“Tools that make Prayer come Alive!”

Our Scriptures – Matthew 6: 1 – 18, 1 Timothy 1: 1 – 8, Jeremiah 33: 3, Exodus 33: 12 - 13

“Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’  If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”.”     Exodus 33: 12 - 13

-- NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula then and now.

Crescent Nebula Then
Crescent Nebula Now

Last year I did my best with my Baader Light Pollution Filter to get a good photo of the Crescent Nebula. It is the photo with a partial crescent shape in red color on the left.

All I could get is the H-alpha light and thus the reddish color. The second photo on the right was taken with two new narrowband filters that I just purchased. They are made by Sharpstar and called Askar Colour Magic D Package that gives me the ability to capture more sensitive wavelengths of light of Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) and Oxygen III plus Sodium II with my current ASI2600 Duo Color Astro Camera. This is a much less expensive way to get higher quality astro photos. After taking two sets of photos they are combined into a computer program that will align the photos and stack them into one final picture. After comparing the pictures do you agree that having better tools make it possible to create better pictures?

This new photo process helps me understand Psalm 19: 1-2. "The heavens declare the glory of God;

“The skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech;  night after night they reveal knowledge."

I could not see the fine detail of the Crescent Nebula without the new tools that revealed the full image with more data and colors. Ps. 19: 2 tells us that the creations in the heavens reveal knowledge of their power and design that in turn tells us more about our Creator. I would encourage you to earnestly seek the presence of The Father and while bowed down before him, ask him the same question that Moses did in Exodus 33: 13. "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." Yes, there is more to know and experience in God's presence for the good of others and our own benefit. The same is true to experience a more effective prayer life and develop a more intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. God wants to reveal deeper truth if we are open to ask for it and receive it and use the tools of prayer and fasting to find it. 

To God be the glory!

 

Here are the four weekly themes for the month to focus on while in prayer and fasting: Note: Please fast as the Holy Spirit leads you. Our MidSouth Prayer Team has no specific dates or times set for fasting.

WEEK 1

October 1-10

The disciples learned how to pray from Jesus’s example and teachings. Ask Jesus this week to teach you to pray more effectively for his glory.

Consider & Pray:  

Scriptures: Matthew 6: 1 – 18

Prayer Concerns:

 

WEEK 2

October 11-17

Praying with urgency as intercessors is what the Apostle Paul wants for the church.

Consider & Pray: How urgent are your prayers for others? Notice that God is pointing us the main task of wanting all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Scriptures: 1 Timothy 1: 1 – 8

Prayer Concerns:

  • Spend time in prayer over MidSouth Annual Conference Prayer Needs
  • Check out and register for the “Healing Prayer Academy” listed under events on the MidSouth webpage. It is Saturday, November 7, 2026 and led by Dr. Steve Seamands at the Cowen Building on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary beginning at 9:00 AM. Pray for the Holy Spirit to anoint Dr. Seamands as well as the afternoon breakout group speakers to bring glory to God.  

WEEK 3

October 18-24

Prayers are needed every month especially our leaders in both the secular world and the spiritual realm. Let’s offer up prayers for our pastoral leadership.

Consider & Pray: The Devil targets our pastors and their families for failure. Pray for their protection and build up a shield of faith around them to make a way for them to prosper in the Lord. As our pastors, presiding elders, and bishops prosper in physical and spiritual health, so will those they shepherd

Scriptures: Jeremiah 33: 3

Prayer Concerns:

  • Pray for our current Bishops at the GMC General Conference. 
  • Pray for our newly elected GMC Bishops and their assigned areas. 
  • Pray for your pastor by name as well as your conference leadership and your bishop.
  • Pray that the Lord raise up prayer warriors for every GMC Conference local church House of Prayer!
  • Pray that the Lord establishes one new church plant for every currently established local church!
  • Pray that the Lord fill every pastor and lay leader with your Holy Spirit to boldly seek the Father’s presence for His glory!
  • Pray that the Lord shows his favor on every GMC church so it can be said of us as it was in the Book of Acts. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Amen and hallelujah!

 

WEEK 4

October 25-31

Praying because the God of the universe promises to hear and answer our prayers.

Consider & Pray: Moses was the friend of God and even he saw the need to directly ask God while they were in the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness to “teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” That is a big prayer! Pray that kind of prayer this week.

Please take time to prayer for 5 people that you know who do not know Jesus. If we all take this to heart, we could realize a wonderful harvest of fruit. Amen!

Scriptures: Exodus 33: 12 - 13

Prayer Concerns:

  • Go to the GMC Conference website and ask the Lord to show you what needs lifted up in prayer. Unending prayer must continue if we are to be gloriously used by the Holy Spirit to make disciples for our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Pray for the Prayer Coordinator in your Annual Conference to be blessed both spiritually and physically to be able to do the work of prayer. In the MidSouth, pray for Rev. Dr. Carolyn King as the leader of our MidSouth prayer network and the prayer warriors that she works with each week through two Zoom Prayer Meetings. The Zoom links for these weekly meetings are listed under “Prayer Movement” on our prayer resource page. 
  • Pray that we seek and know the presence of God Almighty at every level of our MidSouth Global Methodist leadership and local church congregations. We would not want anything less for them! 

NOTE: More Symphonies of Prayer are being set for winter and spring of 2027. Please pray for the MidSouth Prayer Team as we work on the details.

 

For the awakening,
Brother Dale Shunk, GMC Senior Elder