The LCPC VBS Prayer Train is at the midpoint
now and cresting the summit and we should be able to have a long view ahead of us
to see the finishing point and still be able to look back over the tracks we used to
get here.
I
have been using Ashley’s suggested prayers, a series of prayer areas for the
five weeks leading up to VBS, which she put in the VBS Leader Booklet. I’ve
taken the daily scripture and stories that will be used during the five days
and outlined them in the posts to give you all an understanding of what is
being taught in order to give you a more focused approach to your prayers for
the week of VBS. And, it will give you the added blessing of being a part of
our week.
During week one we prayed for understanding
to rest on the children and wisdom upon the teachers. We followed that up with
a week of prayer for trust in God’s timing and patience. This week the call is
to pray for the children to know that Jesus is all powerful and uses His power
to help them because He loves them. With that we pray for the VBS staff to
find ways to show Christ’s power.
Our scripture for Wednesday of VBS week is
John 14:27 where Jesus says, “27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do
not be afraid.”
Here, Jesus had been instructing the disciples and telling
them of the Holy Spirit that will be coming upon them after His resurrection.
Jesus has calmed storms, fed the multitudes, and performed many signs and
wonders and knows that when he leaves to be with the Father the disciples will
face trials and tribulations that will rock them to the core. Jesus leaves us
with peace, not as the world gives but a peace that surpasses all understanding
– thus our need for the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday’s story is Jesus calming the storm and we take
the account from Mark printed below:
Jesus
Calms the Storm
Mark 4: 35-41 (NIV)
“35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was,
in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious
squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly
swamped. 38Jesus was
in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher,
don’t you care if we drown?’
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said
to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’
41They were terrified and asked each
other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’
When I look at this story and see that Jesus quiets the
storm and then questions the disciples on their faith and wondering at their
fear I have to ask myself how Jesus would have preferred it then and how he
wants me to go through the storms of life now. Are we to pray for the storm to
cease? Or, rather do we pray for the peace of Jesus to be on us so that we can
walk through the storm without fear? For me, I think it is the later. Storms
will come and go but Christ’s peace should be on us no matter what. No easy
task there so my prayer is for God to grant that I can walk in peace in the
midst of the storm and project that peace for those I am around.
A couple of decades ago our Youth Ministries used a summer
theme of “Fear Not!” working off of Nike’s trademarked “No Fear” campaign. I
loved this theme and the scripture we used and I’ll close my call to pray for
VBS and this post with it. Here is a command from God as given us by Isaiah.
Isaiah 43:5 (ESL): “Fear not, for I am with you.”
In His grip,
jerry
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