Hey Church!
Pastor James here, and I have the privilege of sending the prayer email today!
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
Spoiler alert. In case you were wondering, this verse has already happened because the Messiah, Jesus, has already been given to us. The word ‘government’ in this verse essentially refers to a “dominion, power, or sovereignty through legal authority,” which means everything in existence rests on the shoulders of Jesus.
The verse that says, “and His name will be called,” is worth pointing out too. In Hebraic thought, a name does not just identify or distinguish a person; it expresses the very nature of his being. This makes complete sense since all the names listed in the verse are exactly who Jesus is: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace! He doesn’t give us all the things; He is all of these things.
I believe the local and global Church desperately needs to realize again Who Jesus is and what His authority actually means! For their personal relationships with Him, but also the Great Commission. Imagine if every church in the world had a re-revelation of the power of Jesus. This isn’t some nice catchphrase; this is a sign-sealed-delivered truth we live in. The Church of Christ is eternal and has the One with everything resting on His shoulders in charge. What are we waiting for?
Hebrews 4:16 says we can come to the throne of grace praying BOLD prayers to God because of Jesus and that we can stand firm in our faith.
Today, I want to encourage you to pray for the Church locally and globally. Pray that the Church community would be confident, bold, and relentless in their faith. Pray that there would be an awakening with a fresh harvest of the lost with ready laborers like never before. Pray for the persecuted church in other countries that the Holy Spirit would protect and break any weapon against them.
Prayer starter: Dear Jesus, I thank you for your beautiful church. I pray that your church around the earth would be One with you as You are with the Father. I thank you that the gates of hell will not prosper against it and that it is covered in your riches in glory. I pray that the world would know we belong to You, by the way we love each other…