God wants to do something significant in your life, too. Not only does He long to draw you into closer fellowship with Him—He also wants to minister to others through you. And as you spend 40 amazing days with God, He will prepare you for earth’s final crisis and Christ’s long-anticipated second coming.
| Testimonials | | Print | |
|
The 40 Days of devotional study and prayer has been held in many churches. The following are a few testimonies of individuals who participated, and the blessings they and their church received from the 40 days of devotional and prayer emphasis.
"In all my 30 years as a pastor I had never experienced a spiritual emphasis and outreach like the 40 day devotional study and prayer program. I was amazed at the results. I heard many comments on the blessings the daily devotional studies were bringing into the lives of the participants. Then on Visitor's Sabbath we had more visitors than we had ever had. Our church sanctuary was so full that we had to usher individuals to help them find a seat. I can heartily recommend the 40 day devotional and prayer emphasis to any church." (Pastor Dennis Smith, New Haven, CT)
"Why 40 Days? "First, what do you think the following people - Noah, Joseph, Moses, The 12 Spies, Goliath, Elijah, Jonah, Ezekiel, and Jesus - have in common? All of them are connected with a time period of 40 days (Moses twice and Jesus three times). Consequently, 40 days is a biblical figure (the list is not exhaustive). Second, 40 days is a long time and as such an accurate indicator about our seriousness with regards to prayer. Third, because it gives ample opportunity to God, those we pray for, and us to interact. Remember Gabriel's remark to Daniel that the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood him twenty-one days; and Michael, one of the chief princes, had to intervene (Dan 10:13). Change of the kind we pray for requires time, and 40 days is an apropriate period to that end. "What could You Expect After 40 Days? "Based on the biblical blueprint in the list above, after 40 days and nights of hurricane/tornado like strom and rain Noah saw the sun again; after 40 days Joseph was embalmed, ready to go to his rest with the hope of a soon return to Canaan; after 40 days Moses' face shined with the glory of God; after 40 days the 12 spies were ready for their report - which could relult in either entering Canaan or delaying 40 years; after 40 days Goliath played his last card and lost; after 40 days , in the power of the food provided by the angel Elijah arrived at Horeb (the place where the covneant was set in place). And his whole life took a dramatic change which ended in his ascension; after 40 days Jonah saw to his dismay a whole metropolis repenting; after 40 days Ezekiel was delivered of carrying Judah's sins by lying on a single side all the time; after 40 days, Jesus was dedicated at the timeple, afer another 40 days he defeated Satan in the wilderness, and after yet again 40 days following his resurrection ascended to heaven taking captives home. What can you expect therefore? First, a change (of attitude, a desire for something better, a direct diving intervention, or the like) in the life of those you pray for. Second, you may be prepared for a change in yourself; repeated actions become habits and habits form character. The 40 days will engrave/carve out in your brain a pattern of decisions or a way of life you will need for the entire eternity (basically, a change of preoccupation from ourselves to others). Third, you can expect exceedingly more than that, since God has in store for you, much, much more - for instance, your name and unique experience will be surely added to the list above, as an object lesson of what Divine grace is able to do in your life and the lives of your loved or hated ones." (Alexandru Breja, Pastor N. Stamford and Brooklawn/Bridgeport SDA Churches.)
Examples of How Systematic Prayer Will Help When Taken Seriously "My prayer partner and I prayed together prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication for the people on our prayer list each day and as the 40 days progressed I often found myself praying for those on our prayer lists during the day. "My mother had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and had undergone three cyber knife surgical treatments to remove a tumor from her left lung. Several weeks after the surgery she was rushed to the hospital unble to breath and she was suffering sever chest pain. She was hospitalized for several weeks with congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and the doctors were not even sure the cyber knife surgery was successful. The hospital doctors and her primary care physican said her only option would be Hospice Care where they could keep her comfortable and relatively pain free. This prognosis gave my prayer partner and me some very special, specific requests on my mother's behalf to bring to Jesus. I know without doubt that prayer is powerful. Jesus, like He healed the son of the centurion from afar, healed my mother. She ended up not having to go to the Hospice. She was admitted to Gaylord Rehabilitation Hispital in Wallingford, CT and after a brief stay she returned home. This coincided exactly with the end of the 40 days, when my wife, her sister, my son, my daughter-in-law, and their daughter - all non-Adventists - participated in the visitors day at the church. "Two months later when I write this, she is still doing quite well. I thank and praise Jesus for hearing our prayers and answering them in such a mighty way." (James Rollinson, elder, North Stamford, CT, SDA Church)
"The greatest desire of a father is to see all of his children closely walking with Christ. As the end of the 40 days of emphasis of prayer, devotional study and outreach in the New Haven (CT) SDA Church approached, my son, a deacon in the church, called. "'Dad, I am going to invite Nicole and Gabrielle to come to church on the guest day this Sabbath.' "'Great news, son. Thank you for praying for and inviting your sisters. They talk about coming to church but haven't yet made it.' "How our hearts rejoiced when Nicole came, was blessed, and has resumed regular church attendance! Now she can continue to invite her sister! PTL for prayer and plans that can help bring home the wandering sheep before the harvest is over." (Pastor Bill Warcholik, Providence, RI)
"Our church had the privilege of being the first church to enter into the 40 days of prayer and experience using this book as a prayer and study guide. When it was first introduced at church, it was so enthusiastically received that when we distributed books we discovered that we had underestimated demand by a third. We had to quickly get the additional copies we needed. "From this beginning we had a sense that God was in this effort to connect with him. We encouraged everyone to find a prayer partner (in person or on the phone) to pray with each day. My wife and I were prayer partners and were blessed in ways beyond our hopes. It was a bonding experience between us and God as well as between my wife and me. "Our personal prayer lists of people that we would like to see come to church on visitors day (scheduled for the end of the 40 days of prayer) included five people for whom we had a special burden. Each night after we studied the lesson we discussed and answered the questions in the day's lesson, then prayed together for the suggested prayer focus and the five names of our list. God heard and answered these prayers in a mighty way. "Come visitors day our church was packed well beyond its normal attendance. Among the many that stood that day, when visitors were invited to stand, were four of the five people we had prayed for (including one who traveled out of state just for the occasion). Each of these are now having Bible studies and attending regularly. "God truly blessed these 40 days and beyond. We want to see the Lord's work finished and the Gospel heard by all who will listen. If you want to share in this experience, I urge you to consider this opportunity for you and your church to experience a similar blessing." (David Reeves, Head Elder, New Haven, CT, Seventh-day Adventist Church)
My church has completed the 40 Days series, but the impact has not finished its work in us. Some are starting over with new people. Here are some of the results of the 40 Days on my own church
As a direct result of our daily praying for missing members and other people:
Spiritual growth and evangelism...doesn't get any better than that. (Amy Mapp, Gulf States Conference Prayer Coordinator)
|
