THIN SPACE
Prayer Hour is going to take a break during the month of August to allow staff and regular contributors to take some time off and rest. So, this will be our last week of Prayer Hour before we break for the summer holiday.
Today, we ask the question
What has God been saying to me during lockdown?
I can't quite believe that I am writing day 99 of the prayer hour (I'm gutted I cant be on day 100!). We have now had months of new technology, quizzes, waiting, boredom, creativity and singing Happy Birthday while washing our hands.
At the beginning of Lockdown, we were busier than ever, trying to get all our groups online, update our website and online communications and work out how to livestream. Although this time was exciting and new, the need for rest to avoid burn out was vital. With the usual comforts that come with being part of a great and growing church were stripped away, some people felt a sense of relief and others felt vulnerable and lost.
Either way forced us to search for what our christian faith is all about and how to maintain a healthy spiritual life without a Sunday service.
"I think we all sense this is a time when God is pressing the re-boot button on the church’s hard drive"
What has God been saying to me during lockdown?
For so long we have been focused on the HOW and not the WHY of church and our faith. The HOW is the tools to achieve the WHY. This can be how we do a church service, the songs we sing, the building and the church meetings and rules etc.. All these things are important but they shouldn't be confused with our WHY. The HOWs need to and must change or they become religious.
The WHY is something we should obsess over, not the HOW.
WHY do we a faith?
WHY do we share our faith?
WHY us?
We do all of this because of the LOVE we have received from the father, the sacrifice his Son made for us and the need to show the world. The most important thing should be HIM. If we are not fired up and in constant dialogue with the KING, then the HOW really doesn’t matter.
"Let the fires go out in the boiler room of the church and the place will still look smart and clean but it will be cold. The prayer room is the boiler room for its spiritual life" (Leonard Ravenhill)
The importance of a Healthy Spiritual Life
I love Luke 5:16 because it shows that just like you and me, Jesus needed a break from the demands of his busy life to recharge his batteries and spend time with his Heavenly Father. The life of Christ is intended to give us examples we can follow and learn from. So, even though he was God incarnate, Jesus didn’t draw on his superpowers as the Son of God when it came to facing life’s challenges. Instead, when he was exhausted or burdened or in need of spiritual refreshment, he would “slip away” to pray — plugging into the power, perception, and purpose that can only be found in God’s presence.
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Luke 5:16, AMP
Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us, and looking ahead at 2020, I believe it has never been more important for God’s people to be on our knees.
I have been reminded that being connected to the Father is THE most important thing - more important that church. I encourage you all to make it a priority, being with the Father daily!