“DURING THE SEASON OF LENT…”
… Join Your Pastors for a “Wesley Fast” &
Pray for the Welfare of Our City.
Pray for the Welfare of Our City
This Week We Pray for Our Police Officers
Chief Darren Smith has given us these names to pray for this week:
- Officer Matt Watkins, wife Lauren, and newborn son Cooper.
- Officer Cheryl Taylor, who has been ill and has returned to duty but still is recovering.
- Officer Joey Driggers, who is out for surgery.
- Officer Megan Tate, who is out for surgery.
- Officers recently promoted, that God would give them guidance and help along the way as they learn their new roles:
- Officer Jeff McCrary
- Officer Jason Baity
- Officer Tony Burgess
- Officer Chris Leonard
- Officer Tony Lewis
- New officers in training:
- Officer Jonathon Mchone
- Officer Adam Rolling
- Officer Lee Bumgardner
- Officer Jenna Kattner
If you have been observing the Wesley Fast during Lent, you know the experience of watching the clock on Friday afternoon, waiting for the hour hand to strike 3:00. Your stomach grumbles as visions of a burger and fries dance in your head. During such times, direct your thoughts to the hunger in our city, often more from empty hearts than empty stomachs.
Our city police come face to face with hunger day after day. They are called into neighborhoods and homes where there is a famine of God’s spirit. They hear it in angry voices, see it in drug addicted faces, and smell it in homes gripped by poverty. Surely, our officers see the good too, but there are many days when they witness the worst life has to offer. And yet, they are tasked with finding the sacred worth in everyone.
This week we pray for our police officers, who are called to be quick on their feet as they work to protect us, sometimes from ourselves and sometimes from one another. Pray they also will be quick to protect themselves and will go home to their families at the end of their shifts, whole and healthy.
Pray that God would give them compassion when they are fatigued and that they would be able to discern the best option, when no great options are available. Pray that they would use their authority justly, and pray that our visitors and residents would respect the authority that has rightly been given to them.
A Wesley Fast begins on Thursday, after dinner and is broken at 3:00 PM on Friday with a light snack. If you have health concerns, feel free to tailor your fast.