STOP THE WORLD AND TRANSCEND TIME

A MERE FORMALITY

Growing up, my family recited the same prayer over every meal. 

When we visited relatives, I discovered the identical rote prayer was a family tradition. The only variation concerned the words, These or Thy, which ignited a passionate debate over the grammatically correct wording.

Unregenerate—reciting creeds and the Lord’s Prayer at church, the blessing over meals, and the disturbing if I die before I wake, nighttime utterance were mere forms of godliness.  

But God.

After delivering me from death to life, everything shifted. God took what I had known as prayer and graciously peeled it off like a thin veneer. He coaxed me into realms of unknown glory, dazzled me with newfound discoveries, and wooed me into deeper intimacy with Him.

BAPTISM BY FIRE

I recall spending months with a friend preparing to launch a weekly support group for wives. We hashed out all the details, established the meeting time and place, ran everything by a counselor, and invited women.

While applying mascara an hour before our initial gathering, I realized we would need to open our time together in prayer. My stomach lurched. Finding myself on a familiar one-way street with no exit ramps, I drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The rote prayer for meals was not going to cut it. Praying— out loud— with others present had to happen.

After welcoming the ladies and everyone settled in, I suggested we pray.

I bowed my head in faith, turned my desperate heart to God, and opened my mouth.

Stepping out in faith flung the door wide open for the Spirit. Transcending the narrow lines of scripted prayer, the Spirit took all the planning, prayers, pondering, and preparation, miraculously giving voice to the desires of our hearts.

Afterward, I was astonished but eager to experience more of this kind of communion with God.

PROVIDENCE

About this time, a couple of women decided we should gather in the room above our garage for prayer.

Most of these women had been walking with God for decades. Their interest in prayer and faithfulness to attend quickly established Saturday Morning Prayer as a weekly rhythm. They were a safe place for a newbie like me to discover and explore the supernatural wonder of praying in a group.

Every Saturday morning, a little before 7:00, I ascend the stairs and turn on worship music. The battery-powered candles stationed on the window sills flicker in the pre-dawn light. Women slip in silently as we sing praises to God before spending an hour or so in prayer.

COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS

We have been gathering on Saturday mornings for over twenty years. Women come once, for a season, leave and return, pop in occasionally, or attend when they visit from out of town. And then there are the tenacious ones who have been coming every Saturday for years.

We all agree there is nothing like it.

Cheaper than a vacation and better than a movie, praying with others is a holy ordeal. Time stops. The Lord speaks. Clarity comes. The mercy of conviction opens our blind eyes to receive God’s promised healing as we confess our sins and pray for one another. (James 5:16)

The Love that unites us, coupled with a deep bond of fellowship woven over time, sets us free to confess our sins without fear or shame.

Each week God meets and ministers to needs we are aware of and those we are not, and we always depart differently than when we arrived.

Rejoicing over God’s handiwork in the lives we pray for and in our own lives keeps us eager and expectant to see what He will do next.

TIPTOEING INTO PRAYER

Insecurities and uncertainty assail most of us when we are learning something new. Prayer is no different.

Some ladies come to prayer but never utter a word. For months they come, sit, soak, absorb, listen, weep, but never speak. That is until God coaxes them into the freedom of praying out loud.

One woman, hesitant to speak, began voicing her concerns after a sister in Christ stole her prayer. Hearing her sister in Christ say verbatim what she had thought of praying left her flabbergasted. God worked an instantaneous deliverance. He also infused her with the confidence to pray out loud.

Another woman, unfamiliar with praying in a group, felt like she needed to practice praying as she drove to prayer. Realizing the snare of being concerned about how she sounded to others instead of simply talking to her Father, she began freely pouring out her heart.

HINDRANCES

Kingdom living does not happen without pressure.

The awkwardness of learning something new and being apprehensive about the unknown can be great hindrances to trying anything. Praying with others is no exception.

There are relatively few conflicts with gathering at 7 a.m. on Saturday. However, our enemy offers countless reasons why skipping prayer is a good idea.

One of my favorite stories happened on July 4th. As my friend drove to prayer, the enemy tried to convince her there would be no hotdog buns for her celebration if she came to pray. The battle was fierce. She almost gave in until she considered how many people would be at the store at 7 a.m. snatching up all the hotdog buns.

The tug of our flesh, encouraging us to roll over instead of getting out of bed, can be fierce. Leaning on our understanding is an effective means to miss out on God’s best.

The enemy and our flesh are a toxic combination, but when we taste and see God, they dwindle as our delight in and enjoyment of God skyrocket.

WHY PRAY TOGETHER?

Gathering in His name to seek His face, life as we know it stops. Time collapses into the vast expanse of the great I Am. The One who dwells beyond time receives us, envelopes us in Himself, and then reveals Himself to us.

While we linger in His presence and listen for His voice He confirms a course of action, answers a nagging question, or clarifies a concern. He often ministers to specific needs through the prayer of another. He brings comfort, mercifully convicting of sin so we can confess our sins and restore our communion with Him.

Having a front-row seat to see God free, heal, and transform sisters in Christ is remarkable. When prayers are answered in unimaginable ways making the impossible possible, and faith becomes sight—praise and thanksgiving erupt. We celebrate. Our spirits soar and our hearts swell as we know and enjoy God together. Our faith is bolstered, our belief expands, and we are quite certain He will sustain us through whatever storm we face.

Like a massage for our soul, we leave relaxed and ready to face whatever comes.

Currently the only rote or routine aspect of prayer is the date, time, and place we meet. The rest of our time, communing with God together, only increases our love for Him and each other. Perhaps you could ask a few friends to gather for prayer, pray regularly, keep praying, and see what happens. Let me know how it goes, would you?

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“It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer. Thoughts must be fixed, desires must be firm and ardent, and graces exercised. This instance of the power of prayer encourages every Christian to be earnest in prayer. God never says to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek my face in vain.”

MATTHEW HENRY