Weekly Witness

August 12, 2026

     Doug Oldham recorded a song many years ago with the lyrics:

"I didn't come here to ask You for anything
I just came to talk with you Lord
You've answered a million prayers or more
That I forgot to thank You for
So I just came to talk with You Lord"

Prayer is such an important part of the spiritual life of any Christian that the Church cannot ignore teaching, talking about and continuing to learn how to pray.  The Bible is replete with recorded prayers of the faithful down through the centuries.  In the Book of Daniel, we find a beautiful prayer by the Prophet where he is confessing his sins along with the sins of the whole nation of Israel.  It deserves our reading and re-reading and it is found in Chapter 9 of Daniel’s prophecy.

      Perhaps the two most basic parts of prayer are giving thanks to God for all He  has done and making our confession to God for all our disobedience.  The Psalmist captures this in Psalm 50:23 where he says, The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!  Because God is Creator of all things – a core Christian belief – He deserves our thanksgiving at all times; and, for the same reason we come to realize that God is Holy and we humans are not, apart from Jesus Christ.  While it is that we depend upon God to meet all our mundane and spiritual needs together, we can take a lesson from Doug Oldham’s song and realize that sometimes all I really need to do is talk with God without asking for something.  My biggest need may be simply giving thanks instead of petitioning something.

      However, even my thanksgiving can falter if I have neglected to confess my sins and my need of God in my life.  Prayer must never be seen as complicated the same as having a conversation with a trusted friend need never be complicated.  In one sense, God does want to be on “friendly” terms with each of us.  In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  The Greek term translated ‘reconciling’ comes from a word with a strong element meaning ‘to make friends.’  The term also carries with it the reality of restoration of a broken relationship.  Our relationship with God was broken through sin.  In turn, God has reached out to us in an effort to restore that relationship that we might be on ‘friendly’ terms with Him.  He has done all that through the person of Jesus Christ. 

      As you pray, may those prayers be filled with thanksgiving to God for His greatness and may your prayers be grounded in humility knowing that it is God Himself who has done all that is necessary to restore our broken relationship.  That model is the same one we take into the world.  Are we doing all that is necessary to restore broken relationships?  And, am I filled with appreciation to the point of validating the other people in my life?  For all believers, prayer is meant to be the way of beginning to understand the world.  Without prayer there is no restoration and no healing.

Pastor David

August 4, 2026

      Spies have been part of the human scene for millennia.  Stories abound of how this particular function either saved or destroyed armies in battle.  During World War II spies were used extensively on both sides.  Their involvement was necessary to plan battles and understand enemy movements.  The Old Testament has stories of how spies were part of the effort to assume control of the Promised Land when the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River under command of Joshua.  Chapter 2 of the Book of Joshua tells of two men entering Jericho to learn about the city.  They encounter a woman named Rahab who hides them and helps them escape in their return to Joshua.  These spies brought a report saying, truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands.  And also, all the inhabitants of the Land melt away because of us.  This resulted in the Israelites crossing over the Jordan River and capturing the city.

      Spies are meant to be clandestine.  The history record shows how the life of spies during WWII varied from becoming a double agent to being captured and imprisoned or executed.  Given the extreme pressure and stress of attempting a cloistered existence who would want to volunteer for such a life?  Yet, many are willing because they believe in their cause.  Yes, there are the few who perhaps find excitement or event a ‘high’ from living on the edge.  Nevertheless, it requires a complete commitment to have any semblance of success.  The modern version of spying clearly has gone to technology and yet, individual people continue to risk their life to gain needed information about the enemy.  In the war with Iran today, there is a lot of spying going on behind the scenes.  In normal fashion, the general populous does not hear about it; we just know it is happening.  It comes down to this simple statement: spying is serious business and it can be a determining factor for success or failure for either side. 

      While this may seem a bit of a stretch, can we suggest that the closest statement in the New Testament pointing to the disciples of Jesus being spies in the world at large is this from the Gospel of John 17:14-18 and is a prayer offered by Jesus to God the Father: “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”  The disciples are sent in to a world of which they are not meant to be from; and yet, they must go and learn what the enemy is doing so as to win the war.

      Many implications come out of all this and show parallels with the business of spying.  1. We as believers are in a war for the souls of the world.  2. We are being sent into the world where we are to live and yet see ourselves as strangers.  This is not our true home.  3. We are to bring reports of what is happening so strategies can be formulated and battles can be won.  4. Our being sent by our Lord is serious business and requires a complete commitment.  5.  It is fraught with dangers of persecution, deception and even defection to the enemy.  In the religious world this is called apostasy.  The funny thing here is that this is also one of the signs of the end times.  Many will go over to the enemy and abandon their eternal security in the Risen Christ.

      One major difference with the world of spies and that of being a disciple of Jesus is that we are not meant to be clandestine.  We are to live openly and faithfully for our Lord and let the whole world know who sent us.  No double agents should be found in the Church.  But they are there.  Are you a true spy for the Lord or a double agent?

Pastor David