God’s Word

Encouragement and Prayer: Hope Through Deliberate Praise! (5/18/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Hope Through Deliberate Praise! (5/18/23)

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This is the audio from the May 18, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about overcoming despair or feelings of being “downcast”.  I found it interesting that a word search of the NIV found few uses of the word despair, but plenty of examples of people who, in their despair, cried out to God.  Often they are described as being “downcast”, which I believe is an accurate term in describing despair.  Whatever the cause of our despair, God wants us to overcome it through His presence and the power of His Spirit within us.  This week we will consider some Bible characters who were feeling downcast and learn from their situations some keys in overcoming despair.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 43:5 (NIV)

As you pray, consider God’s desire for you to overcome feelings of being downcast.  Pray that your hope in God would lead you to praise Him even in the midst of despair.  Pray that your life would be lived in a way that leads others to praise God for the hope He offers.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Hope In God’s Presence! (5/17/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Hope In God’s Presence! (5/17/23)

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This is the audio from the May 17, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about overcoming despair or feelings of being “downcast”.  I found it interesting that a word search of the NIV found few uses of the word despair, but plenty of examples of people who, in their despair, cried out to God.  Often they are described as being “downcast”, which I believe is an accurate term in describing despair.  Whatever the cause of our despair, God wants us to overcome it through His presence and the power of His Spirit within us.  This week we will consider some Bible characters who were feeling downcast and learn from their situations some keys in overcoming despair.

“My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar.”
Psalm 42:6 (NIV)

As you pray, consider God’s desire for you to overcome feelings of being downcast.  Pray that you would be reminded of God’s presence when your despair comes from feelings of being alone.  Pray that the presence of God, which surrounds you everywhere, would lift your soul.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Hope Through Answered Prayer! (5/16/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Hope Through Answered Prayer! (5/16/23)

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This is the audio from the May 16, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about overcoming despair or feelings of being “downcast”.  I found it interesting that a word search of the NIV found few uses of the word despair, but plenty of examples of people who, in their despair, cried out to God.  Often they are described as being “downcast”, which I believe is an accurate term in describing despair.  Whatever the cause of our despair, God wants us to overcome it through His presence and the power of His Spirit within us.  This week we will consider some Bible characters who were feeling downcast and learn from their situations some keys in overcoming despair.

“Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.’  She said, ‘May your servant find favor in your eyes.’ Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.”
1 Samuel 1:17-18 (NIV)

As you pray, consider God’s desire for you to overcome feelings of being downcast.  Pray that you would be diligent in going to God in prayer during times of despair.  Pray that God’s faithfulness in answering prayer would lift you from your despair.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Hope In Doing Right! (5/15/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Hope In Doing Right! (5/15/23)

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This is the audio from the May 15, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about overcoming despair or feelings of being “downcast”.  I found it interesting that a word search of the NIV found few uses of the word despair, but plenty of examples of people who, in their despair, cried out to God.  Often they are described as being “downcast”, which I believe is an accurate term in describing despair.  Whatever the cause of our despair, God wants us to overcome it through His presence and the power of His Spirit within us.  This week we will consider some Bible characters who were feeling downcast and learn from their situations some keys in overcoming despair.  As you pray, consider God’s desire for you to overcome feelings of being downcast.  Pray that you would turn to God in good times, as well as in times of despair.  Pray that you would recognize the despair of others and ask God how He would have you bring His comfort and hope to them.  Pray for the courage to turn despair into hope as you put your faith and trust in Him.  Pray that you would be lifted up so you can help lift up others from their despair.

“Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”
Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV)

Pray that you would accurately examine your life for sin that could be causing your despair.  Pray for the courage to repent of sin and do what is right.  Pray that you would grow in the hope which comes through obedience to Christ.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

A Time To CRY! (Sermon Audio)
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A Time To CRY! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the May 14, 2023 sermon, “Finding Help When You Feel Alone: A Time To CRY!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Genesis 21:15-21, Matthew 15:21-28

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Today I continued a sermon series about finding help in our times of need.  Last week we began by considering what it looks like to be lifted up by God when we’re afraid.  Today we focused on finding help when we feel alone.  Loneliness, rejection, and feeling left out are all experiences of life we have even though we would rather not.  The Bible is full of people who experienced feelings of being all alone just as we do.  Today we turn our focus toward two stories of mothers who found help from God when being alone brought them to despair in a time to cry out to God.  The good news for those who feel all alone is that when we turn to God we discover a time to . . .

  • Consider your circumstances:  —

    • Before help was even considered, the cry of both Hagar and the Canaanite woman from our texts began with a consideration of the circumstances they found themselves in.  This is often the easy part of our time to cry because our feelings of being alone leave us ample time to ask all the questions of why.  Sometimes, however, we need to step back and consider our circumstances from a perspective other than our own.  Most people seem to have tendencies to either over estimate or under estimate their own responsibility for where they are at.  When we seek God’s help during the times we feel alone, it is important to consider our circumstances from His perspective.

  • Reach out for help: —

    • It is through an examination of our circumstances from God’s perspective that we begin to realize we need help.  For a lot of different reasons, reaching out for help is difficult for many people.  Perhaps we’ve tried to find help before and it just never came.  Sometimes pride creeps in and keeps us from admitting we need help so we refuse to reach out.  Many times when we feel all alone, there are also feelings of abandonment and the feeling that no one cares so reaching out would be pointless.  When we seek God’s help during the times we feel alone, it is important to humble ourselves not only in order to reach out to Him, but to also reach out for help from those He has put around us.

  • Yield to God:  —

    • Finding help when we feel alone not only requires that we consider our circumstances and have the courage to reach out for help, but it also requires that we yield to the One who can help.  When I think about yielding to God, I think about how the two mothers from our texts today took the response of God by faith and found the help they needed.  Many times we find ourselves in need of help but we are very specific about what that help must look like.  We want help but we want it our own way.  God’s design in responding to our cry for help often looks very different from the way we would think it ought to be and will invariably require an action of faith on our part.  When we seek God’s help during the times we feel alone, it is important to yield to Him so that we fully receive what He offers.

Today, when you feel alone, how will you CRY?

Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Eyes! (5/12/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Eyes! (5/12/23)

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This is the audio from the May 12, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.”
Jonah 2:2 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on being lifted up as we cry out to God when we face danger.  Having times when we are experiencing fear and uncertainty isn’t unusual — many of the heroes of the faith that we read about in scripture found themselves in need of encouragement in the midst of their times of despair.

“I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.”
Psalm 123:1 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you lift up your life to Him in ways that will allow Him to mend your brokenness, heal the hurt, and strengthen your weaknesses.  Pray that you would lift up your eyes toward the one who sits enthroned above all the earth.  Pray that the lifting of your eyes would help you to see things from a perspective that is not of this earth.  Pray that the people around you would lift their eyes toward heaven as they seek the One who can save them.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Voice! (5/11/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Voice! (5/11/23)

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This is the audio from the May 11, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.”
Jonah 2:2 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on being lifted up as we cry out to God when we face danger.  Having times when we are experiencing fear and uncertainty isn’t unusual — many of the heroes of the faith that we read about in scripture found themselves in need of encouragement in the midst of their times of despair.

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.”
Psalm 142:1 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you lift up your life to Him in ways that will allow Him to mend your brokenness, heal the hurt, and strengthen your weaknesses.  Pray that you would lift your voice to God as you seek His mercy.  Pray that the lifting of your voice would not only seek mercy for yourself, but that your voice would be lifted on behalf of others.  Pray that the people around you would lift their voices to God as they seek His mercy.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Hands! (5/10/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Lift Up Your Hands! (5/10/23)

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This is the audio from the May 10, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.”
Jonah 2:2 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on being lifted up as we cry out to God when we face danger.  Having times when we are experiencing fear and uncertainty isn’t unusual — many of the heroes of the faith that we read about in scripture found themselves in need of encouragement in the midst of their times of despair.

“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”
Psalm 141:2 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you lift up your life to Him in ways that will allow Him to mend your brokenness, heal the hurt, and strengthen your weaknesses.  Pray that you would lift your hands to God in prayer — both as a sign of surrender and as an invitation for Him to fill them.  Pray that the lifting of your hands would be consistent with your need to hold on to Jesus as the source of courage in the midst of fear

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom