Present Prayer

What to Pray For

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Philip Yancey’s book Prayer: Does it make a Difference? It is a big book, but a very good, insightful read. He has a whole section devoted to prayer dilemmas, which is great for anyone who has ever asked the hard questions about prayer. In Chapter 19 (What to Pray For), he writes,

“…Rather than begin with my own requests and demands, I can begin with God, first getting to know who God is and then positioning myself in the stream of
God’s own love and power. When praying for a person who is sick or troubled, I try to begin not by presenting a list of requests, as urgent as they may be, but rather by meditating on how God must already feel about the person I am praying for.” (p. 272)

This is a wonderful exercise in prayer. Consider that God knows the needs of the person you are praying for far better than you do. By spending time meditating on how God sees that person, you may be led to pray differently. Your prayer may be more specific to a need at the moment you are praying.

This is helpful when praying for people you don’t know, as is often the case in prayer ministry. It is also helpful when praying for loved ones. In seeing your friend or family members through God’s eyes, you begin to see that He loves them so much more than you. You may find yourself more easily able to let go or you might find yourself praying more fervently for them because you are really seeing them.

Prayer-walking

2008-11-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who participated in the Day of Prayer and the Prayer Ministry Open House last weekend. It was a great weekend for both. One of the resources we provided for the Day of Prayer was a guide for prayer-walking Tallowood. It was such a beautiful day for it that many of you chose to participate in this way.

In the book Prayer-Walking written by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick, the activity is defined as “praying on-site with insight.” For example, as you prayer-walk Tallowood, you might pray for the activities that take place in the Gym as you walk by the gym. Then, as you walk by, you might notice some youth playing basketball, so you might pray for God to work in their lives. If you knew one of them, you might pray more specifically.

Prayer-walking may be done any time in any place. You can prayer-walk your neighborhood, workplace, home etc. You can even prayer-walk as you drive. Sometimes, God may lead you to stop and spend more time in a particular place. There may be a need there that you don’t know about, or God may be getting ready to do something and He will call you to pray for the preparation.

The Prayer Ministry Office has Tallowood Prayer-Walking Guides available. If you would like to participate in this type of intercession for Tallowood or if you would like to learn more about prayer-walking, please contact the Prayer Ministry Office.

Numb3rs

2008-11-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

I’ve never been much of a numbers person. They don’t fascinate me and rarely interest me. The following are a few numbers that do interest me these days: 500, 300, 62, 24, 1.

I know by now, you numbers people are dying to know what these numbers represent. Each month, volunteers in the Prayer Ministry send out roughly 500 Prayergrams. We receive more than 300 prayer requests each month. There are 62 plus wonderful volunteers currently serving in some way with the Prayer Ministry of Tallowood. Tallowood has a prayer line and website through which people can submit requests 24 hours a day. Many of the volunteers spend 1 hour each week in the prayer room, praying, writing Prayergrams and receiving phone calls from those in our community who need prayer. These are numbers for which I am grateful. If you have ever been curious about these particular numbers (Where do the Prayergrams come from? What is a Prayergram? We have a Prayer Line? We can submit requests online?), or if you would like to be a part of these numbers, I invite you to stop by the Prayer Ministry Offices Sunday, November 9th for our Open House. You won’t be just another numb3r.

Covered With Prayer

2008-11-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, Tallowood began a new ministry called Covered With Prayer. Volunteers in this ministry knit or crochet prayer shawls using guidelines suggested by the ministry. These shawls are then delivered by volunteers to those God directs. The entire process is covered with prayer. Since its inception, 92 shawls have been delivered to people in and around our community.

The Prayer Ministry is hosting a luncheon for all those currently involved in this ministry as well as those who would like to know more about it. We are pleased to have Larry Bertrand coming to share some words about prayer. The Luncheon is from 11AM – 1 PM on Monday, November 17th in the Fireplace Room. Make your reservation for this lunch by calling the Prayer Ministry Office at 713-468-8241 X 8154 no later than Thursday, November 13th.

Please prayerfully consider being a part of this wonderful ministry.

Day of Prayer for Thanksgiving

2008-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Prayer Committee gathered recently for retreat. During one of our times of sharing, one person commented that going into the new Worship Center that first Sunday was like unwrapping a gift. What a gift it is in so many ways! November is a month of Thanksgiving. Tallowood has much to be thankful for. The Prayer Ministry invites you to join us on Saturday, November 8th for a day of Thanksgiving. The Worship Center will be open from 9 AM to 4 PM. Come with your family and pray together any time during these hours. Join us in thanking God for who He has been to Tallowood, who He is, and who He will be.

Where?

2008-10-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Directions around campus can be a challenge, particularly if you are directionally challenged. Many of us are still learning our way around the new buildings. One question I often get is “Where is the Prayer Room?” This is a great question because the prayer room has moved twice in recent years. Our new home is on the beaten path, but often overlooked, so I’d like to take a minute and give you several different descriptions/directions in the hopes that one will work for you.

We are on the ground floor of the North Tower right across from the new playground. We are next to the Library. We are underneath where the 6th graders meet. We are around the corner from the Maintenance Office. We share a hallway with Outreach.

If you still don’t know where we are, I’d be happy to meet you somewhere and walk with you to the Prayer Room.

Present Prayer

2008-09-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

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. -Romans 8:26

I have been thinking and praying this week about the great needs in our Congregation, community and surrounding areas. Obviously, the devastation Ike left in its wake is very much on our minds. I have also been very much concerned about the needs that have been ongoing prior to Ike and those that have come to light which are not related to loss from the hurricane. The needs are great. In light of this, I wanted to share some of what God has been teaching me about prayer in recent months.

The word present may be defined as present-at this time, happening now, readily available. It is my conviction that prayer must be present (happening now, and in progress) in our lives as individuals and as a corporate body of believers.

The second definition is readily available. The discipline of prayer is readily available to each of us whatever our background or spiritual maturity. I find this particularly encouraging at this time. Wherever you may be, whatever situation you find yourself in at the moment, you can pray. God does not require our prayers to be beautiful and lyrical or even a certain length. We do not have to be at church or even in a specific posture to pray in order for God to hear us. He hears our heart even when there are no words. I am grateful. The needs are great, but we can rest in the knowledge that God is greater and is able to do more than we ask or imagine.

Beginning Prayer

2008-09-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. –Romans 12:11-12

Many people I know are intimidated by prayer. They have the misconception that they must have the right words to pray or that they must somehow clean themselves up in order to enter into prayer. I’m glad this is not the case. I think God is more concerned that we come to Him. Still, how do you respond to someone that says they don’t know where to begin? It occurred to me a couple of Sundays ago as I worshiped that so many of our songs are prayers. This is a great place to begin. Even if you can’t or don’t want to sing, you can recite the songs themselves as prayers. Another place to start is reading the Psalms. There are prayers of all types in the Psalms. Sometimes, words are too difficult. The good news is that God hears our cries even when the words won’t come.

Wherever you may be in your prayer life, I encourage you this week to set aside time for prayer. If you still don’t know what to pray, ask God to show you. As you pray, remember that part of praying is listening to God as well.

Praying for our Leaders

2008-08-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. – I Timothy 2:1-2

I have been very interested this past week as I have listened to various discussions about the upcoming elections in November. There are varying and often strong opinions, which is to be expected when it comes to politics. There is much speculation regarding what the next four years will look like in this country. Whatever the outcome of the election, we know, as always, that God is sovereign over all. My conviction is that we spend as much, if not more time praying for the elections and our leaders as we do talking about them. There are many great resources out there if you don’t know where to start in praying. One of these is www.presidentialprayerteam.org. Here, you can sign up to receive a prayer via e-mail each day. I have found it helpful because it is both a reminder to pray each day and a place to begin in knowing what to pray. Here’s a challenge for us: during the next couple of months, whenever we hear discussions about the elections, let’s take some time to pray.

16 Days of Glory

2008-08-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:24

Friday, August 8th, marks the opening of the Olympics in Beijing, China. I have always loved watching the Olympics. I love to see the flags of all the countries being represented and hear the stories of perseverance that surface during these days.

This year, my conviction is that the Olympics represent a unique opportunity for focused prayer, not only for China, but for the world. If you are a fan of the Olympics, I challenge you to join me in prayer. Pray that God will pour out His Spirit on the countries represented. As you watch, pray for the athletes and their countries. In years past, there was a series of documentaries on the Olympics called 16 Days of Glory. My prayer is that this year we would make it 16 days of prayer for God’s Glory

Times for Celebration and Prayer

2008-07-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

There has been an air of excitement in the Prayer Ministry Office this week because we are now enjoying a view of the beautiful new playground rather than a wall. This past Sunday afternoon was the Grand Opening of the Playground. If you missed it, you missed a great time of celebration. It was a joy to see the expressions on the children’s faces as they took to the playground for the first time. This is one of many events that will take place over the next couple of months as we look forward to the opening of the new Sanctuary. These are times for celebration. My prayer is that these times would also serve as reminders of continued and fervent prayer. Pray for the children who will have use of this playground. Pray for our staff and volunteers who work with the children. Continue to pray for the ongoing construction and for the Tallowood Tomorrow Campaign. Pray that God will fill this place with His Glory.