I dream of Christian families and churches all across Canada being infected by the Spirit of prayer.
I need this wonderful disease as much as anyone.
James Banks, who wrote The Lost Art of Praying Together, said in an Internet seminar sponsored by RBC Ministries this week that "every church prays but there are few praying churches."
His point was that almost every church provides for some opportunities to pray - organized gatherings of some kind. Perhaps it is only a few minutes after a small-group Bible study.
But a praying church is more than that.
"Where there is a culture of prayer, it drives everything else," he said. "It is very natural or organic. Often a person will say, 'Let's pray together.' In a culture of prayer, there is a real sense of dependence on God."
In his own church, church board members spend part of their meetings in the church sanctuary on their knees before the Lord.
"We are interceding for the congregation. We are praying about the decisions we have made."
In his North Carolina church, there is a prayer wall where people post their prayer needs. There is a prayer walk through the eight-acre property with prayer stations carrying different phrases from the Lord's prayer. People wander through, praying at each station.
There is prayer during church services, too.
Even better in my eyes is the fact that people will stop what they are discussing and pray. In my mind's eye, I see two friends talking about a problem one of them is facing and they pray.
That is the Spirit of prayer in action.
In his book Prayer, O. Hallesby writes that prayer should be guided by the Spirit. We, who are struggling with prayer, should begin by asking for the Spirit of prayer - and give him free rein.
As Banks says, prayer should flow naturally. We should be spontaneous, not programmed.
While true of church prayer, this is also true of prayer in families.
Often, my wife and I will stop what we are doing or discussing and pray for someone who has popped into our minds or conversation. We don't do it enough.
In effect, God drops these thoughts into our minds. We must not ignore them.
There is an old adage: "The family that prays together, stays together." This holds for any group of people, from families to churches.
May all believers seek the divine infection of the Spirit of prayer.
I need this wonderful disease as much as anyone.
James Banks, who wrote The Lost Art of Praying Together, said in an Internet seminar sponsored by RBC Ministries this week that "every church prays but there are few praying churches."
His point was that almost every church provides for some opportunities to pray - organized gatherings of some kind. Perhaps it is only a few minutes after a small-group Bible study.
But a praying church is more than that.
"Where there is a culture of prayer, it drives everything else," he said. "It is very natural or organic. Often a person will say, 'Let's pray together.' In a culture of prayer, there is a real sense of dependence on God."
In his own church, church board members spend part of their meetings in the church sanctuary on their knees before the Lord.
"We are interceding for the congregation. We are praying about the decisions we have made."
In his North Carolina church, there is a prayer wall where people post their prayer needs. There is a prayer walk through the eight-acre property with prayer stations carrying different phrases from the Lord's prayer. People wander through, praying at each station.
There is prayer during church services, too.
Even better in my eyes is the fact that people will stop what they are discussing and pray. In my mind's eye, I see two friends talking about a problem one of them is facing and they pray.
That is the Spirit of prayer in action.
In his book Prayer, O. Hallesby writes that prayer should be guided by the Spirit. We, who are struggling with prayer, should begin by asking for the Spirit of prayer - and give him free rein.
As Banks says, prayer should flow naturally. We should be spontaneous, not programmed.
While true of church prayer, this is also true of prayer in families.
Often, my wife and I will stop what we are doing or discussing and pray for someone who has popped into our minds or conversation. We don't do it enough.
In effect, God drops these thoughts into our minds. We must not ignore them.
There is an old adage: "The family that prays together, stays together." This holds for any group of people, from families to churches.
May all believers seek the divine infection of the Spirit of prayer.
Bob; I love this idea of creating a "culture of prayer," and look forward to discussing with you, and others, how we as a church might put into practice some practical steps towards attaining this.
ReplyDeleteYour blogs are always so relevant and I appreciate your transparency. So often the questions you ask of yourself are questions I too struggle with. I think we build each other up through our honest self evaluation, and I thank you for always making me think!