have read these passages earlier this week if you were with us on The Daily Six. (If not, click here to jump in and hear the impression God has been giving me over the last many weeks.) 
 
You see, prayer is not simply asking God to do what we want God to do. In fact, that’s really not godly prayer at all. Oh, we’ve mastered the art of telling God what we want. We know how to make a list, and “please, Mr. God, would you do it this way?” 
 
I think God might recoil a bit when we pray like this. 
 
Last Saturday at the Guys Growing Godlier men’s conference a few of us attended, my good friend John Ackerman so wisely put it this way: “Prayer is not about getting God to provide me as much comfort in my life as divinely possible. God does not work at my beck and call. Prayer is not about getting better and better at getting God to do what I want Him to do… what I think He should do because I already know what needs to be done.” 
 
Oh… and this is important: “Prayer is neither magical incantation nor mere ritual; it is relational conversation grounded in faith.” 
 
Prayer is not asking God to do things. It is seeking God for His direction, wisdom, provision, and guidance for the plans He has for us (see Jeremiah 29:11-13). It is searching for His voice—that SO quiet internal impression that the Holy Spirit is speaking. Prayer is a conversation where we listen more than we talk, where we surrender more than we press for something, where we bask in God’s love more than we hunger for a particular outcome. 
 
So yes… we are gathering tonight to pray. Not to ask, but to seek (see Matthew 6:33). Not to get God to do anything, but to hear God’s heart. 
 
Would you join us? Tonight, anytime from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Or Sunday at 9:15 a.m. Or pray on your own at home (click here for recommended prayer points).  
 
Let’s seek the Lord together in bold surrender, calling on Him to be near to us. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). Not because we got the incantation right, but because we got our hearts right before the Lord. 
 
I can’t wait to be in God’s Word with you on Sunday as we begin a new mini-series exploration of “Finding the Heart of God,” Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
[email protected] ​