For whatever reason, men in the church (and I won't exclude myself from this camp) don't seem to like to take the lead in spiritual matters. Regardless of where the church is or what the size is, it always seems that the ladies are the ones who have more spiritual depth and closer walks with Christ. In particular, men do not in general pray like women do.This is a burden on my heart. Scripture is clear that men should be taking the leadership roles in their families and in their churches. We should not force the ladies into the uncomfortable position of leading when God did not create them to do so. Men - it is our responsibility. It is also our joy.
This morning we started something new at Chevis Oaks Baptist. It is hardly revolutionary, but I am hoping that God will use it to His glory. A group of us men met at 6:30 this morning to pray. We prayed for repentance. We prayed for deeper walks with Christ. We prayed for protection from temptation and sin. Above all, we prayed that God would be glorified in our individual lives and in the life of our church family in general.
It was a sweet time of prayer. I love to listen to other saints (and I use that term biblically) pray. I am always amazed to hear others speak to the God of the universe. In particular, I am greatly edified when I hear people pray who have been walking with the Lord for many years.
I was greatly encouraged this morning because I believe that our time of prayer was both glorifying to God and edifying to the body. Since these are the two primary reasons for the existence of the church, I couldn't be happier about it.
This group of men will be meeting every Tuesday morning at 6:30. My prayer is that God will use this time to encourage and exhort us men to take the spiritual leadership roles in our church. This is God's desire. That is enough of a reason for us to do it.
Additionally, praying together is a great joy. I know of no one who regrets time spent in prayer.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
2 comments:
Eric,
Sometimes the problem is unknowingly caused by one person, man (sometimes the pastor) or woman who is an able person with words and public speech, and as a consequence intimidates others.
I remember an elderly man, a lovely Christian, who amazed me with his beautiful prayers, which were a smooth blend of Scripture, his own words and those of others. He would pray for ten minutes without a stop.
One day, as I was listening to his words, I realised I was praying ahead of him. His was magnificent prose, but a learned prayer, which he prayed every time.
Pastors need, also, to pray the simplest of public prayers, which ARE NOT a demonstration of their grasp of theological and Biblical knowledge. No surer way to be the only one to pray at times of public prayer.
John,
I agree that there is a real danger in using fancy/eloquent/learned speech when praying. The last thing we want to do is convey the idea that only those with the theological degrees should be praying out loud. In fact, I love to hear the prayers of folks who pray simply, yet profoundly from a heart of deep faith.
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