Monday, January 11, 2010

Weekly Prayer Thought

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 2.20


Did you catch the importance of those words? Come, Lord Jesus! This is the perfect example of an invocation. Invocations call for God’s presence. This is why we typically begin worship services, meetings, meals and such with an invocation. We want to start with God’s presence, for if we start with the presence of the Almighty, we can be more certain of his work throughout our gathering.


When we are at a church service we expect it to begin with some form of prayer. Someone will say something about God and our desire to meet with and worship him. Church board meetings, Bible studies, youth groups and Sunday School classes all begin with an invocation. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We want to remind ourselves that we are committed to God and his work. We want to welcome him to our gathering and submit to his authority.


But there are other times that we should offer an invocation, asking God to be present.

  • We should pray an invocation first thing every morning.
  • We should pray an invocation at doctor appointments and other personal events.
  • We should say an invocation at family gatherings.
  • We need to ask God to be with us when we get into the car for a trip.
  • We need to pray for God’s presence as we have conversations with friends, acquaintances and co-workers.
  • We should be praying for God’s presence all the time.


And notice one more thing: The invocation in this passage, Revelation 2.20, is one of the last verses in the Bible. We need to not limit our invocations to the beginning of a day, event, service or meeting. We need to be praying for God’s presence all the way through. Pray for God to be present even to the end.


Prayer: Be present with me today, Lord. Stay with me. Reveal yourself to me. Work in my life. Help me to live in your presence, even as I continue to invite your presence in my world. Amen.

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