Devote Yourselves to Prayer

This past year I learned to love Jesus more by praying regularly with three other women who are colleagues and friends. We began to pray together in the Fall of 2020. Our initial purpose was praying for God’s hand to be on the upcoming election. Our prayers were shaped by a short book, Teach Us To Pray, by Gordon T. Smith (InterVarsity Press). This book invites us to pray through the following sequence, first thanksgiving, then time for confession and lament, and ending with intercession.

If I had to choose a rhythm for prayer in the midst of a global pandemic and political turmoil in our nation, I would have never thought to begin with thanksgiving! As Paul exhorts above – we were watching the world, and felt called to pray, but being thankful was a challenge. Each week, we would start with a Scripture passage, often one of the psalms. Beginning with thanksgiving was a life-giving practice, it helped all of us to stop and focus on God’s good work in our lives and our world. As we spent time giving thanks, we saw more things (being watchful) that we could thank God for, in our lives and in our world. Through thanksgiving, we grew in our love for the Father, Son, and Spirit.

From there, we would move into a time of confession and lament. We are scattered around the United States, but, through Zoom, it was a gift to be with these sisters in Christ and confess our sins aloud in one another’s presence. Each week we would end this time with the Scripture: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9). With this reminder and the space to confess aloud in the presence of these friends, our love for Jesus continued to grow.

Finally, we move into a time of intercession. Initially, we prayed for God’s hand to be on the election, then we prayed for a peaceful transition of power. As we continued to pray, we began to intercede for God’s Church in the United States. We regularly pray for the Church to be a place where the mystery of Christ is proclaimed with courage and love. These times of intercession also provide opportunities to pray for one another and our personal needs. As we continued to pray together, we grew in love for one another, and we also grew in love for Jesus, who heard and answered many of our prayers this year.

Key Quotation

If I had to choose a rhythm for prayer in the midst of a global pandemic and political turmoil in our nation, I would have never thought to begin with thanksgiving!

Question

Who could you begin to pray with on a regular basis?

Melodie A. Marske, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship