Day 10 of "27-Day Prayer & Fasting Journey" with Rev. Penny Brink

Greetings in the name of Christ.

My name is Penny Brink and I am the Presiding Elder of the New York Adirondack district in the Northeast Conference of the Global Methodist Church. Welcome to Day 10 of 27 Days of Prayer as we prepare for our Annual Conference gathering on May 8-10 in Cortland, NY. 

The seven churches of the New York Adirondack district are located in the Northeastern part of the state of NEW YORK. What I love about our district is that we are located near and within the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, with all of their pristine lakes and mountain trails. Our churches are Amsterdam Methodist Church, Malta Ridge Methodist Church, Fortsville Methodist Church, Maplewood Parkway Methodist Church, Lake George Community Methodist Church, Wells Methodist Church and Mountain Community Methodist Church. Pray for us today, that we would faithfully live into our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread scriptural holiness across the globe.

We in the New York Adirondack district are eager to see many of you at Annual Conference in May. We encourage you to use these days of preparation to hear God’s Word and pray with us as we prepare to fan the flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in us all.

Here is today’s focus Scripture passage from Romans 8:26-27:

26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we
ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless
groans.  27  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Today’s Prayer Focus

Despite all of our focus and all of our specificity in prayer, on this side of full redemption we often don’t know what we ought to pray for. We are unable to see through the present darkness into the reality of God’s future. Thankfully, the Spirit intercedes, carrying our trust in God to fruitfulness in prayer despite our weakness. Center your prayers this day on God’s will for the Northeast Annual Conference and for the Global Methodist Church, however unclear it may be.

Today’s Suggested Prayer

O Holy Spirit, our Advocate and our Guide,
intercede for us in our weakness now.
With the Apostle Paul, we see through the glass darkly;
the way forward for your people is not always clear.
Take from us our hopes for the Global Methodist Church,
as well as our fears.
We want our dreams for this new denomination
to align with the will of God,
and our worries
to have no part in the divine plan.
We trust in you to use the fervency of our yearning to do God’s will,
to cover over any weakness we have in discerning it.
Reveal to us only that which is necessary for us to carry out your plans,
and grant us faith to know that you intercede for us
even where we know not.
We ask this in the name of Christ,
who promised us you would come. Amen.

You can find this prayer, and all the other prayers of the 27 Days, on the Conference website, northeastgmc.org.

May the Lord richly bless your faithful prayers. Amen.