Prayer Ministry
A worship ministry student interviewed me yesterday about prayer ministry. His beginning comment was that he noticed that we talk a lot about the importance of prayer and scripture in our churches but they don't seem to get much time in our worship services. Indeed, it is easy to gravitate toward prayer-less songs and scripture-less preaching with in this microwave, sound bite generation. I think it is always a struggle for the church to keep worship...worship, not just ritual. We started a Thursday night Prayer Gathering a couple of years ago. I shared with him somethings I have observed about prayer in the life of the church.
Here are just some of the things that I have learned.
Prayer takes time. It's not like calling God up and expecting Him to answer after the first ring. It takes time to unload our ourselves and focus on Him, to commune with His presence, to praise and thank Him and really converse. How would you feel if your spouse only communicated in a direct, get things done, business like manner? Where is the relationship? I don't think corporate prayer is any less intimate. Perhaps it is more since the whole body is there calling upon the Lord.
Prayer builds relationships. Much of our relationship with God happens through prayer. You also tend to develop real relationships with the people you prayer for and with. I have seen this happen over and over again, even across denominational lines through the Pastor's Prayer Summit. It opens the door to sharing the gospel like nothing else to ask, "Can I pray for you?" Many people have come to Christ this year through Thursday night prayer. With prayer, your more likely to share.
Prayer develops shepherds. This is one of the coolest things about open prayer meetings. When you begin praying for others your heart grows into a shepherd's heart. You become aware of the spiritual and physical needs of others and begin to move to meet those needs. You become more bold and fervent to pray and reach out. I have seen many a person stand on the prayer "sideline" until someone prays over them and they see how it ministers. Next thing you know it, they are standing over someone, lifting them up to the Lord.
Prayer taps God's resources. This is the obvious one that needs no elaboration.
Prayer brings God glory. He could have created other methods of working with and through his children. He chose prayer in this walk of faith. He desires us to ask so that we will know that He is the source of everything...that He deserves the credit...that everything is accomplished because we brought it to Him first. Corporate prayer can become the prayer journal of a church. When we all ask together and we know we asked it together, when it comes about, we tend to remember... "It was God"