Having a Prayer

Recently I stopped by a local church in our area. Being new to this metropolitan area, I felt it good to meet some of the local ministers. We began with the usual greetings and searchings. In the midst of the conversation we found that we were pretty much on the same page in many respects. The churches we serve in are not of great size, but we are both concerned with reaching our perspective areas.

We shared some of the challenges we had faced in our respective ministries and how the Lord had used those times to refine and challenge our ministries for growth or to reveal areas of true need.

As we were closing our time, I heard one comment he made to me that sort of stopped me in my tracks. "I find that our people get turned off when I say we are going to have a 'prayer meeting.' They will not come if we say we are going to have a 'Prayer meeting.'" Christian people bored, scared, or unconcerned about prayer? Could it be possible? I am not sure if he realized the declaration of his statement. I know it seemed to be a moment of honesty and it did seem to bother him.

I took that thought to our people here. I shared that statement in a very similar generic way without names, but shared the concern it welled up within my heart. Here we are saying that we are concerned about reaching people and yet we grow stagnant in our prayers. We come to God with our "grocery list" style of prayer. "Lord I need to move quickly and get through this list today." "I don't have time to stay long, you know, got this list to accomplish and need to just get what I need from you."

I wonder if God just sits back and frowns. I wonder if HE just slumps HIS shoulders at our lack of enthusiasm to speak with HIM? I really imagine HE grows disappointed with our lack of dependence, our lack of urgency, our lack of humility.

I challenged our people, few though we may be, "Let us pray with all dependence!" We need God to do what only God can do. We need to know His heart and the only way we will know that is to be in His Word and communicating with Him in prayer. The only way we will reach this vast, liberal city is to see a working of God's Spirit.

I think it comes from an Ephesians 3:19 relationship, "filled up to all the fullness of God." As we come with that overflowing cup, then we find that HE is ABLE to DO! To do what? ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL that we could even begin to ask for or to even imagine HIM willing, nevertheless capable of doing.

Then the glory is HIS, the Person of our Glorious Christ, our wonderful Savior, is evident and seen. We no longer see us, but only HIM.



Get a handle on Prayer. We have a prayer. But do we come ready for the answer He has for us? Are we open to hear HIS plan, HIS Purpose? Throw out the "list mentality," get rid of your expectations and increase your faith to see what only faith can see, to hope in what God has already pre-determined.

Open the doors,CHURCH! Pray!