Years ago, when I was a child, we used to gather together on our knees in the living room, seven brothers and sisters, my parents and grandmother, and pray the Rosary. At the end of our time together, we would then pray for each other, and ask the Lord to bless each one of us. When my mother felt that we were old enough, she would then ask us to take a turn leading the family in prayer.
Later, as adolescents, my sister, Nancy and I, had the special privilege of praying with my mother the special devotions that she would lead us through together. At my mother's feet, my sister, Nancy, and I, were learning to be women of God. Those times spent in prayer as a young girl, with my mother and my younger sister, are among the most cherished in my life.
Once I left home, my life took a new turn, and I left all these things behind me. They became mere memories. For the next 20 years, there was not one time, that I ever prayed aloud with another person. Then, in one moment of time, in desperation, I gave my life to God. It was 1989, and it was then that the Lord put Jack before me.
Jack soon invited me to go to his church with him, and when I stepped through the doors of Saint Barnabas, I felt like I had come home. It was the story of the Prodigal Son come to life.
Roger was one of the first people to greet me, and he mentioned a course on prayer called The Edge of Adventure. Jack and I took it together. It was my first experience hearing someone other that my mother leading prayer in a small group. I did not even think to open my mouth to pray. After that, Jack and I attended Life in the Spirit. This was a course to learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to pray for Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Again, I did not dare pray out loud. The Bishop came to our church for the laying on of hands. When hands were laid upon me at the altar, something began to flutter and bubble inside me, that so surprised me that I opened my eyes and looked up at the person before me. I didn't have a chance to say anything, before she told me that I could go and sit down. I didn't want to, because something that I didn't understand was happening, and I wanted it to continue. But, I went to my seat anyway, still wondering what had happened.
Some time later, the Convenor for the Order of Saint Luke at Saint Barnabas, stood up and announced that there would soon be a Bible study held at the church, for anyone who felt led to become a member of the healing ministry. I felt warm while she was speaking, and I suddenly had an urge to say yes, I want to. But, I held back. This happened each time she would make the announcement at church. But I felt in my heart that I needed to first confirm this with my husband. One Sunday, during service, the longing in my heart was especially strong. I said to the Lord, "Okay, I know You want me to do this, but I also know that You wouldn't want me to do anything that my husband wouldn't think was right for me. You brought us together and made us one. So I'm going to leave this with You." A moment later, Jack turned to me and said, "Why don't you join the Order of Saint Luke?" I was overwhelmed.
And so now, here I was, shy, never having said a prayer out loud with anyone except my family present, and embarking on the biggest adventure of my life.
After we finished the course, which was a wonderful Bible study on the healings of Jesus, I was inducted into the Order of Saint Luke. When the prayer roster was being prepared, we were told that those who were new to chapel ministry, would be scheduled with the older, more experienced members. I was relieved, because I was terrified at the prospect of having to pray out loud.
The persons that I was scheduled to be with in chapel were wonderful. While they prayed, I simply agreed in my heart with everything they prayed. It was always a peaceful experience, and I loved being on chapel duty. However, I still felt quite inadequate, and seldom dared to pray out loud.
One day, it was announced that we would have a Healing Mission at the church. It was during that time, that I learned the most powerful lesson on prayer in my life.
Pat Clegg, who was in charge of the prayer roster for the Weekend Healing Mission, came to me. She said that she had prayed, asking the Lord to help her to schedule the prayer teams for the weekend. She told me that she felt that the Lord wanted me to be prayer partner on the first evening with the Bishop who was leading the Mission. She asked me how I felt about this. I had been praying during that time, asking the Lord to prepare me and to use me for His Glory during the Mission, and so although what she said scared me out of my wits, I said it was fine.
It was an amazing experience. On the first night of the Healing Mission, when it was being announced that anyone needing prayer should come forward, I took my place beside the Bishop. He prayed quietly, in simple words, asking the Lord to prepare our hearts for this time. But what amazed me was that each time - before he opened his mouth to pray - I heard the same words.
My eyes were closed, and while he prayed, I also saw things. I saw a woman that I knew coming forward with her young son. Then I saw her coming forward again, with a young girl that I did not know. I didn't say anything to the Bishop about this.
After he finished praying, I opened my eyes, and I saw the woman that I had seen while we were praying. She was sitting in a pew. The next time I looked up, she was coming forward with her young son. As Bishop Alex prayed for her, again the same thing happened. I would hear the words, and then he would say them. It was amazing.
She went back to her seat with her son. The next time I looked up, she was coming forward again, and now she had with her this young girl that I had seen her with while the Bishop was praying. Again the same thing happened. I would hear words, and then I would hear Bishop Alex say the same words. For example, I would hear, "Tell her the Lord loves her". Then I would hear Bishop Alex say, "The Lord loves you." Not once did I open my mouth.
On Sunday morning, the last day of the Healing Mission, as I stepped into the church, a feeling of sadness came upon me. It was strange, because it was a feeling that was completely foreign to me. I felt sad and weepy, and I had absolutely nothing to feel sad and weepy about. My life was great, and I couldn't have been happier.
The prayer teams met in the chapel at the back of the church, to praise and thank the Lord for all that He had been doing over the weekend. I couldn't shake this feeling of sadness, and was feeling quite at odds with the happy and joyful words that were coming forth from the others.
When we were finished praying, everyone left except one woman, Sandra. She was smiling at me gently through tears of joy, as she shared how wonderful and peaceful she felt. I then said to her, confused and on the verge of tears, "I don't feel so good." Immediately, she asked me what was wrong and I told her, telling her about this sad and weepy feeling, and that I had absolutely no reason to feel this way. She prayed with me then, telling me to give these feelings to the Lord. I did so, and as I did this, I felt an incredible lightness, and then a joy that was indescribable. I shared this with her, and we thanked the Lord. Again, she did the praying for both of us.
I then looked towards the front of the church. There, at the altar for prayer, weeping, was a dear friend of mind, Yonnette, who had recently been married. But because of government restrictions, she and her new husband had to live separately for a while, she here in Montreal, and Mark in Georgia in the States. Jack and I had been inviting her to come home with us on weekends, to try to help her pass through this sad time. I remember thinking that I was happy that she had gone for prayer.
Back in my seat now, I thought to go forward for prayer for myself, to ask the Lord to help me to understand what had happened to me over the weekend. I stood up and began to go forward. Then, it was as if time stood still, between the time I stood up to walk forward, and the time that I arrived at the altar. And in that time, I received from the Lord a revelation about the words, images, and feelings, that I had received throughout the weekend. The Lord showed me that it was He Himself Who had brought these things to me. He showed me that I didn't have to worry, about what, or who, or even how, to pray. I only needed to be available to Him.
Then suddenly, I was in front of Bishop Alex and Father Bob at the altar, blurting out what I had come for, and telling them that the Lord had already given me the answer to my prayer, even as I was walking forward. They prayed a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for me.
Now that the Lord had shown me that it was not my mouth that were needed, but my heart, it was as if my tongue were loosened. I now began to tentatively and bravely open my mouth as I felt led, and in time, I began to feel more at ease. I often tell people that it was in chapel that I learned to pray with others, and that is the truth. The more often I prayed with others, the more at ease and comfortable I felt.
But there was so much more that I needed to learn about praying with others, because you see - I was still praying at the times, and in the places, that were designated specifically for prayer - and no where else. Even at work at World Vision, where I prayed with others, it was part of who we were, and part of what we did. But I was soon to learn that the Lord would have me live all of my life this way, all of the time.
I began to pay attention to the Voice inside me, and, although I felt a bit nervous about it, one day, while on the phone with one of my sisters, I asked her if she would like it if we prayed about something that was a concern to her. Debby said yes. We prayed right then and there. It was wonderful. Then another time, when another sister was also going through a difficult time, I asked her the same thing. Nancy said yes, too. It is interesting to me that the Lord invited me to do this, first and foremost, in my own family. He cares so much for our comfort, even as He is calling us to come forth and do more.
Then it happened that I was speaking with a dear lady at Saint Michael's. As she shared with me something that was troubling her, I felt led to ask her if she would like us to pray together on the phone. This was probably not a new thing for this dear woman, but it was still new for me, and I am so thankful for her gentle spirit. She also said yes. And so I continued to do this, as I felt the Lord leading me. It was as if a great tidal wave had been released from inside of me. I opened my mouth, and He gave me the words.
God's Word tells us that we are now citizens of heaven , and that we should no longer conform to the ways of the world. Prayer with others can seem unfamiliar, passive, inconsequential, and even inappropriate, when viewed through the lens of the world. But through God's eyes, it is the most powerful statement of trust in Him and in His Word.
They say practice makes perfect, and there is some truth in that. The first step is the hardest. I invite you today to do as the Bible says, to pray continually, and to help carry each other's burdens.
Worthwhile Reading:
Booklets for daily prayer:
Day by Day Books I have read along the way:
The Helper, Catherine Marshall Let Prayer Change Your Life, Becky Tirabassi, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Nine O'Clock in the Morning, Dennis Bennett, Plainfield, N.J.:Logos The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges, NavPress Publishing Group
Victory Over the Darkness, Neil Anderson, Regal Books Praying With Others - Scripture References:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. But the Father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. Be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Pray continually. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Spiritual Exercise - PRAYING WITH OTHERS
For this exercise, you will need to find a prayer partner.
Decide who will be the 1st Pray-er, and who will be the 2nd Pray-er.
Pray each simple prayer in turn for each other, filling in the blank with your partner's name. At the end of your prayer, pause for a moment, to see if your partner would like to bring anything particular before the Lord.
Jesus calls us to come as children, and so let your prayers be simple and child-like.
After your 'pause', and to indicate to your partner that you have completed your prayer for (him or her), simply close by saying, 'Thank You, Jesus.'
The Lord is with you, and knows all your needs. May He bless you abundantly in this time.
In prayer I join with you, and with your prayer partner, as you prepare to enter into this very special time of prayer for each other: 1st Pray-er, Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, we ask You to bless us in this time. Help us to know how to pray for each other. In the name of Jesus. Amen
2nd Pray-er: Lord I ask you to bless -- with all the benefits of good health. I ask You to bless (him, her) with Your gift of Healing. Pause-close with "Thank You, Jesus")
1st Pray-er: Lord, I pray that all may go well with -- in (his, her) daily life. I ask that You bless (him, her) with Your divine gifts of Wisdom and Understanding. I pray for Your Peace. (Pause...close with "Thank You, Jesus")
2nd Pray-er: Lord, I ask that You bless -- in (his, her) spiritual life. I thank You for this Call to Prayer in -- 's life. I ask You to bless (her, him) with Your divine gifts of Discernment and Faith. (Pause...)
1st Pray-er: Lord, I ask that You bless -- with all the benefits of good health, and I ask You to bless (her, him) with Your divine gift of Healing. (Pause...)
2nd Pray-er: Lord, I ask You to bless -- in (her, his) daily life. I all (her, his) comings and goings, I ask that You bless -- with Your divine gifts of Wisdom and Understanding. (Pause...)
1st Pray-er: Lord, I lift -- up to You this day for (his, her) spiritual growth. i ask that in all things, You bring to (him, her) your spiritual Truth. I now ask You to bless -- with Your divine gifts of Discernment and Faith. (Pause...)
2nd Pray-er, Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You that You have heard, and answered, our prayers for each other. We thank You and praise You for the gifts of Your Presence that You have blessed us with. We ask You to help us as we go forth in Your Name. Help us to be brave. Help us to b bold. Help us to be fearless. To the Glory of Your Name. Amen
Concluding your prayer experience - Was this the first time that you prayed with someone like this? What did you like most about this experence?
- How do you feel that your faith has changed over the process of this day? Do you feel that your faith has changed at all?
- Was there a particular time today when you felt the Lord calling you more strongly to a life of prayer?
- How can others be helpful to you in your life of prayer?
- Is it a comfort to you to know that others are travelling this same journey of faith as you? What do you think that you can do to help them?
Close your time of sharing with this prayer:
Daily Bread
Every Day with Jesus
The Miracle Hour, Linda Schubert, Telephone/Fax: (408) 734-8663
Beyond Ourselves, Catherine Marshall
Something More, Catherine Marshall
To Live Again, Catherine Marshall, McGraw-Hill Book Company
Light in My Darkest Night, Catherine Marshall, Revell Publishing House
Mr. Jones, Meet The Master, edited by Catherine Marshall, Revell Publishing House
The Holy Spirit and You, Dennis & Rita Bennett, Bridge Publishing, Inc.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Titus 2:3-5
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6
Luke 15:22-24
1Peter 2:2-3
Acts 8:14-17
Malachi 2:15a
2Corinthians 13:11b
Matthew 11:28-30
Romans 8:26-27
Ezekiel 2:2
Hebrews 4:12-13
Ephesians 4:7
Philippians 3:20-21
Romans 12:2
Hebrews 5:14
1Thessalonians 5:17
Galatians 6:2
Heavenly Father, we come before you in the Name of Jesus. We thank You for this time. Father, we ask You for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. Father, we ask You to prepare our hearts and our minds for this time. We ask You to prepare our spirits to receive You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Here are a few questions to help you and your prayer partner explore more deeply your prayer experience:
Lord, we thank You for easing us into this time of prayer with others. We praise You and thank You that You are a Gentle God, and that You do not give us more than we can bear. Help us to be bold and brave, and courageous, as we step forth in faith to pray with others. Help us to help them to do the same. In Jesus' Name.
Amen
Amen.