Moments of Gethsemane 3-20-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I follow Your steps through this holy week, thanking You for taking those steps for me. ... "Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and His said to His disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' " (Matthew 26:36). I believe in corporate prayer, coming together with other believers to seek Your face, listen for Your voice, and pray the prayers in agreement with You and with one another that You put on our hearts to pray. And I believe in getting together with one or two trusted friends to bear my soul to them and to You in prayers of openness and honesty with our struggles, our needs, our hopes, and our praises. There's power in agreement in prayer (Matthew 18:19). But there are times, like Gethsemane, when You call me to come away with You alone, when even my closest friends must sit back as I go "a little farther" (Matthew 26:39). These are often the times You call me to a place of deeper surrender, of complete surrender. At Gethsemane, You "threw (Yourself) on the ground and prayed," pouring out the grief and burden of Your heart to the Father, but also completely trusting in His wisdom and completely surrendering to His will (v. 26:39). And at my moments of Gethsemane, You call me to no less. There was a time earlier in Your earthly ministry when Your first disciples asked of You, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). But at Gethsemane, You showed all Your disciples for all time how to pray -- to open our hearts and surrender our lives completely to the will of our Father. "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39, NKJV). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be teaching a workshop called "Healed and Free to Let the Spirit Flow" at the 2008 International Conference for Lay Pastors Ministry April 25-26, being hosted in Lexington at my home church this year. Please come join us. Register on-line www.laypastors.com Laura Beach of our ministry will also be teaching and my good friends Rev. Greg Gallaher and Mary Beth Ludt will be the plenary speakers. Come to the Fountain! for Good Friday this Friday Night 3/21 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will lead in prayer while Jeff Green will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Please come early for Intercessory Prayer at 6:15. Contact Marilyn at 859-422-1794. All are welcome! Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org