For those of you who have heard me train church planters you know how my church planting experience was a dramatic turning point in my personal prayer life. Since that time I have sought to always stretch myself and deepen myself in the area of prayer. Right now I am reading Philip Yancey's book "Prayer." I want to share with you a quote from it that has really spoken to me recently.
"Why pray? I have asked this question almost every day of my Christian life, especially when God's presence seems far away and I wonder if prayer is a pious form of talking to myself. I have asked it when I read theology, wondering what use there may be in repeating what God must surely know.
"...prayer has become for me much more than a shopping list of requests to present to God. It has become a realignment of everything. I pray to restore the truth of the universe, to gain a glimpse of the world, and of me, through the eyes of God.
"In prayer I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness. I climb above timberline and look down at the speck that is myself. I gaze at the stars and recall what role I or any of us play in a universe beyond comprehension. Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God's point of view. (Yancey, p.29)
I conclude with this thought. Prayer is not so much about accomplishing something through our ministry, but more about God accomplishing something inside me!
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Our mission is to empower pastors and Christian leaders to dramatically increase their missional impact in the world.
About Me
- Glenn Smith
- I am a coach, a church planter, a business owner, and the Founder of New Church Initiatives, a non-profit ministry whose mission is to empower pastors and church leaders to dramatically increase their missional impact in the world. Check us out at www.nciglobal.org or email us at info@nciglobal.org.
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1 comment:
Glen, I have never met you, just emailed about a year ago regarding the faith communities at Austin. I also lived in Mexico for a too short of period and got to know Tom Basile. We came home because of our brokenness and need to learn some new lessons in life. We in the states and recently I have been reminded of just the points you're making in your emphasis in prayer. Even more so, the need to just be with the Lord, know him intimately, not perform for him and find all my value and significance from Him. I think one of the job hazzards of a planter, missionary or pastor is that we tend to pray, be with Christ, study his word so that we can give away. I was fired, fired myself, moved back to the states and didn't have a position to call myself to some greater purpose. What I'm trying to learn is to be a follower of Jesus, regardless of work, position, mission, planting, etc. Thanks for your grounding words.
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