Day 214- An Intercessory First

We went and picked Hannah Grace up from camp today.  She's been there since Monday and we've not been able to talk to her or see her since then.  She had a blast at camp and we were so glad to see her.  This is not a "first," but just a happy Daddy being happy.

Awards won at camp

Today, I went and prayerwalked a different church in town for my "first." 

Prayerwalking is a lot like it sounds.  It is when you walk and pray.  The advantage to me of prayerwalking somewhere is that as I walk around I'm reminded of different things for which to pray. For example, I can pray for our church at home and that's pretty good. I can go to the church and walk around it and pray. When I do that, I think of some many other things to pray for: the nursery and nursery workers, each Bible Study class, the musicians, the offering, the sound system, and I love to pray in the parking lot that when people drive on the grounds of the church they experience the presence of God. Prayerwalking often helps me to pray more effectively and more specifically.

I've prayerwalked at our church a lot. The idea came to me to go and prayerwalk a different church on Saturday evening.  They won't know about it.  It's kind of fun to do some secret praying.  I know that putting it on my blog loses a bit of the secrecy, but that church doesn't know that someone was there walking around their parking lot (I chose not to break in and walk around inside) praying for them to experience God in a deep way. It is pretty cool to know that they have no idea when they arrive at church that someone has already been there praying they would experience God deeply that day.

As I did this "first" I was convicted of how selfish even my praying can become.  I pray a lot for Hopewell and rightly so. It is the church that I pastor and love dearly.  God wants me to pray a lot for Hopewell. God is pleased when I prayerwalk around Hopewell.  Yet, there are so many other churches around that love God and preach Jesus. It is convicting how seldom I pray for them.  I know there are many faithful men and women who serve God faithfully in these fellowships.  God has allowed me the privilege of uniting with them in their service to Jesus by means of prayer.  The more they love God and each other, the more the kingdom advances.  God wants me interested in His kingdom and not just what is going on in my little world.

It was pretty cool to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me as I prayed.  I prayed for them to experience God as they drove in the parking lot.  I prayed for the Holy Spirit to lead them into a deep time of worship and that people would get wrapped up in Jesus and not just what was happening in the worship service.  Truthfully, I prayed for them the kinds of things I pray for our church.

As you pray for your church each week, don't forget to pray for other fellowships as well. All true believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. The more they experience and share Christ the more reason we all have to rejoice.  Let's battle the enemy together and never each other. 

C. H. Spurgeon wrote, "If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ."
E. M. Bounds wrote, "Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet" and "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds

Praying for others to experience the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Hannah Grace's great camp week
2. Church members who pray faithfully for me
3. Automobiles