CBD Prayer Groups (20 April 2010)

Be Careful What You Pray For....

David Burchett

Today I asked a friend to pray for me to honestly live out the truths of grace in a tough environment. I know, I know. Be
careful what you pray for because God will often answer in unexpected ways. I have been praying that prayer for
myself recently and I have already had a couple of situational at bats. The first time I had a bloop hit. The second time
I swung and missed with the fury of Casey at the Bat.

Pitchers know that every hitter has a location in the strike zone where they are likely to miss. My weakness in the
zone is being quick to judge and quick to distance from those who are not walking the walk. I love the way that my oft-
quoted buddies at Truefaced put it:

"When we view other Christians as sinners trying to be saints instead of saints who still sin then we give ourselves
permission to judge them."

God's Word says that we are saints. He sees Christ in Dave Burchett even when I swing and miss. I am righteous
because of Jesus. I can't work my way to sainthood. I can live out of who I am and allow God to love through me.
Grace compels me to walk toward my fellow Christians instead of away from them. One thing I need to remind myself
daily is this simple fact.

I don't have any idea what other people are going through.

There is a powerful song by the country group Sawyer Brown about how infrequently we stop to consider that other
people might be enduring real trials. Here is a sample of the lyrics from the song "They Don't Understand".

Everybody's busy with their own situation

Everybody's lost in their own little world
Bottled up, hurried up trying to make a dream come true
They don't understand
Everybody's living like there ain't no tomorrow
Maybe we should stop and take a little time
'Cause you never really know what your neighbors going through
They don't understand

I remember driving away from one of Joni's early doctor appointments after her breast cancer diagnosis. Joni was
driving her car as I followed. She was distracted (imagine that) and missed her turn. She drove forward to the next
opportunity to turn left and double back. Because she temporarily blocked the left lane a guy laid on his horn and
started gesturing. I remembered thinking that this guy was not a quality human being (rough translation of my
thoughts). I wondered if it would make a difference in the attitude of this “not really nice homosapian” if he knew
what was going through my wife's mind. He was busy worrying about his 20-second delay as she was thinking about
her health, her family, her job, and maybe her life.

I am humbled again that somehow God is patient with me as I work this out. Regular readers know of my admiration
for the group Casting Crowns. The song "Who Am I" comes to mind in this context.

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.

Take a moment to meditate on that. Then take a moment to meditate on a later verse.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
That God sees my sin and looks on me with love is mind boggling. How can I accept that love and not at least attempt
to offer it to others? Because there is not a dang thing that I have done to deserve mercy like that! From a human
perspective, the person who is quick to judge probably doesn't "deserve" grace. But did you? I know I didn't.

Not because of who I am,

But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I give my space to Paul of Taursus to wrap this one up:

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other
with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord
enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in
need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy,
and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary
people. And don't think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you
can to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12, NLT)
 PRAYER GROUPS DETAILS

Raffles Place Prayer Group

 Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, 21 April 10 at 12.30 pm.
 Meet at OCBC Centre East Entrance beside Burger King, 7th floor
 Contact Benjamin Low @ 9114 4062 (LowSBenjamin@ocbc.com)

City Hall Prayer Group

 Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, 21 April 10 at 12.45 pm
 Meet at Sky Garden, Suntec City
 Contact Cindy Tan (Cindy.Tan@citi.com) / Kathleen Yee (Katheleen.yee@portcullis-
trustnet.com)

Tanjong Pagar Prayer Group

 Prayer Meeting on Thursday, 22 April 10 at 12.30 pm
 Meet at Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, Ground Floor
 Contact Chew Qi @ 98334365 (Chew.Qi@UOBgroup.com)

Orchard / Somerset Prayer Group

 Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, 21 April 10 at 12.30 pm
 Meet at Chatzone @ SingTel lobby
 Contact Ezel Ting @ 96716560 (ezelting@singtel.com)

Harbourfront Prayer Group

 Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, 21 April 10 at 12.30 pm
 Meet at Vivocity, Level 3, Amphitheatre (outdoor area outside Food Republic)
 Contact Victoria Lim (Victoria.Lim@sgp.dupont.com)

Toa Payoh North Prayer Group (SPH)

 Prayer Meeting on Tuesday, 27 April 10 at 1.00 – 2.00pm.
 Meet at 5th Floor Corner SPH News Centre, 1000 Toa Payoh North
 Contact Hannah Teoh (hteoh@sph.com.sg)