Prayer – first choice or last resort! – Tabernacle Baptist Church – Tabernacle Baptist Church is a familiar landmark in Newbridge with its High Street location right in the centre of the community.

Prayer – first choice or last resort!

(James 5:13-20)

Prayer to the Christian should be as natural as breathing….. but we all suffer from a spiritual wheezing chest from time to time! James speaks about the importance of the prayer of faith.

In verse 13 he asks (and answers) two questions, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”

We all go through times when we are in trouble, when we feel dejected and despondent, when things are getting on top of us. There are also times when everything is A1 (as a dear old deacon of this church used to say), when we are feeling in top form.

James tells us that in the tough times we should pray and in the times when we feel happy we should sing songs of praise. This may seem obvious – but in fact we often do not do as James suggests. Think about those difficult times. All too often the last thing we do is pray. We try to deal with the problems ourselves and things seem to go downhill even faster. At other times we feel like giving up altogether. Rather than struggle on our own, rather than giving up, we should bring the situation to God in prayer. Prayer should be our first choice not our last resort.

You may have heard this story previously but we would do well to take note. A church was holding a special meeting to discuss some difficult and delicate issues. One young and enthusiastic member suggested that they stop their discussion and pray about the situation. Another older member responded: “My, has it come to that!” He was implying that we only need to pray when the situation is really bad. Sadly, many people think this way. They only pray when they cannot think of anything else to do. The hymn, “What a Friend We Have In Jesus”, reminds us who is able to and wants to help us:

“What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer!”

Even in sadness we can be happy –especially giving thanks for our salvation- so remember also to sing His praises!

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Speakers for Sunday Services in June:

11^th: a.m. Pastor Peter Cho

p.m. Rev. Robert James

18^th: a.m. Pastor Peter Cho

p.m. Rev. Richard Harrison

25^th: a.m. Dr. Chris Palmer

p.m. “ “ “

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Dates for your diary:

Saturday 17^th: Baptist 150 Celebration Carmarthen – Bus leaves 8am.

Sunday 18^th: Family Service (Fathers’ day) 11am