A CALL TO PRAYER / Part 166 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

'A CALL TO PRAYER'

JOIN THEM

On April 6th I mentioned that Paul and Zabeth Bayne, who are committed Christian people, have invited other people who believe in prayer, to join them in a distinctive prayer assembly.

It will happen between the hours of 8:00 AM on Friday April 16th and 8 PM Sunday April 18th.

That is, this invitation has been sent by them or by friends like me to our contacts all over the globe and during that large weekend window of time, wherever people are located, they will take some time to pray.

This is my invitation to you to join them.

Paul and Zabeth have suggested a few things for which people can ask God. Here they are.

1. Pray for God's Will to be done and His Sovereignty and His Purposes to be made clear in their family.
2. Pray for wisdom, understanding and patience as they wait upon God and His timelines to be fulfilled.
3. Pray that God’s Love and Tenderness will be made evident in their children's daily lives.

You can read their own Facebook invitation and even indicate there your intention to be part of this effort. At Facebook just search for ‘A Call to Prayer’.

My own personal invitation to people is going to 150 churches in BC, AB, SK, MAN, and ON among whom I served for several years.

INVITATION TO PRAY / Part 159 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

Whatever works right?

The Bayne family believe that prayer works. Some might suggest that it hasn’t worked so far. That’s merely a matter of perspective. In any case, they are going to pray again and they have invited other people to join them.

It’s a thing that Christians do – pray together. It’s a united front, a combined intercessory effort.

In this case it has an interesting twist. They are not inviting people to meet at a particular location. They are merely asking people to allocate some time to prayer during a two day period. You simply become involved wherever you are.

They have asked that from Friday April 16th at 8 AM until Sunday evening April 18th at 8 PM, people pray. They know that some people will robustly commit to this so according to a formula in the Bible they invite people to fast and to pray.

To harmonize this prayer focus they have listed a series of requests to put to God and here they are.
1. Pray for God's Will to be done and His Sovereignty and His Purposes to be made clear in their family.
2. Pray for wisdom, understanding and patience as they wait upon God and His timelines to be fulfilled.
3. Pray that God’s Love and Tenderness will be made evident in their children's daily lives.

As you know, you can ask anything else you desire, and on their Facebook 'A CALL TO PRAYER' page you can add those requests for others to read. (at Facebook just ask for A Call to Prayer.) Once there you are asked to RSVP to indicate your involvement in the special two day prayer effort.

The Baynes cite a couple of Bible verses to explain their position of faith.

Proverbs 16:33
“We may cast lots (dice) but the Lord determines how they fall.” The Baynes believe that every decision, every step has been ordained and allowed by God's Sovereign Will.

1 John 5: 14 - 15
“14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

The picture was taken some time after the children were taken into care. "Pray that the Lord keeps hope in their hearts as we wait for His intervention in our lives."

“God bless everyone of you that has supported and prayed with us these many months.” The Baynes

Zabeth and Paul Bayne – Part 50 – The Bayne Campaign for Justice

PRAYER, LAW AND POLITICS and a CHRISTMAS GIFT

Believe me, I understand if you are not someone who considers prayer an effective or necessary resource.

I am assuming that because you are sympathetic to the Baynes or even a committed advocate for the return of Kent, Baden and Bethany to their mommy and daddy, Paul and Zabeth, you don’t mind if other advocates pray about this dilemma. Whatever works, right?

I received a message yesterday from a pastor in McBride, B.C. telling me that he has been notifying his congregation regularly about Paul and Zabeth Bayne and the church folk are praying for this family. Their prayer covers all the necessary touch points, Zabeth’s and Paul’s emotional health as this ordeal drags on, the children’s protection within the government protection program, and not least, the restoration of this family unit. When I learned that they are praying that the children will be returned by Christmas I quickly sent out a note to some colleagues. I discovered that numerous people have been praying this same prayer about a Christmas return for some days and weeks. They know that it will require a miracle. I suppose that’s why prayer is the vital response. It connects with the one being who is not miracle challenged.

I know that praying presupposes that Someone is listening. May I jump the theological cue of questions for evidence and presume for a moment that God does exist and is interested and involved with us. The Preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) articulates this truth by stating that “Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.” That being the case, I am making an appeal to people who pray. Will you please join these others in praying for a Christmas gift. As someone mentioned to me, the Baynes will not only be celebrating the arrival of the celebrated Child Jesus, but the arrival of three children with whom they have not lived since they were two months, two years and three years old. What a gala Christmas this will be!

Pray that the Ministry of Children and Family Development will make this significant decision to return the Bayne children permanently to Paul and Zabeth by Christmas 2009.

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Zabeth and Paul Bayne – Part 40 – The Bayne Campaign for Justice

IS PRAYER A LAST RESORT FOR THE BAYNE CASE?

I have just finished reading an article called Prayer: The Court of Last Resort. It was written in the summer 2009 publication of Kindred Spirit by Michael Justice.

What he writes about is crucial to the Bayne family case. I will tell you why. I acknowledge that not everyone who is sympathetic and supportive of the Baynes is a Christian or a person of faith in a supreme being. This is a no fault statement. To express compassion and human kindness does not require faith. If a ‘no faith’ or a ‘not yet persuaded’ position characterizes you, no problem but will you indulge me as I speak to those who are people of faith for a moment? You see I think some of us have a problem.

For far too many people with faith, despite all we have been taught, prayer becomes our last resort. It’s the old “If all else fails” syndrome. A crisis between what is espoused and what is practiced. Sometimes those of us who believe we have a relationship with the omnipotent Creator live with a disconnect between our confidence and our reality. Michael Justice spoke to that for me.

Michael lost his sight years ago. One of his friends, Dennis Dordigan suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for more than twenty-eight years. Dennis had been involved in Christian work. In discussion one day Michael stumbled into sympathy for Dennis that he could no longer preach, teach, and write as he had done before. Dennis rebuked him with, “Mike! I still pray!” In his barely audible voice he told Michael that he must not think much of the ministry of prayer. It had become a last resort for Mike whereas for Dennis, lives and situations were positively changed through the hours he spent communicating with his heavenly Father.

Here’s a thought. Perhaps this anecdote puts Zabeth’s and Paul’s and their children’s dilemma into a fresh perspective. I can write and we can make others aware and we can write letters of appeal to government officers and we can encourage media to get on this case yet all we do requires something very special in order to be effective. The research, the preparation and the delivery of the case that will eventually be taken by the Bayne’s legal representative to Court, will be convincingly effective if those of us who pray will not treat this communication as the court of last resort but first appeal.