An Invitation to Prayer

I would like to encourage you to consider committing to a longer period of prayer one day a week.  Try this for a few weeks rather than making too long of a goal, then renew it. In Matthew 26:40, Jesus asked his sleepy disciples, " Could you not watch with me for one hour?".   So consider setting a realistic goal that will stretch you, but avoid setting yourself up for failure or a guilt trip.

I've neglected our Lord's urging many times myself.  I'm tired or busy or get  sidetracked.  I know too, that the enemy of our souls wants me to put off prayer.  I've found it important for me to get with other people on a periodic basis to help me stay focused during prayer, and then we're also accountable to each other.  Notice that in the "Our Father" it is plural; give us, lead us vs. me.                                              

I believe God desires for us is to find prayer partners to pray with.  Jesus told us in Matt 18:20 that "where two or three come together in My Name, there I am with them."   There is something special about his people coming together and verbalizing their prayers.  We have had two or three people coming for awhile on Wednesday mornings from 6:30 to 8:00 am to pray.  We come in through the outside door that leads into the library.  Any one is welcome to come for part or all of that time.

A friend of mine often refers to God's plan for the church as building a net.  Each of us, on our own, are little nets, all with some catching power.   As we begin to unite with each other, we form a network of nets and hopefully one big net.

A good net has to be strong, yet flexible.  A net has to be stretched to see how  strong it is.  It will be torn sometimes and need repair.  But a net formed by God, step by step, will be capable of catching far more fish than all the individual nets ever could.  We all know that fish can be very hard to catch.  

In John 21:3-11, the disciples tried fishing all night long.  Jesus showed up in the morning and directed them to try once more on the other side of the boat.  Near the shore, the huge catch was right next to them- full of 153 large fish and the net did not tear.  They had received Jesus' direction!  We need His direction too, individually and as a body netted together.

If you have been disappointed by prayer groups before, please try again.  Set up agreed to boundaries of time and context before you start ,so that false expectations don't ruin this precious time. A lot of uneasiness can be eliminated if some simple guidelines are spelled out so that people aren't uncomfortable.  Respect and learn from each others different styles of prayer.

So pray alone first, and then please look to how you can form prayer partnerships (or groups) at home or here at church.  For those who already have groups, consider opening it up to another.   Join the Net !  Thanks!

prayer98.doc