United in Prayer
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
There’s nothing in life like a great conversation. Even on days when I am not in the best mood or preoccupied with something, a great conversation with a person or group can reinvigorate my spirit. It reminds me of the truth that God creates us for community. We build relationships by sharing thoughts and experiences. Every time we learn something new, hear a great story, and wrestle with a complex issue, we get to know someone on a deeper level.
What are your conversations with God like these days? I regularly say in worship that we’ve come to the time for our conversation with God. By this, I mean our time of shared prayer. With the complexities of contemporary life, jobs, relationships, and social issues, how are you talking with and hearing from God?
Prayer is essential in the life of a disciple of Jesus. The gospels provide examples of Jesus spending time in prayer. They also include some of those prayers, most famously the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, once famously said that “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” So again, I ask, what are your conversations with God like these days? In a time when so many say it’s hard to hear from or understand God, it’s crucial to think about how often, how seriously, and how deeply you pray.
This month, we are starting an intentional, deeper conversation with God as a church called United in Prayer: This Join Our Movement - Experience God’s Power. We have been discussing the prayer initiative for a while, where we, as a congregation, are seeking God’s face, God’s heart, and God’s will together. We will still present our requests, asking for specific help for brothers and sisters who are facing difficult circumstances. However, our goal is to foster a deeper relationship with God and each other, as well as to gain clarity about how God is calling us to serve.
We have multiple ways in which you can join our prayer movement:
Join a prayer group: We hope that as many people as possible will purposefully connect with others for times of prayer during the week. The groups can be any size, whether it’s two friends on the phone, four friends over coffee, or a text chat of fifteen. The goal is to regularly connect with others in conversation with God.
Come to one of our prayer workshops: I will host three workshops that will help people learn some scriptural lessons about prayer, other tools for strengthening their prayer life, and provide opportunities to connect with prayer groups discussed above. These will be on October 30 at 12:30 and 6:00. I will let you know when I set a date for the third, which will be online.
Participate in the Prayer Vigil on December 5 and 6: Sign up to pray at the church for an hour or at home during the later hours of the night.
Join the Prayer Team: This team has two primary tasks:
Plan quarterly prayer vigils
Provide resources for prayer groups at the church.
Participate in a weekly prayer gathering: I’m going to host weekly meetings on Thursdays at 12:30 & 6:30 PM starting on November 13.
I am excited to see how God will move among us as individuals and as a church family as we seek God’s face together. During this month, when we are more aware than usual of our need to be grateful for all God does, let’s be thankful for a God who listens to us, walks with us.
Pastor Scott
