Time for prayer: Beware of the rain clouds ...

Tonight we gather for prayer at 6:30pm at NRN.  Thought you would like to see this article as we prepare for a time of prayer.

Prayer is something that the Christian uses to communicate with God. Prayer takes place not only when there is a need, but also when giving thanks, praising and communicating with God. Communicating with God through prayer should never cease in the life of the believer.

The problem arises when prayer gatherings among believers take place and all that’s talked about is what the enemy is doing in the lives of the believers.

I’ve always been an extremely upbeat and positive person. It’s impossible for me to see the glass as half empty. In fact, my glass is almost completely full with only about ¼ inch of room for more liquid at the top.
 

With that being the case, I find myself in an awkward position when it comes to prayer gatherings where individuals take turns testifying of what the devil is doing in their lives and in the lives of their loved ones. If you’ve never been to one of these types of meetings, they can happen spontaneously almost anywhere there is a Christian gathering.

Optimism has always placed my trust in God and in His Word. I know He has the last say in my life and I immediately give whatever problem that arises in my life to Him.

Out of a genuine care and concern for the brethren, someone will ask if there are any prayer requests and someone else will begin the testimonies. Some pretty dramatic needs can come to light in these types of gatherings.

I’ve always wanted to be a contributor in these sessions, but almost 100% of the time I find myself not even listening to the prayer requests that are being made. As the prayer requests are going around the room, I find that my mind is racing, trying to grab hold of anything that I can share as a need in my life. Being a person of hope and optimism, I’ve always hated being in this position.

I know life is not perfect and we all have needs. But as I sit in these meetings I find it extremely difficult to come up with anything of any weight at all to contribute to the group. My optimism has always placed my trust in God and in His Word. I know He has the last say in my life and I immediately give whatever problem that arises in my life to Him. Consequently, I never have any problems to share.

Prayer Overdose

Most people from the age of 2 up can move a 5 lbs. dumb bell. Even if the 2 year old can’t lift the 5 lbs. dumb bell, he or she can certainly move it. Then as the child grows, they gain the strength to move heavier weights as their bodies grow and develop.

The same is true with prayer. If we begin to handle life’s 5lb problems through prayer, we grow stronger and much more able to handle the weightier things that come against us later on in our Christian lives.

What I’ve found however is that new Christians never learn to handle the 5 lbs. issues in their lives. Instead they develop a habit of seeking prayer from others in how to handle their 5 lbs. problems. They never gain the strength needed to handle the issues of life on their own through prayer.

Now years later you have a 20, 30, or 40 year old Christian who doesn’t have the spiritual strength to move 5lbs problems in their lives. When the 100, 500, or 1000 lb. problems comes along, they are completely overwhelmed and they have no recourse other than to seek help from the group because no significant spiritual growth has ever taken place in their lives.

Please don’t get me wrong, I believe in prayer. One person, no matter how strong, cannot move 1000 lbs. alone. Getting brothers and sisters to pray for you to get the hand of God to move in your life is scriptural and warranted when facing the weightier issues of life. However, sharing my 5 lbs. problem with a group of people and asking them to join me in prayer when I’m 30 years old in the Lord is a sign of spiritual immaturity and plain old laziness in my opinion.

Beware of Rain Clouds

As these negative testimonies continue around the room, in my mind I see the room getting darker and darker. It’s as if storm clouds are gathering and preparing to dump 6 inches of rain on everyone in the room. Just recently God revealed to me that this happens to me because evil is being glorified more than the power of God to overcome the evil taking place in the lives of those who are sharing.

If you are a part of a small group at your church or any group or organization who meets regularly to do these types of check ins, I encourage you to be the person that reminds everyone that the power of God is mightier than the problems that are being shared.

It’s understood that problems arise in our lives but don’t leave the prayer room with the problems magnified larger than God who is the solution to the problems. If 30% of what you share is dealing with a problem you are seeking prayer for, make sure the other 70% of what you share deals with the goodness of God that’s taking place in your life.

Sharing your testimony of the goodness of God taking place in your life will prevent the dark, heavy storm clouds from filling the room and will be the catalyst for the manifestation of answered prayer in the lives of those who need it.