Do you know how to Do you know how to pray? I don't. I tell God things. I close my eyes or look at the stars in the night. Sometimes I'm quiet and sometimes I'm loud. Sometimes my heart longs intensly for what I'm praying about and sometimes I only want to care, but I don't really, not with depth. Sometimes I pray because I want to be with God and sometimes I pray because I don't. Sometimes I'm passionate and, honestly, sometimes I get bored.
Do you know how to pray? I don't. I tell God things. I close my eyes or look at the stars in the night. Sometimes I'm quiet and sometimes I'm loud. Sometimes my heart longs intensly for what I'm praying about and sometimes I only want to care, but I don't really, not with depth. Sometimes I pray because I want to be with God and sometimes I pray because I don't. Sometimes I'm passionate and, honestly, sometimes I get bored.
And while I don't think that I will ever need to know 'how' to pray', I do think that I haven't been coming before God with great enough expectations. My team and I have been called to a time of stepping up our prayer life, which falls perfectly with the prayer-based culture that we have entered into at Sila Home.
They pray with expectation here.
They pray that despite having almost no income that they will be able to expand.
And the blueprints are ready.
They pray over the neighbours homes and the over every heart in the city.
And they set up 30 extra chairs every Sunday.
When I asked how long their friday night prayer meeting would last, Ning, the translator, told us that it had lasted 6 years so far. They pray and worship together every morning and every evening and sometimes in between.
When people pray in faith and within the will of God stuff happens.
In Joshua 10, Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still over Gibeon so his army could defeat the Amorites, and would you believe, that it DID! Ridiculous right? Even the author knew this was nuts, because afterwards, in the bible, it says, "The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day." Then it keeps going and mentions that this had never happened before or since. As if to say, "ya, that is actually what I meant, the sun actually, literally stopped." And it was because of a mere prayer.
In 1806 in Williamstown, Massachusetts five young people began to pray for Asia and out of their prayers they launched missionaries to India and China, introducing Jesus to the most populous continent for the first time. And here I am, more than 200 years later living at a church in South East Asia.
Crazy stuff happens when people pray.
So I want to learn to come before the Lord in confidence that because He is always speaking I will hear His will, and that because I pray within His will my prayers will be answered.
So I want to learn to come before the Lord in confidence that because He is always speaking I will hear His will, and that because I pray within His will my prayers will be answered. pray? I don't. I tell God things. I close my eyes or look at the stars in the night. Sometimes I'm quiet and sometimes I'm loud. Sometimes my heart longs intensly for what I'm praying about and sometimes I only want to care, but I don't really, not with depth. Sometimes I pray because I want to be with God and sometimes I pray because I don't. Sometimes I'm passionate and, honestly, sometimes I get bored.
And while I don't think that I will ever need to know 'how' to pray', I do think that I haven't been coming before God with great enough expectations. My team and I have been called to a time of stepping up our prayer life, which falls perfectly with the prayer-based culture that we have entered into at Sila Home.
They pray with expectation here. They pray that despite having almost no income that they will be able to expand. And the blueprints are ready. They pray over the neighbours homes and the over every heart in the city. And they set up 30 extra chairs every Sunday. When I asked how long their friday night prayer meeting would last, Ning, the translator, told us that it had lasted 6 years so far. They pray and worship together every morning and every evening and sometimes in between as well.
When people pray in faith and within the will of God stuff happens. In Joshua 10, Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still over Gibeon so his army could defeat the Amorites, and would you believe, that it DID! Ridiculous right? Even the author knew this was nuts, because afterwards, in the bible, it says, "The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day." Then it keeps going and mentions that this had never happened before or since. As if to say, "ya, that is actually what I meant, the sun actually, literally stopped." And it was because of a mere prayer.
In 1806 in Williamstown, Massachusetts five young people began to pray for Asia and out of their prayers they launched missionaries to India and China, introducing Jesus to the most populous continent for the first time. And here I am, more than 200 years later living at a church in South East Asia.
Hannah, in 1 Samuel 1, came into the temple outraged with grief because she couldn't have a kid. She was so messed up about it - this was her world, her future - that she got ratted out for being wasted. But she explained herself and got down on her knees and prayed to God for a child. I bet you can guess where this is going... she gave birth to son and not just any son, but Samuel!
Crazy stuff happens when people pray.
So I want to learn to come before the Lord in confidence that because He is always speaking I will hear His will, and that because I pray within His will my prayers will be answered.
