Hey everybody,
We had a fantastic start to the Pray series on Sunday. If you missed it, check it out on our YouTube channel here. This series will lead us to Easter on Sunday, March 31st. Don’t let it sneak up on you! Make plans now to attend AND to invite a friend to sit with you that Sunday. I am working on the Easter message, and I believe God will use it in significant ways in the lives of those who attend. Invite people boldly with the confidence that they will be grateful that you did!
This past Sunday, I talked about different feelings that people have when it comes to prayer. One of those feelings is “inspired.” If you have prayed for something big in your life and you have seen God show up even bigger, then you likely are inspired by the thoughts of prayer. In your mind, prayer can do anything God can do, and the best you can tell is that there isn’t anything that God can’t do. Which means…your prayers are the breeding grounds for the supernatural taking place in your life. I have had seasons where that has been the case for me, but they have been seasons. If that’s where you are right now, I don’t want to rain on your moment. Enjoy it! Soak it up! Pray BIG, BOLD prayers, and watch God move!
For me, though, those seasons of inspiration have often been overshadowed by other thoughts when it comes to prayer. Feelings of “guilt” have plagued me in my walk with Jesus regarding my prayers. I’m not praying enough. I’m not praying correctly. I’m praying selfishly. I’m not praying with enough faith. These things cross my mind when I set myself to pray. I talked with several folks on Sunday who also shared some of their feelings of guilt with me. I hope this series will free you from guilt and that you can freely pray as you can, not as you think you ought to.
Another word that people resonated with was the word “disappointing.” If you have ever desperately desired that God show up in a situation and if you have ever pleaded with God to respond to your earnest and faith-filled prayers, but nothing happened on the other side of those prayers, then you know all about disappointing prayers. I have had my fair share of those moments through the years. We talked through some of this on the Made for Mondays podcast. You can watch that episode on here, or anywhere you stream your podcasts.
I was a little surprised that not more people told me that they resonated with the 4th word that I mentioned often gets associated with prayer, “skeptical.” If you find it hard to believe that God hears and answers prayer, whether you believe in God or not, then you are likely a skeptic of prayer. I get that. I do. Sometimes, I am a little cynical of some things I see when it comes to prayer. In some ways, if you aren’t a little skeptical, you aren’t thinking very deeply about it. A GREAT book on prayer I read years ago was one by Philip Yancy titled “Prayer – Does it make any difference?” It was published a while ago, but I am confident it stands the test of time. I highly recommend it, but I must warn you that Yancy never offers any trite answers. When you finish the book, the mystery of prayer likely won’t be resolved for you, but you will better understand it! If you are interested, you can order it here.
A few resources that I want you to take advantage of that will help you to grow in your practice of prayer:
Prayer Journals. We ran out of these on Sunday but will have more available at Connect Central THIS Sunday. Listen to the message to learn how you can use them to help you pray more consistently.
Prayer Wall. Be sure to stop by the prayer wall in the Commons on Sunday. There, you can pray for others and add your prayer requests to the “stained glass” wall. It truly is a beautiful thing when we all stand together in prayer.
24-hours of prayer. Sign-ups are currently available in the events tab of the Believers Church App or on our website under the “Easter” Banner. Sign up to pray for one hour between 6 pm on Thursday, March 28th, and 6 pm on Friday, March 29th. We will equip you with a prayer guide to walk you through interactive stations, leading you to one hour of prayer. It will be an hour of power!
Good Friday. On March 28th at 7 pm, we will have a night of worship, communion, and an opportunity to pray and seek healing in your life. Our elders and pastors will be available to pray over anyone seeking a healing touch from God in their relational, emotional, mental, or physical lives. It will be a powerful night that you won’t want to miss! There is no need to sign up; just show up.
I look forward to joining you THIS Sunday to continue our series Pray!
Blessings,
Pastor Jamey
