Do you go to prayer meetings at your church? Do you imagine that prayer meetings are boring or booming?
When I lived in the States I think I would have chosen a dental appointment over a prayer meeting. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. At our home church of 4500 people, a monthly prayer meeting might attract 8 people. Eight. People.
What is our aversion to corporate prayer? Okay, maybe it isn't exactly an aversion; but it isn't an attraction either!
The reason I ask the question is because my experience in France has been exactly the opposite. People WANT to pray together. Our daily prayer groups ARE major attractions, and not just for those who are already saved!
We have between 3 and 5 NON-Christians who come regularly to prayer meetings at church. Most come for prayer long before they ever set foot in a Sunday service. And they don't come once a month--they come twice a day! Would you have ever thought a prayer meeting could be outreach event?
For whatever reason, people who are seeking, people who are curious, and people who are in need--whether they know Jesus or not--come to pray. During our prayer meetings we sing a few worships songs and read the Bible. We pray for the requests of those who are present, but we also pray for our friends, our village, and for global issues. Prayer meetings are "the place to be" in Loches!
It is amazing to see the transparency and hear the vulnerability that is expressed by all who come. Even more amazing is the way that we see God work in and through those prayer meetings. Addictions are broken, circumstances are changed, and lives are transformed--daily we see evidence of God's hand in our lives.
So lately I find myself wondering why I didn't go to prayer meetings in the States. If I knew then what I know now, wild horses would not have been able to keep me away.
Corporate prayer. Give it a try!
When I lived in the States I think I would have chosen a dental appointment over a prayer meeting. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. At our home church of 4500 people, a monthly prayer meeting might attract 8 people. Eight. People.
What is our aversion to corporate prayer? Okay, maybe it isn't exactly an aversion; but it isn't an attraction either!
The reason I ask the question is because my experience in France has been exactly the opposite. People WANT to pray together. Our daily prayer groups ARE major attractions, and not just for those who are already saved!
We have between 3 and 5 NON-Christians who come regularly to prayer meetings at church. Most come for prayer long before they ever set foot in a Sunday service. And they don't come once a month--they come twice a day! Would you have ever thought a prayer meeting could be outreach event?
For whatever reason, people who are seeking, people who are curious, and people who are in need--whether they know Jesus or not--come to pray. During our prayer meetings we sing a few worships songs and read the Bible. We pray for the requests of those who are present, but we also pray for our friends, our village, and for global issues. Prayer meetings are "the place to be" in Loches!
It is amazing to see the transparency and hear the vulnerability that is expressed by all who come. Even more amazing is the way that we see God work in and through those prayer meetings. Addictions are broken, circumstances are changed, and lives are transformed--daily we see evidence of God's hand in our lives.
So lately I find myself wondering why I didn't go to prayer meetings in the States. If I knew then what I know now, wild horses would not have been able to keep me away.
Corporate prayer. Give it a try!
I wonder what Americans aversion to corporate prayer is about?
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