Joy

Lord God,

You are God and there is no God like you. In your hands are all power and authority and no one can hold back what you have decreed. You are a good, just, and loving God, perfect in all Your ways. You are my God; in You will I place my hope and find my joy. Yet my faith so often falters and my joy can so easily be swept away, for I live in a world that is fallen and my mind perceives so little of all that you have planned.

You command all who hope in You to rejoice always. Indeed, frequently am I told from the Word to rejoice in the Lord. This is easy when Your blessings abound, when You are a hedge about me and when my life passes with pleasure because of your goodness poured out to me. Then I am compelled to sing of Your great love and the beauty of Your grace. But what do I do with books like Job and Lamentations? Was not Job the most righteous man on the earth and yet calamity and hardship came upon him as You, O Lord, allowed? In Lamentations, did you not bring your people down to destruction and no longer hear their pleas for help because they forsook You for idols? Were such trials to befall me, would I then be free from the charge of joyfulness? Could I then give full vent to my pain and call to question the actions and purposes of the Lord? Is it possible to have joy when You have turned Your back to me and have caused me to wander in darkness and sorrow apart from you?

What then shall I say? Am I to accept good from the Lord and not evil as well? Hope has not utterly abandoned me nor has joy completely forsaken me that I should cease to seek You. Even then, this one fact remains: God is God as much now as He was in the past and will be in the future. You do not change. I know that Your faithfulness is great and Your mercies never fail. I know that You are completely righteous and just. You are also loving and compassionate. You are sovereign. In these truths I shall find my rest and my salvation.

Again, have not all things that befall me been decreed by You, O Lord? Though I would cry out in my affliction for lack of understanding and seek to justify myself by my own righteousness, I will be silenced before Your awesomeness. I am but a creature and do not even fathom the workings of this physical world. Yet You hold the world together so that it endures. How then would I be able to understand Your plans for all eternity, as it has been set forth by Your wisdom, where You to explain it all to me? So then, I am unable to question or call to account Your decrees, for You answer to no man and no one can thwart the working out of Your plan in the power and might of Your holiness.

So even in our afflictions, I will cling to the Lord. Though my years pass away as a sigh and I go down to death in trouble and sorrow, I shall still have joy in You. Such joy is not rooted in my merit or what has come to pass in my life but on the eternal and awesome character of my God. I know that He is just and will do right. As for those who pass from this world; the time is coming when they will have to stand before the judgment seat of God with their eternal destiny in the balance. To those who know You and follow You even to the grave, You will grant eternal life and pleasures from Your right hand. To them falls the blessing as heirs of God to dwell forever with You. Only then will I learn to see aright the Your goodness in my life. Whatever trials I may endure, whatever hardships I may suffer, whatever injustice may be committed against me; all will pail before the mercy seat of my Savior. The Lord is mighty to save and will not forever withhold His justice and His love from those who fear Him. In this truth I find hope and in my God I will delight. Indeed, such knowledge is too wonderful for me and so I will silent to wait upon You. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Amen

Levi Daniel Swartzentruber - Testimony to God

It has occured to me that while I have written on this blog for a while now, I have not ever gotten down to the business of telling you who I am and how I got here.

Some may see me as a picture-perfect poster child Christian: godly parents, generally obedient, intelligent… Such a superficial look at my life would dishonor the Savior who sanctifies me by His perfect grace. And so I would like to lead you on a little of the journey that has brought me to today.

My life is a testimony to the blessings and mercies of the Lord. From day one, my godly parents and extended family were pointing me to Him. I know I have been prayed for regularly since then and have no doubt that my life is a direct answer to their prayers.

I was saved when I was about five at vacation bible school. I don’t remember now who spoke or who prayed with me, but they too were blessings from God. I finally understood a few very important things: I was a sinner. I was going to hell for my sins. That scared me. Jesus Christ died to pay for my sins. If I would accept His gift and give Him lordship of my life, I would be saved. So I prayed to do just that.

Salvation. An awesome thought. I was as much an enemy of God as Paul and though my conversion was far less dramatic, it was no less a sovereign act of Christ. I have been forgiven much and I must frequently remind myself of the truth lest I so easily forget what Jesus did and harden my heart against my Savior.

That was the start of the journey. Thankfully, God was not content to leave me as I was that day seventeen years ago. The result is a life that is being continually transformed as my mind and heart are conformed to that of Christ Jesus. Though I do not have space here to adequately record each change, I can give you a few glimpses of what the Lord has led me through.

As I try to find a place to start, I am left in awe of God’s perfect plan. No aspect of my life has escaped his touch; each event intricately connected with many others. I will therefore do my best to pick a few of the overlapping strokes from the big picture.

Looking back, one of the clearest ways God has changed me is in the way I relate to others. I was an introvert. People skills are not my strong point. That is an understatement. My parents used to compare getting me to talk to pulling teeth. The changes in my life are largely the result of friends God quite simply dropped in my lap in high school and college. I think of John, a friend of my dad, who would take me on outdoor adventures and simply talk with me. Or, guys like Peter whose extroverted good nature somehow rubbed off on me. I do not know what they saw in me or why they stuck with me, but they invested time in my life and drew me into theirs. God has grown me greatly and is still changing me in this area.

While God was stretching me relationally, He was also growing my heart for others. Until recently, my walk with God was basically a “me” thing. I still want to know God better but now that vision includes taking others with me. Especially over the last four years in the Navigators, God has shown me how solid a foundation he has blessed me with and how much I have to give to others. Gaining this vision was a process of spending time with God and with men like Dan Meehan who built selflessly into my life and provided the example for me to follow.

Likewise, God was at work in my mind. One particular lie I have wrestled with frequently is my worth as an individual, and therefore the worth of others. While I have had good friends over the years, my personality and introverted nature kept me in many ways on the fringes of the social scene. It was easy for me to feel I was just a fifth wheel or that I was included simply because of the skills I could bring to the table. My pride and selfishness in saying this is rather appalling. In truth, I have intrinsic value to God, as do all men. It is this truth that frees me to love others and serve them as I should.

It is painful and yet good to have my pride torn down by the gospel. Surely God has blessed me abundantly in the skills He has given me, but He has also richly blessed all his children in different ways. And such blessings are not to be spent on my glory but on the encouragement of any and all that God would choose to put in my path. He is quick to bring challenges into my life, like research roadblocks, to remind me that He has the final authority in my life.

So it was by the sovereign will of God that all of these lessons converged in the art of disciple making. Just recently, God was pleased to bless me with a couple guys who are excited to learn and grow in Christ. Even now, it is easy for me to wonder at God’s perfect timing. God gave me exactly what He had been preparing me for. So I will try to patiently wait for the Lord to guide me down the next path. I know I have been blessed and look forward to see how He will continue to do the same.

Blessings Promised to David

So it is written

In the Word of the Lord,

As it was spoken by Him;

The one who does not lie,

The God who does not change.

God has made a promise

And sworn it by His holiness:

Blessings promised to David,

Given to the Son of David,

Fulfilled perfectly in Jesus Christ.

The King came as a servant,

Despised and rejected by men,

Considered smitten by God and afflicted.

For it was the will of the Lord to crush him.

He died for the sins of many.

But You did not abandon him to the grave,

You did not let your Holy One see decay.

Him you declared eternally your Son

And you forever to be his Father.

You filled him with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

I will make an everlasting covenant with him;

My faithful love promised to David.

My faithful love will be with him,

And it will not be taken from him,

For I will maintain My love to him forever.

My covenant with him will never fail.

I will establish his line forever,

As long as the heavens endure,

So long will his throne be established.

I will set him over My kingdom forever.

I have made him a witness to the peoples,

A leader and commander of the peoples;

My hand will sustain him,

My right arm will strengthen him.

The will of the Lord will prosper in his hands.

In his hand is the iron scepter

To dash the nations like pottery.

I have made the nations his inheritance;

The ends of the earth his possession.

I have installed My king in Zion.

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant,

To restore the tribes of Jacob

And bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will make you a light for the Gentiles

To bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.

In such manner has salvation come to us,

Who deserve not the favor of the King,

But in Him find the forgiveness of sins,

The adoption of sonship into the kingdom;

Coheirs of the blessings of God’s love.

Therefore my heart is glad

And my tongue rejoices.

My body also will rest secure

Knowing you will never abandon me

But will fill me with joy in your presence.

So shall we exalt the Holy One

And proclaim the glories of His splendor,

The praise of the King who is worthy,

Standing in the presence of the Son of David,

The True God and Eternal Life.

Above is the summary of promises given to David, and more specifically the Son of David, Jesus Christ. It is good to reflect on the greatness of our God. On that fact that Christ now sits enthroned in heaven, having secured for us not only redemption from sins but adoption as sons into his eternal kingdom. Let us then enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise to enjoy sweet fellowship with our Father God and our Savior Jesus. Let us in prayer bring him our sacrifice of praise. Amen.

Fruitfulness

How are you doing at bearing the Fruit of the Spirit in your walk with Christ? I would encourage you to make that a regular matter of prayer, knowing that God wants to see us look more like Christ every day.



Love
Deepest desire
Satisfied by One
Perfected

Joy
Wonderful fellowship
Where I am understood
Completed

Peace
Fearless honesty
Covered in acceptance
Protected

Patience
Timeless endurance
Walking with me
Pursued

Kindness
Gentle strength
Help to endure
Given

Goodness
Unspeakable beauty
Preserving purity
Displayed

Faithfulness
Lifelong commitment
Overcoming circumstances
Remembered

Gentleness
Humble service
Hands holding mine
Sustained

Self-control
Sacrificing selfishness
Looking to Him
Strengthened

Prayer

Seeking an audience with the King.
Instant access through the Son.

Lord, Savior, Father, God.
Enthroned in glory,
Majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor.

Praise breaks forth,
Adoration from the heart,
In reverence to the King.
Words woefully inadequate
To describe the indescribable.

It is enough.
Sitting in silence,
Knowing He is God.
As I am known,
Loved by my Father.

Waiting, expecting, desiring
Sweet communion.
The needy
Satisfied in the needed.

To go forth from His presence,
Knowing I go not alone.

True Refreshment

Here is a simple question I would pose: are you being refreshed in your walk with Christ, especially as that relates to your prayer life? God has promised that if we repent and turn to Him, our sins will be wiped out and times of refreshing will come from the Lord. But what is this refreshing that comes from the Lord? I think that as believers we far too often forget this refreshing that God has promised as we get so caught up in the business of our lives. We neglect true refreshment in favor of a little mindless relaxation. We do not grasp the magnitude of what God has promised, so we do not experience the reality of what God has promised to do in our lives.

Do you not know that God delights to fulfill His promises to His children? And how he fulfills His promises! Our God carries out his Word with zeal and generosity that only the God of the universe could supply. He does not sit passively on His throne and wait until we come crying out to him in utter desperation before He decides to act. No, the Lord God Almighty stands and calls out to us to come and be refreshed in Him. He can not wait for us to turn to Him so that He might completely meet our needs and satisfy our souls. He delights to refresh us with what we need most; himself. Even now He is calling out, “Come to me, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” How will He not most generously give to those who cry out to Him for the gifts He has already promised? And what is more, He has set it before us free of charge. He himself bore the price in His body that we might be eternally satisfied in our God. Who can match the matchless giving of our God? Who can satisfy us like Jesus? For to whom else can we go for water that will become a spring in our souls, welling up to eternal life?

So, what is this that God has promised? Our everlasting Father has promised to give us choice food and drink without cost or limit. He has promised to renew our strength so we run and do not grow weary, so we walk and do not faint. He has promised to take our yoke upon Himself and give us a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light. The Lord has promised that if we are faithful in seeking after him, He will open the very storehouses of heaven and pour out a blessing we can not contain. To open the storehouses of heaven – there is a phrase that thrills my soul. For such a blessing is beyond comprehension. Indeed, if we could understand the awesomeness of the flood in Genesis, we might begin to understand the vastness of this promise. For forty days and nights, God opened the storehouses of heaven and it rained so the earth was completely covered with water, with some to spare. How great is our God who is able to bless in that same measure those who call on His name! Does our Lord not fill us to overflowing out of his wonderful abundance? And what is this great abundance and blessing that will refresh the soul? Is it not that we have a personal, intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, through whom we are justified and have peace with God? Is it not to treasure as more precious to our hearts the One in the entire universe who is most worthy of our love and adoration?

So, let us seek the Lord while He may be found, let us call on Him while He is near. Let us forsake our evil ways and our wicked thoughts. Let us turn to the Lord for He will have mercy on us and to our God for He will freely pardon. Let us find our refreshment, satisfaction, and fulfillment in our God. And let us freely and abundantly share with others for in that same manner we have received.

10 As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Prayer Requests Feb 19

Thank you to all who are praying for us and with us at Iowa State. It is a privilege to come before our King and know that He hears us. I encourage to guard your time with God carefully, for it is most valuable. I apologize for not putting up anything last week.

This past week we were reminded that we can be doing good things or we can be doing the best thing. We are praying that God would show us what the best things are and that if necessary, we would be willing to sacrifice some of the good things to see that the best things happen. We can be praying for each other that our priorities would align with what God would want.

One other ongoing prayer request is for unity and fellowship. This semester as we look at Acts, that is a huge theme. I believe that God would have us grow in this area as a ministry. Please be praying to that end.

Repentance and Restoration

My most gracious King and Father,

I come before you this morning, in need of one thing. Indeed, I yearn for even a little time with you. Oh my Father, do not remain far from me. I look for your hand day and night. In the morning I gaze into your word. In the day, I lift up my voice from bended knee to call out your name. In the evening I lay my heart before you.

How then is it that you feel so far away; that my ears no longer hear you calling out to me? How far have I strayed from your fold in the pursuit of my own happiness and worldly success? How hard has my heart become that I am not moved to compassion for those who are lost? Show me, my God, where I have turned away and where I have sinned against you. Sin can not dwell in your presence for you are perfect. Do not keep me blind forever to the greatness of my trespass but bring it into the light. Oh Lord, let not my many transgressions, great and small come between us. Wash me in the cleansing blood of Jesus I pray. By the power of your might, remove them far from me.

I am a chief of sinners and have no right to ask such things of my King, for I am worthy only of death. It is only by your grace and mercy that I dare to ask so boldly. Lord God, my soul is troubled in me and my spirit wastes away. You alone can change my heart. Only you can bring perfect healing and restoration. Do not with hold them from me but lift up my head from the dust that those who trust in you may rejoice with me in your great love and compassion.

Though I am as one wading through murky waters on a dark night, I will put my trust in you. I dare not trust myself for I am but flesh and blood; weak and prone to wander. You are the immovable and unchanging rock, the foundation. In your Word you have laid out what is required of a man. To love mercy. To do justice. To walk humbly with my God. So Lord, come to me again. Replace my heart of stone with a heart of flesh. My Father, instruct me in obedience, for I desire to please you. Strengthen me to run in the path of your commands for their will I find my delight. In pleasing you will I find abundant life.

Draw near to me, for destruction is at my doorstep. My path is filled with snares. Teach me to obey your commands that I might not fall. Teach me to love your statutes that my life may be preserved. Better is an hour with you than a meal of choice delicacies. More would be my delight in an hour of sweet communion with you than all the praise of men. For this is true joy – to know and walk with you. So my God, open my eyes to see, open my ears to hear, open my mind to understand, open my heart to act. I cry out to you, God, draw near to me that I may be drawn to you once more for the glory of your name. Do not remain angry with me Father, but remove my iniquity and call out my name that I might run to you. Let my heart rejoice that you will not abandon your beloved but you will satisfy me with your presence. To my Father, the creator and lover of my soul, be all glory, honor, power and authority through Jesus Christ my Lord .

Amen.

Prayer Requests Feb 5

This week, there is not a list of things to pray for because prayer is not all about asking for stuff from God, even if it is good stuff. This week, I would encourage you to take time and simply enjoy God for who He is. Sit and listen prayerfully to His Word and His voice and let him show you more of who He is. May God bless you as you seek His face and not just His hand.

Characteristics of Paul's Prayers

Here are some characteristics of Paul's prayers that Brian Wachter has compiled for us. I would encourage you to develop these characteristics in your own prayer life with the help of the Father.













-Rom 1:10 Constantly remember you
-1 Cor 1:4 I always pray for you
-1 Cor 14:13-17 That it would edify others as they participate
-Eph 1:17 Not stop giving thanks
-Eph 3:14 Kneel before the Father
-Phil 1:3-8 Give thanks every time I remember you
-Phil 1:3-8 Pray with joy
-Phil 1:3-8 Have you in my heart
-Phil 1:3-8 I long for you all
-Phil 4:6 Don't be anxious
-Phil 4:6 In everything with thanksgiving
-Col 1:3-4 Always give thanks for you
-Col 1:9-12 Not stopped praying for you
-Col 3:15-16 Gratitude in you heart toward God
-2 Tim 1:3-4 Constantly remember you in my prayers, day and night

A Moment in Hindsight

And I opened my eyes
only to find it better than I had imagined.
The visions of years disappeared in a moment,
a flash as the sun reflected in the water.
For it must be the sun.

And the colors;
never had I though such colors existed.
And how their feel and smell could not tell
half the tale of their rich splendor,
dazzling my eyes.

Looking down,
to try and reign in the brilliant images.
Only to find the most wonderful discovery of all;
my feet and then my legs and arms and hands,
my other eyes.

Focusing again,
looking down the street to see people.
To see a crowd gathering in the distance,
and there was my house!
It had to be.

So I ran,
down the street, in the door,
to the back where my mother sat.
She looked most beautiful
I decided.

Standing there,
right beside her was dad.
He had brown eyes I had been told;
but such a description failed
to describe brown.

So we looked.
A meeting of our gazes,
of our minds for the first time.
And they could tell
I saw them.

How? When?
At the hands of a man
whose name I did not hear
but whose hands touched
my eyes.

I was summoned
to the temple of God.
Oh how amazing was its artistry.
How imposing the men there-
the Pharisees.

Questions
for me about the man
the man I never met who healed me.
They demanded my account
my story.

So I told them
“Whether he is a sinner I do not know.
One thing I do know, that though I was blind,
now I see.”

But they did not,
for they did not believe
even though they had seen him
and I had not, at least
not yet.

An outcast,
cast out of the temple for seeing.
And so I stood again by that pool alone,
just as alone as the last time
until He came for me.

A reminder of one of the many miracles Jesus performed while he walked this earth.

Levi Swartzentruber

Prayer Requests Jan 29

Here are a few things that can be added to your prayer list this week, mostly from the 2:2 Crew meeting this past Sunday evening. The meeting was all about follow up.

-Pray for everyone to find someone they can be a "spiritual parent" for and someone that can spiritually parent them.

-Pray for wisdom, strength, and time as it takes all three of these to make follow up work.

-Ask God to do big things in the lives of the people around you; that they would be among the greatest men and women to walk the earth.

On a more general note:

-Pray that we would not love the world.

-Pray that God would convict us when we do.

-Pray that God would be our first and greatest love.

-Pray that our words and actions would clearly demonstrate that.

-Psalms 1 is always good to pray for yourself and others.

As always, send me any requests and praises you have so I can include them next time.

Supplication for Others

Here are some things you can be praying for others from the scriptures. Thanks to Brian who supplied this list.

For your Knowledge

• Eph 1:17 That you may have a spirit of wisdom and revelation
• Eph 1:17 That you may know him better
• Eph 1:18-19 Eyes of your heart may be enlightened
• Eph 1:18-19 That you might know the hope of your call
• Eph 1:18-19 That you might know the riches of the glorious inheritance
• Eph 1:18-19 That you might know the His incomparably great power
• Eph 3:19 To know the full dimensions of His love which surpasses knowledge
• Phil 1:9-11 That you love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight
• Col 1:9-12 Filled with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual truth
• Col 1:9-12 That you may grow in the knowledge of God

For your Goodness

• 2 Cor 13:7-10 That you will not do anything wrong
• 2 Cor 13:7-10 For your perfection
• Phil 1:9-11 That you may be able to discern what is best
• Phil 1:9-11 That you may be pure and blameless
• Phil 1:9-11 That you may be filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus
• Col 1:9-12 That you may lead a life worthy of the Lord
• Col 1:9-12 That you may please Him in every way
• Col 1:9-12 That you may bear fruit in every good work
• Philem 6 That you will be active in sharing your faith
• Philem 6 Have an understanding of every good thing we have in Christ

For your Strength

• Eph 3:16 That He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in the inner man
• Eph 3:18 Have power to grasp the love of Christ
• Col 1:9-12 That you may be strengthened with power
• Col 1:9-12 That you may have great endurance and patience
• 2 Thes 1:11-12 By His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours
• 2 Thes 1:11-12 By His power He may fulfill every act prompted by faith

For the Inner Man

• Rom 15:6 Spirit of unity
• Rom 15:6 One heart and mouth glorify God
• Rom 15:13 Fill you with joy and peace
• Rom 15:13 Overflow with hope
• Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
• Eph 3:17 Be rooted and grounded in love
• Eph 3:19 Be filled with the measure of the fullness of God
• Col 1:9-12 That you may joyfully give thanks to the Father

The Gift of Life

He said to me,
“Take and eat (this bread); this is my body.”
And I did.
He said to me,
“Drink from (the cup), all of you.”
And I did.
“This is my blood of the covenant,”
But I did not understand.
“which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Not yet at least.
And I weep for how freely the gift was given;
How perfectly it was given.
We went out;
The garden of Gethsemane.
“Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
And I slept.
While he prayed,
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;”
In great anguish of soul,
“nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
And I noticed not.
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Then they came.
“See, My betrayer is at hand.”
One of us with them.
"The one I will kiss is the man; seize him."
As it was written:
“I will strike the shepherd,”
He was taken away.
“and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”
And, a coward, I ran.
I should have known.
“But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?"
From a distance I watch.
Until she asked me,
"You also were with Jesus the Galilean."
My response a knife.
"I do not know the man."
My mouth, my undoing.
"This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."
Again.
"I do not know the man."
"Certainly you too are one of them”
As a rooster crowed.
"I do not know the man."
He looked.
I remembered His words.
"you will deny me three times."
And grief overcame.
False witnesses testified,
“I am able to destroy the temple of God,”
Blasphemy the charge.
“and to rebuild it in three days.”
The Pharisees;
“Have you no answer to make?”
Silence.
The sentence?
"He deserves death."
How great the injustice.
“thirty pieces of silver.”
Evil.
“the price of him on whom a price had been set”
Hatred.
Pain.
“having scourged Jesus,”
Marred beyond human likeness.
“delivered him to be crucified.”
To be mocked.
“they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,”
A king.
“and twisting together a crown of thorns,”
But not here.
“they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.”
Only disgrace.
“they mocked him, saying,”
Unknowingly,
“Hail, King of the Jews!"
The truth.
Unrecognized.
Finally.
The end.
“And when they came to a place called Golgotha,”
The place of the skull.
“And when they had crucified him,”
No turning back.
“they divided his garments among them by casting lots.”
I watched.
From a distance.
I heard.
“If you are the Son of God,”
How could they?
“come down from the cross.”
My teacher…
And darkness fell.
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,”
I heard it,
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”
The utter rejection.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
His word ringing.
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice”
The weight
“and yielded up his spirit.”
too much.
Death won.
“And Joseph took the body”
My hope dashed.
And wrapped it in a clean linen shroud”
To pieces.
“and laid it in his own new tomb,”
For three days…
Then I heard,
“He is not here,”
Still wondering.
“for he has risen, as he said.”
Until I saw.
“Come, see the place where he lay.”
And I knew.
He was the one.
“And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!’”
The Son of God.
“And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.”
The Gift of Life.

A reminder of what Jesus has done for us--by Levi Swartzentruber.

Prayer Requests Jan 22

Here is a very short list of things we can be praying for. I plan to update this list every week, so if you have anything - request or praise or answered prayer - that you would like to have added to the list, please post it as a comment to this post and I will be sure it gets in the post for the next week.

Pray for:
1. Iowa State University
-That God would use us to reach people here
-For all students, faculty, staff to hear about Jesus
-That Each of us would win one to Christ this semester
-For unity among the believers on campus
-That God would send people from here to reach the ends of the earth
2. Bible studies
-For people to go deep with God
-That lives would be changed by His Word
3. Navigators
-For people to pray
-For our leaders (Brian, Luke, Sarah)
-For the student leaders and everyone who comes
-That we would be a picture of the body of Christ as seen in Acts

Paul's Prayers

One way to be effective in prayer is to pray scripture because we know that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have what we asked of Him. So, here are several sweet passages on prayer you can use when you pray.

Matthew 6:9-13

9After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:9-14

9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 3:14-21

14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The Vision

From afar, many heard of their faith
In a God who is faithful,
Who holds the light of life and truth,
Beckoning those who seek illumination.

There was a time when it was not that way,
For the Way was not known.
Yet a few dared to stand,
Laborers in the field of souls,
And their labor has stood the test,
A harvest fit for heaven’s storehouses.

They took God at His word,
And His Word took them;
They believed the impossible,
And they saw the unbelievable made possible.

And what is it that is so awesome to us?
Is it not all of us standing in awe of Him?
A university full of sinners,
Turned saints by the blood of Christ.

Is it not that in a world of higher learning,
Out of all texts, the Word is held in highest honor?

Is it not the long list of students graduating,
With their undeclared major “Disciple of Christ”
More obvious than the one printed on the diploma?

Oh, that the world would be consumed by a fire
Started in the hearts and minds of students,
The students of Iowa State University,
A stronghold of the Kingdom of God.

What We are About

So, what is the 24/7 prayer movement at Iowa State University about? It is about seeing God do a work in the lives of the students here that will have eternal consequences the world over. I am Levi Swartzentruber, a senior in mechanical engineering, a Christian, a student leader of the Navigators ministry at ISU, and the man "in charge" of running the prayer team. I say "in charge" in quotes because this is not about me but about God and the work he will do in your lives and the lives of those you rub shoulders with. I am just here to be used by God to help make that happen. For all of you who have joined with us in prayer, thank you. I will, Lord willing, keep this site updated with prayer requests and praises on a weekly basis. Please send me prayer requests so we can all bring them to the Lord and praises for answered prayers so we can be encouraged to have faith in our awesome God who hears our prayers. God bless.