Experiencing Joy

I used to go to Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights.  It was like going to church.  There was a set way to do the program for years.  We sang, had opening prayer, the Pastor gave a sermon, we had prayer and left.  Though there were things said that touched me Prayer Meeting was just another meeting. When we first moved here there was Prayer Meeting.  But it eventually died out.  No one was interested.

I read Jim Cymbala's book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.  He wrote about his experience as the Pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle Church.  Because of Prayer Meeting his church was overwhelming blessed.  His membership in the beginning was very small but today is in the thousands at three different locations.  They have a 300 member choir that has won Dove awards.  His wife is the Choir Director who couldn't even read music.  It's an awesome testimony.

Our current Pastor, Jim, read that book too. It impressed him. Our world wide church called all churches to pray for the Holy Spirit.  They sent material on how to do this.  We started with meeting together for 10 days of prayer in the morning by phone conference and in the evening at the church.  After the 10 days we continued to have prayer on Wednesday nights.  This Prayer Meeting is exactly that!  Prayer.  Pastor Jim likes to sing.  He prays through singing.  So we sing and pray and read Bible texts.  We pray for forgiveness, give thanks, for receiving the Holy Spirit, for people and much more. We keep it to an hour but this last time we went over.  Here's why.

In the previous meeting we talked about praying for others in our community and asked God to give us that opportunity.  Pastor found a husband and wife to come for prayer.  They don't go to our church but are from our community.  They were experiencing a sudden life change.  The man had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease three weeks before and the wife was taking it very hard.  She wept almost the whole time she sat there.  Pastor Jim explained to them what we do and had oil ready if the husband chose to be anointed.  We sang songs, read promises about healing, caring, trusting in God, forgiveness, and more.  We prayed over these texts and claimed them for this couple.  We asked for spiritual healing as well as physical healing.  We shared stories of how we got through similar trials. Amazingly the husband agreed to be anointed and Pastor anointed the wife too. 

After the prayer time was over you could tell that this couple was amazed. They couldn't believe that a group of people who didn't even know them before that evening could love them so much.  They left there very encouraged. We let them know that they could come anytime they wanted and we would be there to help support any way we could. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I know God has something big planned for them.  But most of all we felt the Holy Spirit working. He gave us the right things to say, sing, and pray for. He gave us tender hearts to love without condition. 

Pastor mentioned to me on the way out, "Wasn't that awesome?  God is so amazing!"  Pastor Jim had been worn out before he came to the meeting.  He told me that he was spent from a very intense day.  But God gave him the strength and energy he needed to lead us in a wonderful experience with these folks. 

God has said, "Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My alter; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7, 8.  This is the kind of joy I want to experience.

God's Eyes

A month ago my husband began experiencing a terrible illness.  You can read about it on Gamma Susie's This n That blog. Just click on the link on this blog.  Going through this with him has done several things for me.

1.  It has shown me how to put into practice the kindness that I wrote about earlier in this blog.  God was preparing me for this time when He knew I would need ultimate patience with my husband who was suffering so much and needed me to understand and be helpful. This wasn't easy as one day he was fine and the next day totally helpless and dependent on me.  It wasn't easy for him either because he wants to be in control of his surroundings and now he had no control.  Frustration set in.  But God was also working on him and he realized that he also needed to trust God and not himself to get through this.  He prayed for a change of heart and kindness also.  Together we are able to get through it.

2.  God opened my eyes to the suffering around me.  A member in our church was having a mastectomy. She had been suffering from cancer for awhile now and I didn't realize the extend of her suffering until she asked about Don.  After I told her I asked how she was doing and she told me.  My heart ached for her and I began to really pray for her.  I hadn't done that before.

When I drove Don to the hospital in Denver and got him situated I went out to the car which was parked by the ER entrance.  Two women sat on the bench out front. One was on the phone and the other was panic stricken.  She was sobbing and asked, "Does this mean he is going to die?" The other woman nodded.  A shriek of despair accompanied with the words, "Oh God!" were uttered.  My heart broke for her and I prayed for her as I walked to my car.  I wouldn't have done that before either.  I would have just kept walking worried about my own situation.

Up on the hospital wing where Don was I noticed in several rooms patients with no hair, some vomiting, others laying quietly hooked up to their IV poles which delivered the "treatment" for cancer.  I realized there was so much suffering on this wing.  This is where they put the patients that were "seriously" ill.  Though Don was suffering they were suffering too and some much more.  Their outcomes were not as good as Dons.  I prayed for them.

God was opening my eyes and giving me the tender heart I asked for.  He helped me realize that He is the Good Shepherd and I am His eyes.  I need to open them for Him and pray and talk with Him about it.  I heard that scientific studies have been done regarding the healing of those who are ill.  Those who were prayed for whether they knew it or not healed faster then those who were not prayed for.  Got reminded me of this study and gently nudged me to pray for these dear children of His.

The Apostle Paul prayed for others.  His prayer in Ephesians 1:15-19 is a beautiful prayer and I encourage you to read it.  But if you don't know what to pray for tell it to God.  Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." So I don't have to worry.  God knows my heart and gives me the will to at least pray for others.  His Spirit will help me with the rest. 

I pray for you as you read this that your heart will be touched to pray for me and for others.  Pray that God opens your eyes and helps you look through them to see the suffering around you.  Then ask for the desire and will to pray for those who are in need.