Pray

I feel better this morning that I have in quite a while. I have not been sick, just a little discouraged, fatigued, and stressed. It is a little thing I like to call "life." For more information about life see my post from Monday. But today I woke up with a little bit of a bounce and a little excitement.

Last night we had a great time at LifeQuest. We did something we don't normally do but that may become a part of our routine a few times a year. We had a cookout at the church for anyone who wanted to come and then had a prayer and praise gathering for our adults and students. Our KidQuest ministry went on as usual and overall it was a good night for everyone.

This was not your usual prayer meeting. We took no prayer request. We didn't try to give answers to problems. We simply prayed. We broke into small groups of teenagers and adults (it was very cool to listen to young people pray) and I led us through three areas that God has been stirring in my heart.

We first prayed that ass individuals and as a church we would have a "Passion for God." I believe we need to breath in deep of the grace and mercy of God. I believe that as individuals and as a church we will not fully live until we fully seek the living God.

The second thing we prayed for was "Compassion for Others." These are hard times. Many people are struggling and hurting and in need of care. We prayed that God would place on our hearts not just a desire to see people fill the church, but a desire to see Him move in their lives through us.

The final aspect of the prayer time was to pray for "Connection in Ministry." We prayed that God would use us as individuals and as a body of believers to be intimately connected into his work. We prayed that God would move us into a place of influence int he relationships we have so that we can effectively minister to those around us.

Last night and this morning my mind has drifted to the prayers that were prayed in our groups last night. I had people tell me how much they enjoyed the time to focus on prayer and how much they enjoyed just praying together.

I don't know what the long term effect of these prayers will be. I can't see any "mystical" result from last night. I don't know that any mountains were moved. I simply know that a group of people spent time with the God of the Universe and this morning I am still enjoying the moment.