As a child
we always prayed the same prayer before we ate – “God is great, God is good,
let us thank him for our food. By his hands we are fed, give us Lord our daily
bread.” …and then we’d proceed to pray for other things…including all the
animals at Springwater Park – funny the things you remember.
Over the years my prayer life
has grown and matured…you have to start somewhere right!?! I’m thankful for
growth in this discipline and am encouraged by it, but the reality is – I will
never be able to say that my prayer life is ‘good enough.’
As a staff we’ve been reading
Transforming Prayer by Daniel Henderson – AMAZING book that really has begun to
transform my prayer life. I’m learning all over again what prayer needs to look
like in my life…I’m challenged and encouraged.
One of the big things I’ve been
fairly convicted about is my "grocery list" of needs that I bring to God…I’m
wrapping my head around knowing that it is okay for me to ask God for things but
that those things really need to be in accordance with his will and ultimately
for his glory.
I recently found a great
resource from John Piper…an article about what we should pray for based on the
example of the early church in the New Testament. I’ve printed it off and stuck
a copy in my prayer journal…Piper suggests the article be used periodically
just to ensure that we’re not leaving anything out and that our prayers are
(eventually!) the same breadth and depth as prayers from the New Testament.
As a church we believe firmly
in the power of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)…but my guess is that most of us feel
like we could use some growth in this area. I’m looking forward to growing with
you and really becoming a church that full out believes that “without prayer
nothing else matters.”
John Piper - What Should We Pray For?