Saturate JFM 2009

People who know me well know that there is nothing I like better than a good long soak in the tub. "I'll see you in a few days" is what I tell my family when I head in for a marathon bath. Last night I experienced a soak of the different kind. Early in the summer, I was walking though our empty church on a Thursday night before our weekly prayer meeting and felt a strong urge to organize a night of prayer.

My experiences with Walk to Emmaus have instilled in me the importance of prayer and especially prayer for our churches. I have served on the team of many an Emmaus Walk (special retreat weekend). One of the things that is done just prior to the walk is to go through the building praying for God's blessing and presence in every room. As we travel we pray for those who will come. It is always a powerful experience and God does amazing things in the lives of the people who participate in the weekend. The whole weekend is powered by prayer. People praying on and off site throughout the 72 hours of the event.

This is the experience we need to bring into our churches. This is my passion in ministry - to spread the word that our churches need prayer. How can you best serve you pastor and church leaders? Keep them covered in prayer. I am convinced that the more we pray for our church and it's leaders, the stronger and more effective the ministry will become.

I am involved in an intercessory prayer group on Tuesday mornings that specifically prays for the churches in Jackson County. We are often in contact with local churches of all denominations. Many churches are struggling right now. Some pastors are discouraged, some churches are in conflict, some are struggling to keep their doors open due to the economy, some seem to have lost their focus and are trying to get back on track. The key is prayer. The greatest thing you can do for your church and your pastor is pray and encourage others to pray as well!

So ... back to last night! We had seven groups that prayed last night - six that traveled through the building and one that stayed in the sanctuary to pray. I was probably overzelous in making the prayer assignments. The process took a couple hours but no one seemed to mind. Like I said, a long soak is a good thing! Next year I hope we will have more groups to share in the work and the blessing of prayer. I saw joy and excitement in the eyes of those who completed their journey and I truly believe that God will bless JFM and make us stronger as a result of our prayers.

Keep praying!
Cindy

Clip art courtesy of Christian Clipart