Pray for true conversions

Margaret and Brian were supposed to come to me for dinner last night. There’s a prayermeeting on Wednesday evenings at 4pm in the BCFC church next door (the Bendera congregation) so I would usually make my dinner after that. So I guess I probably started dinner about 6:00pm – put chicken and potatoes into the oven to bake, and started making a dish called BBQ beans – that’s string beans in a sauce which is very good! Unfortunately, the electricity went out half an hour later! We put on the generator which can run the lights and refrigerator but doesn’t have enough kick for the oven. So I took everything out of the oven and started frying it (thankfully I have a gas stove-top). I’m not the best or most organised cook at the best of times, and when something like this happens, and people are expecting their dinner from me, I kinda panic! Oh well, it tasted good once it was made – eventually – like after 8pm! Nobody fainted from hunger while they were waiting, so I guess it could have been worse.
After dinner, we had a time of prayer which I really enjoyed. More than made up for the hassle of the dinner! We were really focusing on the need for the Lord to move in the hearts of people, and the need for true conviction of sin and conversion. We were reading Ezekiel 36 before we prayed – pray with us that God will move sovereignly by His Spirit and regenerate hearts – that He will put that new spirit and heart of flesh into people around here (v. 26). Nothing else but that is going to transform this desolate land into a fruitful garden (v. 35). I was reading this morning in Matt. 9 – v. 18 & 19 tell us that “Jesus arose” in answer to Jairus’ prayer and went to raise his daughter from the dead. Our desire is that we will have that same power in prayer that Jairus had – that as we pray, God would graciously arise and work by the conversion of souls for His glory and the extension of His kingdom!