How is the prayer life of your church? Part of that answer includes the prayer life of individual Christians. But if you were to evaluate specifically how central is prayer to the life and health and growth of your church, how would you asssess your church?
One of the core values of our denomination, The Christian & Missionary Alliance, is prayer: "Prayer is the primary work of the people of God."
One of the core values of our church is prayer: "Doing everything in prayerful dependence upon the Lord and expecting God’s manifest presence."
Yet are we satisfied with our answers to prayer? Are we satisfied with the results of prayer? Are we seeing the genuine spiritual fruit of prayer in changed lives?
The life of a church not being surrounded, bathed, and covered by a blanket of prayer is like running in waist high water. You expend a lot of energy to gain little.
I want to expend a lot of energy for God and gain much. I want to pour out myself for others and gain much.
That may mean rethinking how we do prayer as a congregation. That may mean reinventing church prayer structures.
Whatever it takes, we need God. We want God. We are desperate for God's manifest presence.
That says alot about prayer, and it makes me want to pray!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your words on prayer. They made me think a great deal more about what prayer is looking like in the ministry I am part of at our church.
ReplyDeleteMary Krupski
May God expand prayer in your church, Mary!
ReplyDelete