Monday, 5:03 PM
LEAD Night, Church Council Meeting

Prayer time to start the evening. We take the prayer list, add a few more that are only for pastoral and church council eyes. We take our time. We pray. We read scripture over the families. We always do this. So in that regard, there’s nothing particularly unique about this night.

But the list tonight…it’s long. Longer than usual. Heavier than usual.

Cancer
Cancer
Brain Tumor
Suspected Cancer
Alcoholism
Divorce
Heart Attack
Cancer
Rebellious child
Anxiety/Depression
Surgery

Tuesday, 9 AM
Staff Meeting

We pray over the list again. Again, nothing new. We do this every week, but I’m struck again by the list. I feel the tug and nudge of the Spirit.

This list was prayed over again on Wednesday morning by both a men’s group and a women’s group.
There will be a Connect Group this week that prays over this list.
I’ll look at this list again today as I’m studying for the upcoming message.

All of this is our normal pattern. There’s nothing new or different, but this doesn’t feel normal. I can’t remember the last time we’ve had a prayer list this long and intense. I’m fighting my own reluctance to throw out the phrases “spiritual warfare” and “spiritual attack,” but how much of that is just my own baggage of seeing those terms misused? Just because it’s been mishandled doesn’t mean it’s not real. Besides, shouldn’t I feel this way about the list every week? Just because those other weeks have been smaller in quantity does not mean they were any less intense.

Especially for those who were on the list.

Prayer does not fit us for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I have a close friend who has viciously removed the word “just” and “quick” and “little” out of his vocabulary when it comes to prayer. I said one of those phrases with him one day, “Hey, man…let’s just pray real quick…”

He smiled and quickly said, “so we can then go on to the important stuff?”

I was speechless. My friend had gently, humorously, and correctly reminded us all of what the greater work really is. That apart from Him, we can do nothing. That if the ONLY thing we did was pray, that would be sufficient. He has made it his mission this year to recruit as many as possible on this quest – to remove these belittling, qualifying words that we often put in front of the word PRAYER. It’s helping me remember that every time I pray – that is the greater work.

Here’s an invitation to do the greater work. Every week we get prayer requests via online, email, and the Connection Cards. That list gets pushed out to various groups once a week who have committed to pray. Not to “just” pray, or say a “quick, little” prayer. But to embark on the greater work.

If you feel led to serve in this way, I’d love to have you join us.