September 21

“Prayer does not give you spiritual power.  Prayer aligns your life with God so that He chooses to demonstrate His power through you.  The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change your circumstances but to prepare you to be involved in God’s activity.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 9/13

I started a prayer group in a church once--at least, I tried to.  The people’s idea of a group and my idea of a group was not the same thing.  A whole bunch of people signed up to receive the prayer requests, but no one wanted to get together to pray as a group.  After a year, I did have two people who I met with alternately, and I believed God when He said “where two or three are gathered together” He would be there.  Eventually I left that church because of other reasons.  But as I look back I can see the mindset of the church was that the purpose of prayer was to convince God to change their circumstances, and I did little to change that view because I, myself, did not fully understand the purpose of prayer.  Now, years later I’m convinced that “traditional” prayer meetings may not be the way to go.  Instead I believe “prayer meetings” should be the Holy Spirit-driven response to a desire to seek God’s will in a matter.  We, individually, should be in constant prayer with God, in that we are seeking His will for our lives all the time. And we may be called to “pray over” a sick person in order that God’s will be done.   Collectively, however, we should always approach God with an attitude of seeking His will for the Body rather than telling God how He should run His House.   

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Matthew 26:39b