Month of Prayer | Part 1

Trinity family,

Last year Pastor Andy introduced me and my wife Angie to the church members during one of the 10:30 a.m. services.  It was made known that we visited Trinity Church after talking with Steve and Donna Overmire who were working the Pumpkin Patch sales one weekend.  The last-minute decision to follow a sign in the hopes of finding a pumpkin was completely random.  However, we firmly believe the outcome was undoubtedly planned by God.   Prior to knowing anything about a pumpkin patch or Trinity Free Church, Angie and I asked a group of men and women from our Friday morning bible study to pray for us for the purpose of finding a church.  The next day we made that quick decision to get a pumpkin and ultimately found an answer to our prayers.  

The experience of looking for a pumpkin but finding a church is just another example of how God answers prayer. Our internet searches and weekend drive-by’s of churches were completely ineffective compared to what God was able to do with a dozen people praying in one accord.  I never tire of hearing someone exclaim “my prayers have been answered”!  We all feel thankful and happy when prayers are answered, but should we feel so surprised?  After all, we are sons and daughters of the Most-High God who hears our pleas and answers our prayers according to His will.

One of my favorite parts of the Sunday morning service at Trinity is when we all bow our heads and are led in prayer by one of the Pastors. It is a special moment to experience the power of a praying group of believers. In todays’ busy world, many people are not satisfied with the amount of time they spend in prayer. However, prayer is an essential element in building intimacy with God and deserves our focus and attention. This season of Lent is a great time to recommit ourselves to improving our prayer life. There are many bible verses that can help with this.  One of my favorites is Philippians 4:6-7… “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.  

For the next 31 days, Trinity Church is committing ourselves to prayer as a church body. We are going to do exactly what Paul says, “in everything… let our requests be made known to God”. For each day leading up to the death and resurrection of our Messiah on Easter weekend, we will be provided with a one-page prayer outline for us to pray through. These daily prayer guides will be made available each week in paper form and online via the church app and weekly newsletter. You can also find the prayer guide link below.

I am confident that when we commit to prayer God will do amazing things, but most of all, we will grow closer to Him. I hope that you will join us in this 31 days of prayer and that this challenge will ultimately bring you the peace of God that surpasses all understanding!

Yours in Christ,
Rick DiGioia