Connect 4 is a classic family game in which two players connect four of their checkers in a row while preventing their opponents from doing the same. But look out – your opponent can sneak up on you and win the game.[1]
If you've ever played Connect 4, you know it is a game of concentration and intentionality. Dedicated participants have a gameplay strategy that allows them to win. They are steady, focused, and conscientious about making the right moves to ensure that they have four counters in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
If you concentrate on the moves that your opponent makes and track their moves, you are bound to lose. You need to have your eye on the ball while being aware that you could be outsmarted at any time.
Prayer
As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, our gameplay in defeating the 'sins that so easily beset us' is found in the power of prayer. The distractions of 21st-century life often encroach on our ability to maintain the meaningful prayer life of our forefathers. We are not only bombarded with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune of one opponent, but the overindulgence of social media, the mental health drain of the recent pandemic and a news media for whom 'good news stories' are a rarity.
Sometimes, being faithful to our relationship with our Father God is challenging. 1 Corinthians 4:2 states, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." The foundation of Christian Stewardship isn't money or the return of tithes and freewill offerings; it is faithfulness in our relationship with Jesus Christ. "To have spiritual life and energy, we must have an actual relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our minds may be drawn out toward Him; we may meditate upon His works, His mercies, and His blessings, but this is not, in the fullest sense, communing with Him to commune with God, we must have something to say about our actual life."[2]
God loves to hear us speak to Him. Randy Maxwell also writes in his book, If My People Pray, "It is in the coming – responding to the call to prayer – that we humble ourselves and assume the position of the greatest power in the universe – the position of absolute surrender and submission."
Joining Together in Prayer
Each of us needs to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And so regular daily conversations with God are essential for this relationship to grow and be meaningful and as a catalyst for real change in our lives.
In addition, the General Conference invites us to join with the 20 million other Seventh-day Adventist believers worldwide on the first Sabbath of every quarter to pray.
Opportunities for Prayer
On Sabbath 6 July, the third Sabbath designated for Prayer and Fasting in 2024. The topic for this quarter is 'A Call to be Constantly Connected to God'. Materials have been prepared for personal and corporate participation on this special day. You can download the materials by clicking on the link below:
On this day, whether you are engaging in hybrid worship or participating in in-person worship, take time out of your busy Sabbath to read, reflect and, more importantly, pray.
Connect 3
This is the third Sabbath of four, designated for Prayer and Fasting. Often, we leave the prayer meetings to those who are considered to be prayer warriors. But we can take time out of our schedules to speak to our Father and God, privately or publicly.
What if
What if the 43,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church joined together on 6 July in praying together at the same time? What if we put aside our differences and approached the throne of grace with humility? What if we confessed our wrongdoings to each other and asked for God's forgiveness?
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Corinthians 7:14).
