RESOLVED: FIND YOUR LOST PRAYER IN 2023

Christian Times Magazine issue 67 | Monthly Magazine page 16

It is a common prayer,

"Come, Lord Jesus. " But it has been lost. It is no longer prayed. Finding that lost prayer needs to be a priority in the church.

Remember Billy Graham preaching in a football stadium on the coming of the Lord? The Second Coming of Christ used to be the theme of local revivals. If you can recall some golden oldie gospel songs, most of them were about the return of Christ. Remember, "The King is Coming?" How soon we forget. In the Jesus Movement days everyone sang Andre Crouch's “It Won't Be Long. " Any day now, you expected the Lord's return. That song and its expectations are long gone. "Success in life" themes have replaced preaching about the last days. Churches that preach the Second Coming are now as rare as pay phone booths.

Here's a true story of mine which fits the time such as today. Growing up in Houston, I was a paper boy for the Houston Chronicle for three years. My route included more than local neighborhoods. It included a stretch of Market Street Road, a road that followed the Houston ship channel out east of downtown. It was known for its crowded stretch of bars and beer joints frequented by shift workers from the channel industries. Those smoke-filled hangouts all had jukeboxes blaring out Hank Williams’ nasal honky-tonk song, "Your Cheatin’ Heart. " I knew those dives well. I was required, as their newsboy, to deliver the Chronicle right to the bar.

But this reminds me of an unusual phone call my preacher dad received one day. An old friend of my father who went through Bible college with him called Dad from Albuquerque. Could he please drop in on one of those honky-tonks on Market Street Road and visit his brother, the manager?

Christian Times Magazine issue 67 | Monthly Magazine

His brother lived with his small family in the rear part of Fred's Crushed Ice and Beer. And brother Fred had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Terminal! I knew the place, Fred's Crushed Ice and Beer. Yes, I delivered the Houston Chronicle there daily. I had met the owner.

Dad's ministerial heart bade him "Go!" But his ministerial visit was not well received. Not at all. Not until my father offered prayer before departing. At that, Fred went to fetch his wife and son for the pastor's prayer. The son was a grown young man. He was special, marked by Down syndrome. After my father ended his short family prayer for hope, he turned to share a child's prayer with the son. He held his hand and prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. ”

His prayer was not even finished when that special child suddenly went wild with happy screams, "He found my prayer! He found my prayer!" he uttered over and over. The rest of the boy ’s hyper expressions were not intelligible to my dad. My pastor father, seeing the parents could not calm down the lad, quickly wrapped up his visit. He headed out to his car and drove home thinking he had disturbed the boy.

Back home the phone rang. It was the owner of the beer joint. "Pastor, ” he began explaining, "you might not have understood

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my son. He was telling us,

‘He found my prayer. ’ We had years ago taught him that bedtime devotional. We had even gone to church with him. But we eventually dropped out of church. We stopped praying with him. He forgot all the words we had taught him. ” The man continued, "When you prayed those words over him, he suddenly remembered. He cried after you left and told us, 'I want my prayer back. ' We all cried. We knelt down by his bed and gave our hearts to the Lord. Can you baptize us before I die?”

I do remember both the baptism and the man's funeral. I also remember that special boy ’s great joy upon finding his lost prayer. He quoted it from memory.

Today we have lost the Maranatha (Come Lord) prayer right in the heart of the church. It's been gone a long time. Wow! Of all times to lose this simple prayer! We need to find it soon. All the seminal prophecies and signs of the Bible speak of the nearness of the Lord's coming. Here is one of the most obvious signs of all, “ very obvious for you know quite well, " Paul reminds us, "that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. " (1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT) Unexpectedly? Yes. Certainly, that describes us today. We've stopped preaching, teaching, expecting, singing, and praying about that moment of Christ's return. Yet we have a promise of a great reward, as long as we are

Christian Times Magazine issue 67 | Monthly Magazine page 18

longing and looking for His coming. In one of the last words Paul left us he reminds us that this great reward is "to all who have loved His appearing. ” (2 Timothy 4:8 NKJ) I want that reward. So, let's bring back prayers for Christ's return in 2023.

Will somebody say Amen? Awaken us, oh Lord.

"Amen, come Lord Jesus. " I hope I found your prayer. I pray you love and long for His appearing this year.

Happy New Year 2023