I’ve been thinking about prayer over the past few days. So what is prayer? No really, take a second to close your eyes and answer the question before you continue reading this blog. What is prayer? I’m sure most of you answered “communication with God”. Good answer! Prayer is a church word for communication with God. It is a time when we talk to God, and a time when we listen so God can speak to us. That’s right, two-way communication. Prayer is the fertilizer for growth in our relationship with the Father. That is what personal prayer is all about.
So how about corporate prayer… Why is it important to pray together in the church? What is the purpose of corporate prayer? I think the purpose of corporate prayer is so that two or three of us can come into agreement over one thing (Mt 18:19). Corporate prayer can be a powerful time where we hear God individually and then speak God’s truth and will into a specific area of need, or to a specific situation that we are facing. It is a time where we can minister to one another through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
I love corporate prayer. What I do not love is what we sometimes turn corporate prayer into. I often wonder, why do we turn prayer into something it is not? So, here’s what corporate prayer is not. Corporate prayer is not the venue for counseling; “God, just show them that if they love their wives like Christ loves the church then the situation will be taken care of”. Be honest now, who is that prayer too… God or the person you’re praying for? Nor is corporate prayer a way to tell someone how you feel about them; good or bad: “God, just let them know how much we care about them and how important they are to us”. Is the intent to really have God show them, or is it just a message that we want them to hear?
I think speaking the counsel of God’s Word and speaking words of encouragement to one another are biblical and extremely important; But, prayer is not the right delivery method. When we use “prayer” to communicate OUR MESSAGE to the person we are praying for, we end up cheapening our communication with the Father and limiting the effectiveness of building relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Come on now… wouldn’t it mean so much more if instead of praying your encouragement, you went to the person and just told them… “Jim, I just want you to know that we really care about you. You are so important to us”.
Honestly, I think it is time to get real with God and with people. Being genuine believers in Christ and being genuine lovers of people are important. We are in the redemption business my friends. So lets get real in prayer, lets encourage one another, and lets touch this world with the power and love of Christ.
Good word Ken….. a good reminder as to why it’s important to pray the Word over the situation and not what we are feeling. We miss you guys tremendously. Steve and I learned so much being under the leadership of you and Danine. We appreciate you and all that you poured into our lives…..thank you!