This resolution of Daily United Prayer is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every day to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.
"But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see." Deuteronomy 3:28.
We came back from a very busy two days in NYC with some PRTS students doing an internship there with Bill Jones of NYGM. It is difficult to put into words just how fruitful it was spending time with these young men—praying with them, meditating on the Word with them, eating with them, and just walking and talking with them. Zoom is great. But nothing can take the place of in-person fellowship. In my mind, the word that best describes our time together would be ENCOURAGEMENT. They told us that we were an immense encouragement to them, and they most certainly were to us.
The above passage is an instruction to Moses regarding Joshua. But it is not limited to Moses. It is an instruction to us all. It was not in God's purpose to have Moses enter into the Promised Land, but Joshua would lead the people in. Spiritually, it's a beautiful picture that teaches us that none can enter into Heaven by the works of the law, but by Jesus Christ. "He shall cause them to inherit the land."
But it is also filled with practical instruction for us in that we are to be busy encouraging and strengthening the next generation. I was thinking, HOW do we strengthen the next generation? By encouraging them! When we are encouraged, there is a strength that fills our soul. There's a spring in our step. A wind in our sails. But what does encouragement entail? Simply put, we are to encourage young people to seek the Lord with all their heart and to meditate on God's Word day and night. It seems like a simple thing but it's not so simple to do. In a world that is pulling them in every direction (especially in a place like NYC), it will take constant encouragement to persist in this most basic admonition. And, friends, this is what we need here in these United Prayer times as well. We need encouragement to persist in seeking the Lord with all our heart, day by day. The flesh would say, stop. Unbelief would say, prayer doesn't work. But when we encounter anyone with such a spirit, like Moses, let us "encourage and strengthen him" in this most vital exercise.
DAILY UNITED PRAYER unitedprayer.net
Mon-Fri @ 12pm EDT // Sat @ 10am EDT
We invite you to join our dedicated and earnest group of praying participants of all ages from around the world that meet every day over Zoom to pray. At the start of each prayer call, a different individual will bring a brief Scriptural meditation. Here's the most recent:
