Prayer Focused
The Word of God, community and prayer are essential and foundational elements for any church. In Acts, we see the promised Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples and them spilling into the streets to proclaim the Good News. Peter gives an amazing sermon and three thousand people come to faith in Jesus Christ. Then, we immediately read these words:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42 ESV).
As we gathered with the Elder team in September, my wife Kristen suggested this verse as an Elder focus for Seed Church. We all heard the words from Acts as she read them and felt a confidence in the simplicity of their direction for us. At the time, we had no idea how difficult the work would be to devote ourselves and to lead in these simple practices during this season of fear and disunity. Our previous church experience told us to just plan a number of church gatherings for the Fall and lead into these practices. However, nothing was simple about gathering, and opinions varied greatly about how or if we even should be meeting together.
Despite the difficulty of gathering in-person, one area that we are experiencing growth in is prayer. Seed Church is learning to be a praying church. How do I quantify this growth? Is it a measure of attendance at prayer meetings? Yes, more people are showing up to pray. But I’m seeing another sign that our growth is deeper.
As we pray, God is answering prayers. He is building our faith in the power of prayer and increasing our dependence on Him. The quality of our prayer time has increased. This is subjective, but I can hear it in how people are praying, and I sense the Holy Spirit directing what we pray about. Also, the quantity of our prayer time has increased as other small groups are gathering to pray. God is causing us to grow in prayer.
You may not be sensing growth in this area of your spiritual life, but as you read this, I hope there is a spark of interest. Here are some ways to grow:
Let us pray for you. Fill out a prayer card and allow your brothers and sisters in Christ to care for you by bringing your request before God’s throne of grace.
Join a prayer gathering. We meet on Zoom every Tuesday night for an hour. Come to listen and learn. Hear others praying without feeling like you have to participate. If God moves your heart to pray along, then add your prayer to Him. We are planning some in-person prayer/worship events once a month, so check out the Seed Life page to stay informed.
Ask for help. If you feel intimidated to pray out loud or have questions about prayer, then we want to help you understand this mysterious blessing that is available to every child of God.
Lord Jesus, cultivate our hearts to know how to pray. Lead us into the depths of dependence and peace that prayer gives us. Amen.