Last week’s post was chosen not because I was mentioned in it, but because many people have fears and doubts, as did Rachel, when their pastor retires or leaves the church. Certainly this is a time of sadness (in most cases), and uncertainty can creep in. However, through prayer and careful consideration the right person can be found to lead your church through times of uncertainty.
Prayer is a key. Every step, every decision must be bathed in prayer. And not prayer as usual in most churches. The prayer ministry of most churches is weak, at best. The combined time most Christians spend in prayer in a week, including prayer at church and home, is less than 30 minutes. Out of 10,080 minutes given to us, we spend less than 2/10 of one percent of our time communing with the one source for ALL our needs. Two tenths of one percent? I had to calculate that twice to make sure I had not entered the numbers incorrectly.
If you committed to spend 30 minutes each day in prayer how could that affect your life? Thirty minutes per day is still only 2% of the time you have each week. And yet it would increase our prayer time ten-fold. I believe we would see God’s hand at work in a very increased way. God’s word tells us to Draw near to God and He will draw near to us. I ponder what God might do in our lives and in our nation if only half of those called by His name would increase their prayer time to 30 minutes each day truly communing with God?
Does most of your prayer time involve requesting from God healing and safety? If we’re honest, most of our prayers are asking God for something – health and healing of family and friends, safety, and a good day. Think for a moment, what kind of prayer life is this? Isn’t it more like a genie in a bottle than a time of communion with our Creator?
I like to pray scripture. One of things we incorporated at Barrett and Rachel’s church is a time of prayer in the worship service where we prayed scripture. We need to get back to praying scripture – not only the prayers found in scripture – but praying scripture. There is so much of scripture that can be prayed. There is so much that relates to your daily life, personally. If this is new to you then begin with the Psalms. When I pray scripture I first read the scripture in my prayer and thank God for that particular passage. Then I will pray using the words of that passage, changing the identification of the scripture so that it is my supplication, thanksgiving, and request.
Let’s use the first two verses of Psalm 1 as an example. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
My prayer would be, “Lord, may I be considered in your sight, a blessed man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; instead may my delight be in your law, and my meditation be on your law and your commands at all times, day and night.” Then I might pray, “Lord help me to not stand…, walk…, sit…”
I do not only pray the words of the scripture passage. I must wrestle with the truth of the meaning and deliver from my heart the passion needed to make these words mine to God.
When the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that in my opinion was stripping away at the very fiber of morality I’m certain prayers were going up in pulpits across the nation. The prayer I led our congregation in that Sunday was not about the justices of the court system, our nation’s leaders, or the proponents of the immorality. God had given me a passage from Jeremiah 3.
“Father, God Almighty, forgive us. It is not the court system, or the rulers of our nation who are at fault here. It is us, the church, believers in Christ; those who call ourselves your children. Forgive us O Lord, for we have prostituted ourselves with many partners…We have been unfaithful to you O God. Move on us that we will return to you. Do not look on us with Your anger, show us the way to return to you that you might spare our nation. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord. Help us, guide us to return to you in truth, justice, and in righteousness. Then will you bless our nation and once again make it a great nation…”
Our churches can make a difference in times of uncertainty, both in the church, and in our nation. First, we must bathe in prayer the very thing that we seek to be and to do in God’s will. Praying scripture is only one way, but it will transition your prayer life from worldly requests to truth seeking.
For more information on this topic or helping your church through transition contact George Yates and visit SonC.A.R.E. Ministries