In many parts of the church, prayer is making a "comeback." There are 24 hours of prayer gatherings, prayer conferences, and growing exhortations to pray coming from all corners of the church. It's not new. About 15 years ago, I was very involved in various prayer gatherings and movements here in Northern Virginia. I was part of several pastoral groups dedicated to prayer. We would regularly gather together with our fellowships and plead for revival and renewal. This all took place over a 2-3 year period. Eventually, it all came to an end. Why? The reasons are varied, but I think the overwhelming one was that God didn't do what we were asking Him to do. I think at root, we, and I include myself, were seeing prayer not really as a means of experiencing intimately His Presence, but more as a "plan" that would get God to do what we wanted, which was to make our churches what we wished them to be; bigger and more alive. He was not the focus of our prayer. Results were.
I saw a quote posted on Facebook that "If we wish to have Acts chapter 2, then we must first experience Acts chapter 1." I agree, but again, what is our true focus in such praying? Acts 1:14 reads, "These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer." Yet, can we ask what their "one accord" was? Was it a common desire for God to move and impact in a mighty and miraculous way, all of Jerusalem? I've no doubt that this desire was present in their hearts, but I don't believe it was the focus. I don't believe that they came to Him with any agenda of their own, but simply that they might see, hear, and know Him. They were not looking for a "plan," for something that would "work." They were looking for Him. All they wanted was Him. Jesus in effect told them to stay in His Presence until they received the fullness of His Presence. That was their one accord. When we come together, is it really ours?
I said that eventually, all of our prayer gatherings "dried up." I believe it was because too many of us saw prayer as the latest "tool" we could use in growing the church. We'd tried many other things but they hadn't worked. Surely prayer would. More, it was unified prayer, coming from many different streams of the church. Surely this would move His heart and His hand. When we saw that the results fell very short of our expectations, we lost heart, and the meetings and gatherings dwindled away. His Word says that we ask yet don't receive because we ask in order to fulfill our own desires. One version says so we might consume it upon our own lusts. Much as we may not wish to hear it, we can lust after church growth and ministry success just as much as we can after less savory objects. The Father isn't interested in satisfying such desires.
Watchman Nee said, "God shows us what He wants, we stand and ask, and God acts from heaven: this is true prayer and this is what we must see fully expressed in our prayer meeting." Key phrase; God shows us what He wants. Then in response, we pray for that desire which is now our desire. Too often, we approach prayer as a matter of us showing God what we want, and then demand that He act to make it so. He will not be manipulated and every "prayer movement" that is built upon such a motive will collapse.
I'm not saying that this latest move of prayer in the church is likewise tainted, but our hearts can so easily be deceived and so deceive us. May we come into His Presence with our only desire to experience and know Him, and then out of that, to hear and obey Him. We will see Him move, perhaps, likely, in ways we did not expect, but it will be His way, and not ours. May such a movement of prayer take place in His church. May such a movement of prayer take place in you and I.
Blessings,
Pastor O
I said that eventually, all of our prayer gatherings "dried up." I believe it was because too many of us saw prayer as the latest "tool" we could use in growing the church. We'd tried many other things but they hadn't worked. Surely prayer would. More, it was unified prayer, coming from many different streams of the church. Surely this would move His heart and His hand. When we saw that the results fell very short of our expectations, we lost heart, and the meetings and gatherings dwindled away. His Word says that we ask yet don't receive because we ask in order to fulfill our own desires. One version says so we might consume it upon our own lusts. Much as we may not wish to hear it, we can lust after church growth and ministry success just as much as we can after less savory objects. The Father isn't interested in satisfying such desires.
Watchman Nee said, "God shows us what He wants, we stand and ask, and God acts from heaven: this is true prayer and this is what we must see fully expressed in our prayer meeting." Key phrase; God shows us what He wants. Then in response, we pray for that desire which is now our desire. Too often, we approach prayer as a matter of us showing God what we want, and then demand that He act to make it so. He will not be manipulated and every "prayer movement" that is built upon such a motive will collapse.
I'm not saying that this latest move of prayer in the church is likewise tainted, but our hearts can so easily be deceived and so deceive us. May we come into His Presence with our only desire to experience and know Him, and then out of that, to hear and obey Him. We will see Him move, perhaps, likely, in ways we did not expect, but it will be His way, and not ours. May such a movement of prayer take place in His church. May such a movement of prayer take place in you and I.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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