Prayer, Praise, Power, and Peace

[Edwin]

This morning's church service was especially good! The had 2 pianos being played, one electronic, and one acoustic with a microphone underneath it as it is a very large church auditorium. There were an unusually high number of hymns/church songs being sung, such as can be found in the church hymn/song book, and that made me very happy. The others that were sung were familiar, and very good worship music, so I was very happy about that, and felt like I had really been to church.

An old acquaintance of mine, that I used to play in the community orchestra with was playing the aucoustic piano. I played trombone in the orchestra, and he played the French Horn. He is really accomplished on the piano, and I probably will never get to his skill level with my playing, but I play for myself, and for the Lord, and then Carol listens as well. She used to tell me to stop playing as it bothered her, but now she is telling me to play on, even while she is taking a nap, so I don't know for sure what that means, but I am happy about that too!

The preacher did a really nice job with his sermon. It was from Matthew 6:19; to 24; with his emphasis on verse 21;. He said that most people quote that verse incorrectly by saing Where your heart is that is where your treasure will be, he said that it is better to quote it correctly, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." He said that whatever you treasure your heart will be in it, and that makes sense. What you value highly you become obsessed whether it is good or bad.

We pray asking God what it is that He wants us to do. Then we ask Him where He is in it, and then we fit into God's program as we pray according to His will.

Praise is important as God loves to live in and amongst the praises of His people.

Then there is power through the person of the Holy Spirit as He helps us, guides us, and give us power in our service for the Lord.

Then there is peace from God that passes all understanding. The peace is a Shalom peace. It is more than just the abssence of conflict and troubles. It is God's peace for use and between us and our fellow men and women.

According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom also means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.

Numbers 6:24-26: YAHWEH bless you and keep you. YAHWEH make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. YAHWEHlift up His face upon you and give you SHALOM. In the name of SAR SHALOM - the Prince of Peace.

This was the best church service we have attended since we have been going there. We were attending there almost 20 years ago, then we moved, were gone for 10 years, and then 3 years after we moved back we started attending there again. It is Free Methodist, and we are actually Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, and there are a number of Pentecostal people from various churches, like the Four Square, and others like us attending there. There is very good Christian fellowship there, and we are very happy about it. We sense the presence of God there.