Message from Sonya Berges, JH/SH Teacher

This school year my personal life has been a year of ups and downs; extreme situations and conflict. Situations in my extended family have challenged us in many ways. There are a couple of things that God is working with me on but the one key element has been prayer.

Prayer without ceasing has never been a virtue of mine. I’m impatient; I want to see action, solve a problem and move on. If you have a plan or idea, get started on executing it. God doesn’t always work that way – or maybe He just doesn’t show it to me as quickly as I’d like. Through the situations in our family, I’ve experienced first-hand the significant difference that consistent, regular prayer makes in a situation. When I don’t pray regularly, I find myself trying to take over and control people and circumstances. When I pray regularly, the situations may not change but I do. The circumstances may remain uncertain but my heart and life is securely held by Christ; nothing gets into my life that he hasn’t allowed.

Ephesians 3:14-21 has been a passage I’ve turned to, repeated and taken a stand on.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.