Prayer is the Work
Milton Jones, our preaching pastor at the Northwest Church, has been talking about prayer a lot lately, believing that God is calling Northwest to pray more, and pray differently. A quote that he's thrown out there for us to consider is pretty hard-hitting:
"The prayer is the work: the ministry is the reward for the work."
What's compelling about that is this point of view is that it assumes that prayer is a force, an energy at work in the world, joining with God to create real action, real change, real impact. Also, it assumes prayer to be the initiating force behind the actions we take.
Prayer can be hard. For me, it is hardest when I find myself at the polar ends of experiencing God's presence. When He seems absent and uninterested, prayer is hard. And then again, when He seems real and near-shouting His glory at me, prayer is also hard. I don't know why (especially concerning the latter) except perhaps I find prayer hard when I am being overwhelmed, my emotional life swamped in one direction or the other.
There's that emotional life business again.
The past couple of days, though, I've been reminded that prayer is a declaration of trust. A re-upping the relationship between God and me. A declaration that I cannot do the simplest of things without His power, His leading, His strength.
So much work (prayer) to do...
10:53:55 AM
