Every Sunday when we gather, we have a time during our worship service where we take time to pray as a congregation. This is corporate prayer. We join our hearts and minds together before the Lord, seeking His glory as we ask him to move on our behalf in the requests and petitions that we offer as a church body. It is an opportunity for me, as a pastor, to shepherd you, the church, in a unique way through prayer.

Every Wednesday night Jacqueline and I open our home to the church to gather for prayer. This is corporate prayer. A time to listen to our brothers and sisters, hear the burdens that they carry, and then to carry them to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer is absolutely essential to the Christian life, this is an inescapable truth throughout the entire Bible. In his devotional book "Evening by Evening," first published in 1868, Charles Spurgeon wrote on January 15th, "Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit, and vocation. As artists, give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so we must addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication."

If you are not prioritizing prayer with the people of God I would strongly encourage you to start. If the only time you are praying with other believers is on Sunday morning, that's simply not enough. I am burdened for us as a church to be a praying church. I am burdened for you as a Christian to be a praying Christian. I am praying that God would burden and stir us, would burden and stir you to prayer. I'll see you Sunday, and next Wednesday!

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)