SEE YOU AT THE ALTAR

We have a prayer team in our church. Hardly a day goes by when a request doesn’t come to us.  We take it seriously; seek to be faithful, and to live in hopeful anticipation of how God will involve Himself.  We are trying to mount an ongoing and perpetual ministry of prayer.  Recently, I wrote the enclosed letter to our prayer team.  Let me share it with any of you who have a heart for prayer, as we seek to stand in solidarity with each other.

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Over the past year we've prayed a lot of prayers together.  Why?  I'd like to think it is because God has invited His people to come to the throne of grace and to place on His altar everything it means for us to live for Him in a dangerous world.   Life is what it is.  What we do with it is who we are. As followers of Jesus we take what is given us, all of it, and we place it into God's story.  We live in a story greater than our story alone.  We live in the story of God who is so passionate about His creation that He has provided for us to come into His presence and to lay down everything before Him, and to invite God to cover it all by His sovereign, compassionate, eternal, and amazing grace. 

Over this year we have prayed for people we don't know, for issues we couldn't control, and for concerns so deep that at times we couldn't find the words.  We've prayed for miracles, for guidance, for healing, for restoring relationships, for aunts and uncles and moms and dads, and children and grandchildren, for peace, comfort, and understanding.  We've prayed for our neighbors and for situations a world away.  We've prayed that lost and broken people might discover the love of God in Jesus.  Everyday we've come to God and placed our world onto His altar.  

Some days the words flowed.  Other days we were silent and word-less.  Some days our faith was strong.  Other days we felt outnumbered, overwhelmed, overpowered, and ineffective.  Regardless of everything, we kept on praying and trusting and believing and committing everything to God.    

Why have we prayed? Oswald Chambers says it best for me.  He was speaking about the greatest things we are to do for God.  When it came to praying he said, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work."  

So we've pray.  We've come to the altar.  We've opened our hearts.  With shameless audacity we've pour out our prayers and petitions to God.  And, we'll continue to do so.  Let no worship service go un-prayed for.  Let no ministry go un-prayed for.  Let no event go un-prayed for.   Pray for every volunteer.  Pray for people who don't know Christ and for people who long to know Him better.  Pray for the towns and communities around us.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will find God-driven ways to open doors to the hearts of countless thousands, if not millions, of people all around us who are busy about the business of their lives.  Pray for the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, and be Jesus in their stories.  Develop your prayer list, and make it long.  Then stamp across it these words

Father,

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done here

as it is in heaven.

See you at the altar …