That was my thought last night after our first prayer experience as part of the 40 Days of Prayer & Repentance. Trust me, there was nothing flashy about what happened between 6:00 and 7:00 pm last night. But I have a feeling things changed. I know they did for me.
After opening in prayer together, each person was on his/her own to move through 5 focused & interactive prayer stations. Some visited every station. Some only went to a few. Some paired up. Some sat in chairs and journaled and prayed. We ended with a time of corporate prayer for our city and Awaken. It was beautiful.
I was particularly challenged, convicted, and changed by the "Die" station where we repented of our idols. Specifically, Galatians 2:20, the verse that was printed and framed at the station spoke to me:
"Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central..."
God reminded me that nothing...no amount of success, no number of friends, no amount of money - NOTHING...can trump the justification of Jesus on the Cross. My ego is dead. Jesus lives in me now. It is by Him and for Him that I live. There is no better life. I wrote down my idols, ripped them up, and left them at the foot of the cross.
Would love to hear from some of you who were at the prayer experience last night. How did God speak to you? How were you encouraged? How were you challenged? Click "comments" below this post and share with us.
These experiences are important because it is time that we come together to beg God to change us and beg Him to use us to change our city for His glory. I certainly feel like that happened last night. Can't wait for the next one on July 13!
If all this wasn't enough...a group of us capped the night off with a trip to Moe's. Prayer, Repentance, and Burritos. Who knew? :-)
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3 comments:
The 'follow' station was key for me - writing down the names of those around me who need the Gospel and the Love of Christ somehow made me feel a bit more accountable... At least to be consistently in prayer for these people but also to just be more aware of God working in them, and how I can get involved in that.
Also the die station was eye opening. God revealed an idol in my life that I had never viewed as such.
And finally I loved the ending prayer - it's like we were all so vuneralble and Josh's prayer just capped it off and spoke I think what all of our hearts were beating together. very moving and humbling experience. thank you so much for y'alls work in putting it together!
I was challenged and changed the most by the "confess" station. The act of dipping my hands into the water after spending time confessing and repenting made the words we read in Psalm 24:3-4 even more meaningful: "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart..."
sort of the same lines as Lara Beth, the "confess" station is where my heart was hit the heaviest. it's easy to just say to God "why did i just do that?, God forgive me.", but to actually write my personal sins on my hand just broke me. it was the first time in my 25 years on this earth that i looked my at my sin written on my body and it broke me. what if this was what happened everytime i kept in the circle of sin that seems to encompass all of us. we repent but like a bad habit go back to it without actually letting go of it. i was heart broken to see my hand quickly fill with things that i allow to stay (even as small as some may seem) a part of my life. i wept as i washed the sins off of my hands and am so thankful for grace and love and forgiveness that is offered daily! (Ephesians 2 & Romans 12)
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