PRAYER
At Catalina North, we believe in prayer. We believe that prayer changes the lives of the prayers as well as those who are prayed for. And so our church has started a prayer group. All are welcome to come as often or as infrequently or even just once... as they wish. You can simply sit with us and pray silently or you can speak your prayer, again as you wish. We do have a few “regulars”—a team of individuals who will pray for you or your situation if you prefer to simply request prayer. However, these folks don't have magical powers or a special pipeline to Divinity. They simply pray. Every Sunday, in a circle, at the
front of the sanctuary.
So what about the act of praying. Why do it? A rhetorical question, for sure, as we all kind of know the answer. We are told to do so by God, over 130 times in Scripture.
And when the prayer isn’t answered in the way or time we want? What about that? The C.S. Lewis website as some thoughts on this. They offer no resolution but do echo some observations. “For example, Abraham’s plea for Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared from the fires of heaven. His prayer seems to indicate an openness on God’s part to receive an anguished-laden petition as he counts down how many righteous men Abraham need to find to spare the cities. But in the end, Sodom and Gomorrah are struck down, with Lot and his family escaping (save the pillar of salt). There are other examples: Jacob wrestling the angel and ending up with a dislocated hip for life; Moses asking God for help to manage Israel’s complaining, and Jesus himself in the Garden asking for the cup of suffering to be removed.”
(http://www.cslewis.com/why-do-we-pray/)
Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be a comfortable, make-me-feel-good, definitive answer that clearly explains just exactly WHY prayers not answered the way we want at times. However, I’m not sure that’s what we really want anyway. As Ted (our pastor) reminds us with regularity, “It’s the plot. We are in a lifelong plot. And it’s our job to be with the plot, behave like a Child of
God, and trust He has the entire story written”. Exciting, scary, uncomfortable, unpredictable.
Published on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 @ 7:28 PM CDT
Prayer Group
In the past, when I joined a prayer group at my church it was because I was looking for answers to a problem or feeling desperate for help.
Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 @ 9:15 AM CDT