Today I want to speak to those of you who lead prayer times
and prayer meetings. You have a great responsibility in helping people focus on
God in prayer. Most of you are aware that the great tendency in corporate
prayer meetings and possibly in private prayer is to focus on ourselves, our
needs and immediate desires. Let me suggest that the next time you lead a
prayer time that you try to stretch the prayer requests people lift to eternal
perspectives.
You need to begin by praying about this for several days
before you come to the prayer meeting. You might also stir some excitement
about such a prayer meeting by announcing in advance what you are planning to
do, explaining how you plan to do it.
I would warn you not to complain about how people have
prayed in the past. Even in petty prayers people enter the presence of God
Almighty. You can tell them, "We will pray for every request, then we will
try to stretch it to an eternal perspective."
Explain this again as you begin the prayer meeting. I think
all prayer meetings should begin with praise. As you invite people to lift
praises explain the difference between praises to our wonderful God and
thanksgivings for specific things He has done in our lives. You can lift thanks
as well, but you need to help people see that God is great even when He does
not give us what we think we need.
Then as people lift requests start stretching them.
Different groups and different prayer times need to operate differently, but if
it is possible you need to word these petitions. Suppose someone asks prayer
for an aunt having surgery. You might pray briefly for a successful surgery and
healing. Then ask rhetorically, "How do we stretch this prayer toward
eternity?" You might then suggest that you pray for the lady to know she
is in God's hands. You might ask that God give her a powerful witness of God's
grace to the doctors and nurses.
After you have stretched several prayer requests begin
inviting people in the group to stretch prayer requests toward a divine
perspective.
I am not leading a prayer meeting right now. But I wish I
were. I would like to try this and see how people respond. If some of you try
it out, let me know what happens.
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