I have my calendar alarm set every Tuesday morning at 11:00 am so that I can join the weekly prayer time with CBOQ pastors. It is a priority for me to be in union with colleagues from across Ontario and Quebec for the sole purpose of being together to pray. Sometimes, we focus on specific issues, such as the healing of relationships between races. Other times, we seek God’s voice to speak to us or we pray as the Spirit leads us.
I must confess that there are some Tuesdays when I am tempted to skip this prayer time. I feel I am simply too busy to take that 30 minutes. Emails must be read and answered, telephone calls are to be returned, thoughts need to be written down. Because of this busyness, I feel my mind is too scattered to put ideas of prayer together, so it would be better if I did not join. As you may know, it is easy to find excuses to skip prayer time!
Experience has taught me that it’s when my mind is racing with the clutter of so many thoughts and a long “to-do” list that I need to pray the most. This is especially true when I don’t feel like praying or don’t want to pray because I imagine I have no time to spare.
I know that if I am to be with God, hear his voice, and be refreshed by his Spirit I must slow down. And being with God is vital as a ministry leader because where else will I find my guidance and solace? Amazingly, every time I reluctantly let go of my excuses and join with the group, I leave feeling extremely blessed.
There is something powerful when a group of Christians come together and let their guard down to be with God. It is, for me, as if God is allowing more of his light to be shown and experienced. It is reenergising. His Spirit speaks through the prayers of others as I am sure he speaks to others through mine.
I always leave our prayer time filled with an inner peace, knowing that I have been in God’s presence. Therefore, life is as it should be, under the care of our almighty, all loving God. In fact, I have discovered that joining the pastors’ prayer time has allowed me to live by the call Paul issued to the Romans: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12: 12).”
I appreciated your thoughts here, Marc, and definitely concur. I really look forward to the Tuesday prayer time and know that on those super busy days when I am tempted to leave it until the next week that is when I need it the most.
I just want to join you guys to pray and believe God for growth for the christains all over the world am a pastor from Nigeria ,please if we can be praying together I will appreciate it alot thanks.best regards