I Don't Think Prayer is an Option

Rachel Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne

I don’t think prayer is an option. Paul admonished the Believers in Thessalonica, “pray without ceasing” Th. 5:17. But somehow the business and distractions of this life squeeze out prayer. I’ve been guilty of a prayerless life. Days going by without much more than a few sentences to the One who loves me. A few blips of tongues here and there. Yet I know prayer is cornerstone of every Believer’s life. Prayer is merely talking to God from our hearts, from His own word. Prayer is the Body of Christ joining together to touch heaven.

So let me appeal to our base human instinct: selfishness. “What about me?” If initially we can’t go to God because His worthiness is beyond our limited human grasp, then let’s go to Him because our desire is for pleasure, to have it “well with my soul.”

We are more than willing to getting up early for the gym, or breakfast with a friend, or staying up late to watch Leno or Letterman (do people do that anymore?) because we enjoy it all. We find some kind of value in it. We get a rush from doing what we love. So, how about we plug in to God time with the same passion and desire?

Look, I’m not saying skip the gym or breakfast with friends. I love both of those things. And I’ve had my fair share of late night laughs, but if those things are choking out prayer, why not exchange those temporal pleasure for eternal ones? Work is the same. Some days I head straight to work. I feel so pressed to meet a deadline and skip God time. How many workouts have we sweated through, not enjoying it? How many so-so television shows have we watched just to catch the one or two exciting episodes of the season? How many sporting events have we dozed off watching only to wake up for an exciting, or not-so-exciting finish? How many hours of the working day have we blown surfing the internet? Oh, is that only me? My bad… Oops.

Yet we do all those things because we love them. We are devoted to our routines, our shows, our passions. So why can’t we put the same energy and passion toward prayer? “Ah, it’s boring. I don’t get the point. If God is sovereign, what good will my prayers do?”

Lots! For one thing, how do you know God’s sovereignty isn’t contingent on His Beloved partnering with Him in prayer? How do we know God is just waiting, hanging over the balcony of heaven, dreaming of releasing an answer to our prayers the moment we utter them? He does not have it all planned out without our hearts and words in mind.

If we’re willing to endure the “boring” things of getting in shape, learning an instrument, or craft, or enduring entertainment in it’s drab moments, or the doldrums of work, why can’t we give the same consideration to the greatest activity we’ll ever endure? Prayer. The privilege and honor of engaging the Almighty because He wants to hear from us. Let’s work on upping our game. Run the race to win.

I Recently Read...

Kelly Franklin
Feedom Christian Center

Recently, I have been reading, EM Bounds writings on prayer. He has much to say to the Body of Christ and the importance of having a vital prayer life as a disciple of Christ. He says that "prayer distinguishes the children of God…it is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christians are prayerful." Why? Because Christian’s put their faith in Christ and choose to govern their lives by Jesus’ teachings. Jesus taught and modeled prayer. He lived the example of prayer for His disciples. He went from one place of prayer to the next and worked miracles in between. His life on earth modeled prayer and relationship with the Father. As Christians, ours must too.

Let’s ask ourselves: “What does my prayer life say about my relationship with God?” What does my prayer life say about my walk with Christ? Would others know that I am a Christian by my prayers?” “Would they be drawn to Christ by my personal devotion? By my expression and confidence of faith? Or by the love that I express toward others because of the influence of time spent in His presence?” These are questions I am contemplating.

Do we pray out of duty or devotion? Or is it based on our need? Do our prayers flow from a deep love for relationship with Christ and a desire to be like him? Or are our prayers self focused and crisis centered? Being a disciple of Christ really begins in the place of prayer, which is relationship with Him. It is a mark and a true test of our devotion. Let prayer be an overflow of your gratitude, love, and desire for more of Him. Then we can confidently declare that we are “in Christ,” true followers of Him…..Christians.

Simply Devotion

Tim Franklin,

Freedom Christian Center

At our next MyHOP gathering at Freedom Christian Center, on Friday October 7th, we will do something a little different during our first prayer target time. Typically we would begin the evening praying into a designated prayer target. But, on October 7th, we will begin by doing a devotional set.

What is a devotional set? I am so glad you ask! Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, (available free on line, is a dictionary with definitions of words prior to secular humanists taking God out of our educational books) defines devotional as: the state of being dedicated, consecrated, or solemnly set apart for a particular purpose. A solemn attention to the Supreme Being in worship; a yielding of the heart and affections to God, with reverence, faith and piety, in religious duties, particularly in prayer and meditation; devotedness. Therefore a devotional set will be a time in which we dedicate, consecrate, set ourselves apart to God for a particular purpose. As we consecrate ourselves, we will be giving to Him the affections of our heart.

What will this look like when its happening? Another great question! The worship team will be ministering to the Lord in simple songs that you will probably already know. They may be singing or they may just be playing. Either way, it will not be a time to pray at the mic as we usually do, but it will be a time to enter into His Presence. You may start by loving Him. You may need to start by confessing your own sin. The thrill of this is knowing that you are in a room full of other people who are doing the same! Each one wanting to be closer to God. Each one wanting to be more dedicated at a deeper level.

What do I do? Such great questions! Feel free to kneel, walk around, pray, sit and meditate, worship, dance before the Lord etc. Don’t draw attention to yourself or do things that will be disruptive to others who are connecting with God. You may simply choose to ‘soak’ in the Presence--just be still and know that He is God. There is momentum (forward movement with mass) when people of like mind and purpose gather to a God who desires to show himself strong!

See you at MyHOP, Friday October 7th, 7 p.m.

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

Pastor Gary Stebbins
Church on the Rock-Melbourne

Faith is often a battle with our thoughts and our emotions. Our thoughts at times can be filled with unbelief and doubt, and our emotions can be driven by fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. God created us to be creatures that think and experience emotions. Our thoughts and our emotions are an important part of who we are. They help to define our personality and how we view and respond to life. However, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, there is a place to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV). There are times in our lives when we must struggle to bring our thoughts and emotions into alignment with God’s Word. It is in this struggle that we will grow in our faith.

I was recently reading in the book of Job. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that Job experienced. At one point, after losing his children and much of his wealth, he “fell to the ground and worshiped.” He cried out to God and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). The word Job used for “blessed” means to kneel, to bless God as an act of adoration. In the middle of extreme difficulties Job remembered His God and reaffirmed his love for Him. This was an act of devotion and prayer as Job turned to God in his crisis. He was bringing his thoughts and emotions into captivity to bless and thank God for who He was and all that He had meant to Job over the years. Learning how to bless God and thank God, in any season of life, should be an important part of our prayer life. Turning to God in times of crisis builds our faith in God. Throwing ourselves at His feet in prayer and offering up our devotion to Him draws us close to God. When you walk through difficult times with other people, it can bind you together at a deep level. The same is true in our relationship with God as we allow Him to be a part of our difficult times. We can do this by offering to God our love for Him and expressing our thanksgiving for who He is and has been in our lives. Our hearts are united together with God in a deep and intimate way. He becomes not just a friend, but a “strong tower” and a “place of refuge” from the troubled times swirling about us.

The expression of devotion and thanksgiving to God through prayer is an important part of building our relationship with Him. When my heart aches, I have found much comfort in getting before God and offering to Him my love, devotion, and thanksgiving in prayer. I may not be able to make sense out of my situation in the natural, but I can find comfort and hope as I cry out to God in prayer. I always come away strengthened.

How about you? In difficult times have you been able to cry out to God in prayer and find comfort? What part has thanksgiving played in your prayer life and your relationship with God?

Help! I Don’t Know What to Do!

Tim Franklin
Freedom Christian Center

Jesus declared in Mt 21:13, “My house, will be called a house of prayer.” We often focus on the prayer part of that passage, and we should. But think with me for a moment: Jesus is the one speaking, and His statement is “My House!” Wow! Jesus has a house! He has a dwelling place that has an identity and it can be found! It is called the House of Prayer. David initiated the House of Prayer under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God wanted a house and He found a man to build it—David.

Prayer is not an option! Worship is not an option! These represent the place of encounter with the Living God! It was David who said, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

What I often find in the House of Prayer are people who do not know what to do. Let me try to answer this: “What am I to do in the House of Prayer?”

1. Intimacy. It simply means to engage God. In other words He has your attention and you have His. You can compare it to intimacy in a marriage. Intimacy in a marriage is when a couple engages each other. You have her attention, she has yours.
2. Intercession. In its simplest form intercession is me finding/hearing what God is praying and then praying it back to Him. It is a powerful form of agreement in prayer. What is Jesus praying about? Hearing that prayer and praying it back to Him. The prayer targets we cover in our MyHOP gatherings are things that we as leaders feel like God is putting on our hearts to pray and we pray it back to Him.
3. Antiphonal praying/singing. Many people get lost here! Because they are now singing they feel they are no longer praying. The power of antiphonally singing our prayers is that we are filling the bowls of heaven (Rev 5:8). We hear the worship team sing a prayer that has been prayed at the microphone. Most generally they repeat it several times in song format. During that time we who are engaging God begin to sing the same prayer. “Lord we delight ourselves in You!” One singer can sing that and 200 people can antiphonally sing the prayer back at them! Heaven hears! Instead of ‘one cup’ of prayer going into a bowl it now becomes 201 ‘cups of prayer’ going in the bowl.
4. Devotion. Many times in the atmosphere of Corporate prayer, we simply soak/get immersed/or positioned in the Presence of God. Interesting spiritual dynamics are released when we gather corporately together to seek Him and declare His greatness. In a crowd, I can suddenly find myself alone with God—enjoying Him, or He enjoying me. In a crowd, I can be alone receiving revelation from Him for my family, my work, or ministry. In the corporate anointing we are stimulated to pursue God because we are in a room with a bunch of like minded people who going after Him.
5. Dwelling. If His house is a House of Prayer, it is His dwelling. If we come with the mindset of entering His dwelling, not a church building, we then walk straight into the first two points on our list: intimacy and intercession. He lives forever to intercede and His love is eternal toward us!

There is plenty to do while in the House of Prayer if you know what you should be doing. If you feel lost in the House, follow the team; they are going somewhere and you will be glad you came along!