Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalms 55:22

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

…”I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

COURAGE

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalms 27:14

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Be strong and take heart, all you who open the LORD. Psalms 31:24

… “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

DIRECTION

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

For this GOD is our GOD for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalms 48:14

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalms 32:8

FAITH

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of GOD. Ephesians 2:8

You are all sons of GOD through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26

We live by faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

HELP IN TIMES OF NEED

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs or deliverance. Psalms 32:7

Why are you downcast, O my soul? why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my GOD. Psalms 42:11

Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalms 91:10,11

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. Psalms 138:7

FEAR

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

“But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. Proverbs 1:33

GOD is our refuge and strength, and ever present help in trouble. Psalms 46:1

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John14:27

So we say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper: I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

HOPE

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalms 31:24

… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

… looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13

JOY

I have told you this that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

… weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16: 11

SALVATION

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Romans 10:13

For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

FORGIVENESS

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Let all bitterness, and wreath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice and be kind to one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 4 31-32

Looking carefully lest any one fall short of the grace of God lest root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled. Hebrews 12 15-16

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3: 12-15

LOVE

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13

GRACE

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” Exodus 33:13

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

PEACE

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people his saints… Psalms 85:8

Now may the LORD of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way… 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17

WHEN YOU ARE LONELY

I will not leave you as orphans ; I will come to you. John 14:18

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isaiah 58:9

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18

PROTECTION

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Psalms 112:7

The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? Psalms 27:1

The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more. Psalms 121:7,8

TRUST

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this. Psalms 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5,6

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalms 46:1,2

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Use the following scriptures in your prayer time to help you in life situations:

CALLED TO SERVE

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get. Matthew 7:12 (The Message)

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Romans 1: 8

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

MERCY

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentation 3:21-23

[Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  Psalm 118:1

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1

For the LORD is good;His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:5

Blessed be God,Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me! Psalm 66:20

There are several activities below as examples of things you can do with your group. The typical timeframe would be 60-90 minutes but you can adjust it to fit your schedule. To bring added interest, you can use video clips, and visual resources as aids. You will want a comfortable room, with low lighting, music, bibles, tissues, and paper.

INTRODUCTION

Begin the session with an introduction on prayer. You can use scriptures, a story, a video clip, or live testimony from another youth. The introduction should be engaging, relevant, and create interest. Here are two scriptures you can use as well:

‘Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.’ 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

‘I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.’ Matthew 18:19-20

WORSHIP – FOCUS ON GOD

Have a time of worship using songs and music. The songs should relevant for the age range you are dealing with, and should be entirely focused on God, not our needs. The goal is to bring the entire focus for the evening to God, not our troubles, struggles, or youth activities.

During this worship time, you may wish to break into a song, and have a youth lead a verbal praise to God, for who He is, and/or what He has done. You may wish to use scriptures from the book of Psalm during these times, where the psalm is read and then accompanied by a personal praise. Praying the Word brings the will of God into your prayer session. Psalm 100 is a great passage to use.

FOCUS ON YOU

Gather the group together and time of repenting. Talk to the group about our human weakness, and everyone’s need for repentance. Read Psalm 51, and 1 John 8-9.

‘If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.’ 1 John 1:8-9.

Engage the youth. You don’t want to preach at them, you want to repent with them. Create a safe environment where they feel it’s ok that they’ve messed up, as long as they repent and try to change. This should be a quieter time, where each can reflect on their life, and confess their shortcomings to a merciful God. Remind them to think about those who they may have wronged, and repent and ask God how to make things right.

You may wish to have a time where they write down their faults and then thrown them in the trash or shredder after repenting. They need to know that God will not condemn them, nor hold past sins over their head that they’ve repented of. You can also have the papers pinned to a cross to show that God took those sins upon Himself for us.

If your group is willing, consider having them go to each other and ask forgiveness for anything they’ve said or done to hurt each other.

Other suggested passages are Psalm 19:12-14, Psalm 66:18-20, and Psalm 139:23-24.

Pray for the fruit of the spirit to work in their lives, using Galatians 5:22-23:

‘But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!’

Do not rush this time. You want the youth to know that sin is not something to take lightly, but rather, something we need to spend time on changing and acknowledging. End with another worship song, thanking God for His forgiveness and mercy.

FOCUS ON FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Every person has someone else that they can pray for. Ask the students to take this time and focus it on other people in their life. Are their friends who need salvation? Do they have family members who need God’s help in their relationships? Is there someone sick they can pray for? Do they know someone struggling in their relationship with God? Is there a backslider who needs someone to care and intercede for them? This time is focused entirely off of the youth member.

A good scripture to read for evangelism is Read Mathew 18:19-20.

As you talk about people in each youth member’s life, ask them to write down the names and needs (on a sticky or small paper) of those who come to mind. You can gather all the papers and place them in the center of your group, or hand them out for others to pray over, or in groups. Pray for the needs that night. Don’t just hand them out to pray over later. If you can, keep the papers and follow up on them at a later date. You want to know when God has met the need so you can give Him thanks for it.

Here are some example things you can pray:

That each person will see their need of God and go to Him for help and salvation.

That each person will be willing to make their relationships work, and to change themselves in the process, forgiving, and letting go of past hurts. 

That God would use you to reach your friends with God’s hope and love.

That backsliders would acknowledge they need to return to God, and that they would feel loved by God and feel welcomed to return, regardless of anything they’ve done.

That families would grow stronger together, being patient and forgiving, and put God first in their home.

That those who are bound by addictions would have a clear mind that can sense God drawing them, and that they would not find happiness in their addiction. 

etc.

End with thanks to God for hearing your prayers. Collect the prayer requests for use later.

FOCUS ON THE WORLD

Plan on having a majority of time in this area. God wants us to put His kingdom before our own. Often, this is the area with the least amount of time spent on it. But God said that if we take care of His kingdom, “all these things will be added unto us.” We need to be kigfdom-minded, and today’s young people want to make a difference in their world.

Read the following:

‘I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.’ 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Have prayer resources available for your youth to gather in groups and pray over. This can include things such as:

• Maps: pray for nations and missionaries in those nations. Pray for the 10/40 Window and diverse people groups, such as Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Tribal groups, and the unchurched/atheists. (Go to win1040.com and joshuaproject.net for more resources.)
• Photos of government and city leaders.
• Missionaries photos, including missionary kids. (Go to GlobalMissions.com and UpWithMKs.com for more resources.)
• New churches being built and home missionary churches in the U.S. (Go to namupci.com for more resources.)
• Photos from news articles about war, famine, disease, natural disasters, etc.
• Photos of orphans and child/youth soldiers.
• Pray for those who are currently imprisoned for sharing the gospel. (Go to prisonalert.com for more resources.)

Have your youth gather in groups and lay their hands on these photos and maps. Pray light (revelation) into dark nations. Pray for new churches to be built, and more missionaries to be sent to the field. Pray for God to use those who are imprisoned to reach those in their cells and areas with the gospel until they are delivered, and pray for their strength.

It’s highly suggested to have prayer stations set up around the room where youth can go to each one and find associated scriptures, and visuals to help them pray.

Light in the Darkness.

Give each youth a candle or flashlight as a object lesson to bring awareness to the importance of sharing the gospel to our world – a light always dispels darkness. The more light you shine, the more darkness that is removed. God has need of people to go into nations of the world with the Truth. We may not all be able to become missionaries, but we can all pray. The more we pray, the more light that is brought by the answers to those prayers.

Close the evening with a final time of worship. Don’t rush it. Engage the students in enjoying what they’ve experienced that night. The more they enjoy it, and see the benefit of it, the more they will want to do it themselves.

As you lead your group through these sessions, also be aware not to focus prayer on just a list of things to pray for. Prayer first, is a relationship.

Then there are times that we run out of words or perhaps feel like we are saying the same thing over and over. We may find our prayer time lacking, and our minds drifting off to other things while the clocks ticks on, and on, and on. We want to be devoted in prayer, but frankly… we just may not have enough to say to fill the time.

First, let me bring encouragement to you by saying that God doesn’t work on our time tables. We don’t have to pray an hour a day in order to be saved. We do want to develop a good prayer life, but it’s more about quality than quantity.

Second, we have a great tool that most often gets neglected during prayer that can help both situations above – the Word of God. The Bible gives us direction as to the will of God, and gives us substantial scriptures that bring interest, faith, and personal enrichment into our relationship with God.

The Word of God is always true, so praying the Word removes our fear that we may not say the right thing. It is also our spiritual weapon, and part of our defense. When we pray about spiritual struggles, praying the Word fights our spiritual enemy and protects us from lies and deceit.

An easy way to learn to pray scriptures, is the use the book of Psalm. This book is packed full of praise, encouragement, guidance, and scriptures to fight fear, discouragement, hopelessness, and sin. We can be extremely discouraged but after reading through some of the psalms, find ourselves with hope, as we connect with David who faced enormous adversity for years at a time. Though David struggled with mankind, and his own emotion, his heart always turned back to God and found faith to believe that God was faithful.

To pray the Word, find a Psalm (or other scripture) that deals with similar situations or emotions that you are dealing with. Put yourself (or you name) in place of the writer, and apply it to your own life. Below are some examples.

Create a quick list of these scriptures and keep them in your purse or wallet, if you cannot memorize them.

You can also read the scripture and then pray a relevant prayer after it. Here are a couple examples:

‘The Lord is my shepherd…’ Thank you that you look after us and protect us

‘I shall not want…’ Thank you that you provide for all I need….

The more you pray scripture, the more you will know God’s will and be able to apply it to your life’s situations. You do not have to know all the right words, all the time. Pray God’s Word; it’s always right, and it always encourages and build us up.

In the midst of ministry expansion projects, our small congregation really needed God’s direction and blessing. That’s when the Lord led our prayer group leader to call for an eight-hour prayer lock-in.

Members brought Bibles, candles, worship music, journals, and sleeping bags. Intercessors and church leaders gathered in the old sanctuary of the church for group worship and prayer. Then we broke off into private prayer, meditation, and listening for God’s direction.

The lock-in guaranteed the full participation of those present and eliminated the distraction of people coming and going. Early birds like myself were encouraged to take a nap break if they felt distracted by fatigue, but were then awakened to participate in the wrap- up, an outpouring of what the Lord had told us regarding the transition. The consistent direction we each got from the Lord during this time of prayer built our faith and humbled us all.

Prayer lock-ins can be held for a variety of reasons—especially when seeking God’s direction together or looking for fresh perspective. Many times, people who would not otherwise participate in corporate prayer will get involved in these sessions.

Here’s a sample agenda:

4:30 – 5:00 p.m.—Gather over tea, fruit, and light refreshments. Late-comers arrive.

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.—Door is locked. Overview and suggestions for prayer. (Our leader distributed notes suggesting priority topics for prayer.)

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.—Light candles and offer praise and thanksgiving using worship CDs or live music provided by music team.

7:00 – 8:00 p.m.—Corporate prayer. Participants offer prayer as they are led.

8:00 – 9:00 p.m.—Break off into a private space for individual prayer and Bible study. (Some people will want to read and write in prayer journals.)

9:00 – 10:00 p.m.—Prayer leader gathers group for corporate prayer.

10:00 – 11:00 p.m.—Break off into individual or small group prayer.

11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.—Gather together to discuss insights from prayer. Everyone who wishes to share what the Lord has laid on his or her heart has an opportunity to do so. The prayer team leader keeps notes and incorporates these insights into a future prayer agenda.

12:00 – 12:30 a.m.—Corporate prayer and wrap-up. Give thanks to God for the encouragement and direction given, gather Bibles and sleeping bags, and head home.

]]> http://prayingyouth.com/evening-prayer-lock-in/feed/ 0 http://prayingyouth.com/organizing-a-prayer-chain/ http://prayingyouth.com/organizing-a-prayer-chain/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:31:04 +0000 http://prayingyouth.com/?p=162 Definition:

A prayer chain is a network of individuals who will receive prayer requests and thanksgivings, forward them to the next available person in the network, and will pray immediately for each request.

Prayer Chain Leadership:

A key to a successful prayer chain is a leader who has a heart for prayer, has the ability to organize the network, provide annual training for prayer chain participants, support and encourage those who serve in this ministry, processes the prayer requests and recruits new participants. Organizational and people-skills are important for this leadership position. This person is accountable to the pastor and/or a coordinator of prayer ministry. The prayer chain is the joy and responsibility of the prayer chain leader. Occasionally, this may mean the need to prune the network if a participant leaks confidential prayer information or does not forward prayer requests (in other words, makes the prayer chain ineffective for others in the network). Such pruning must be done in consultation with the pastor.

Basic Description:

The prayer chain is the spiritual alarm system which communicates and takes prayerful action on the needs of the congregation, community and global needs. This network of people who are committed to prayer take action on behalf of the congregation on Jesus’ words to “ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened,” (Matthew 7:7). The importance of the prayer chain is that it faithfully intercedes on behalf of others in need by lifting up specific requests, concerns and emergency situations.

One of the metaphors used in the New Testament for the Church is that it is the body of Christ. Jesus is described as being the head of the body. The prayer ministry of the congregation, which includes the prayer chain, is the circulation system of the body. It is a prayerful network which communicates with the head and the whole body feeding it with needed nutrients, activating the power to fight external viruses and bacteria, and bringing healing by bathing wounds and infections with the prayerful commitment of white blood cells. Blood is a good analogy because prayer for others is a gift given expecting nothing personally in return. This is matched by the importance of blood in both the Hebrew scriptures as well as the New Testament as a sacrificial gift.

The prayer chain is the life-blood of the congregation! Oftentimes, because this work is behind the scenes, the prayer chain, like our blood, is taken for granted and forgotten. It is not until you have some hurts or needs that you remember and are thankful for the prayer chain. The chain participants can become anemic due to inactivity, lack of spiritual attention, and by coming under spiritual attack. Chains that have been in existence for longer periods of time or are in a congregation that has much transient activity may need new prayer chain participant transfusions.

Guidelines:

A) Receiving Prayer Requests:

It is important to be prepared to receive prayer requests if your phone number is one of those listed to be contacted for prayer. All that is needed is a paper and pen to record the request or thanksgiving as it is given to you. It is a good idea to read back what you have written for the sake of accuracy before you conclude the phone call. A prayer form could also be developed and distributed to the prayer chain in a three-ring binder for the ease of prayer:

Date Name Prayer Request Answers

2/21 Marge her hip replacement surgery on Mon.

3/1 Bob his interview-that he will get the job praise God-yes X

In receiving a request for prayer from the individual who desires prayer, thank them for calling, write down the request, read it back for accuracy, and then ask if they desire you to pray for them right now. If not, thank them again for calling and ask if they would please update you on the situation including answered prayer so that you will know that you can thank God and stop the request. If yes, ask them if they would mind sharing their first name, if you do not already know it, and pray briefly for their request.

Immediately call the next available person in the network. If the name listed next is not home and there is voice mail or an answering machine, do not leave the request due to confidentiality but ask them to call you for prayer chain information. There may be people on your chain without answering machines. In that instance, as best as possible, try and get back to them later that day with the requests. Continue calling until you make contact with someone who is home.

Finally, pray! It is important to establish the discipline of praying immediately upon receiving notification from the chain. If you are called while entertaining company, for instance, excuse yourself and go to the bathroom and pray. You do not need to sit down and close your eyes to pray. If you were just leaving to pick up your child from school, drive and pray – with your eyes open! Be creative and make a way to honor the discipline to pray immediately.

Keep in mind that prayer requests are to be kept confidential. If you cannot honor that, be sensitive to the hurts and misunderstanding that broken trust in a congregation can cause and step down before the chain captain needs to ask you to step down. If your spouse is not on the prayer chain, do not share the information with him or her. Though you may think that you are sharing this information so that they can pray, it is still GOSSIP. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips,” (Psalm 141:3).

Organizational Options:

A) 9-5 Prayer Chain. For those who are available during the day time.

B) After 5 p.m. Prayer Chain. For those available during the evening hours.

C) Hour Glass Prayer Team. Chains that are reliant on numerous people in the structure to make phone contacts increases the likelihood of break-down. Imagine the sand passing through a smaller hole and spreading out into the width of the hour glass. That is the idea here, of a smaller group of people responsible to make all the phone contacts. A reasonable number of calls is four. Four callers can have a team totaling sixteen. Five callers are needed for a team of twenty.

Other Considerations. Emergency or crisis prayer chains. Membership prayer chain to pray through consistently the names and known concerns of the membership. Community-based prayer chain which is intentionally made public so that it is easily available for all people in the community. Ecumenical prayer chain that interlinks with other denominational or non-denominational prayer chains.

]]> http://prayingyouth.com/organizing-a-prayer-chain/feed/ 0 http://prayingyouth.com/posture-passion-fasting-poised-for-prayer/ http://prayingyouth.com/posture-passion-fasting-poised-for-prayer/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:27:10 +0000 http://prayingyouth.com/?p=159 Why is Posture in Prayer Important?
Posture is [generally speaking] the visible expression of an inward attitude.

What are the bodily postures people assume in these circumstances?

• Humility

• Eagerness

• Begging or supplicating

• Receiving

• Attentiveness & Respect

“…if we really desire to imitate God, we must take care that ceremonies do not express more than is in our minds, but that the inward feeling directs the eyes, the hands, the tongue & everything else.” J. Calvin, Commentary on John 17:1.

“We should not normally, however, attempt to communicate this inward feeling of the heart to God without any outward form of expression. It is fitting, though not, of course, necessary, that the attitude of the heart should be reflected in a posture of humility, & with the hands & eyes so directed as to indicate that our desire is that our heart should be raised to Heaven from whence alone can come our help. The ideal in prayer is that the heart should ‘move & direct the tongue,’ & that the tongue ‘should not go before the heart,’ & that ‘the body should follow the mind of its own accord.’ Indeed, the feeling of the heart should be so overpowering that ‘the tongue spontaneously breaks forth into utterance & our other members into gestures.’ Nevertheless there are times when the heart is cold & sluggish. At such times both the external exercise of the body & the use of the words & singing by the tongue can come to the aid of the heart, provided that the heart responds to the external ceremony, & the feeling of the mind goes along with the words that are used, so that hypocrisy is avoided.” Ronald S. Wallace, Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life, p. 283-4.

“Christians often think that prayer is simply a matter of using terminology & putting standard ideas in an acceptable verbal format. God pays attention to the inflection of our voices, our expressions, our posture, & other forms of body language.” Richard L. Pratt, Jr., Pray With Your Eyes Wide Open, p. 163.

A Practical aspect is that our minds often follow our posture. For example, if we give ourselves over to slouching, eyes cast down & shuffling our feet then depression can follow. On the other hand, when one is depressed picks up her pace, looks up & looks people in the eye, etc., then a more wholesome attitude usually ensues.

Do the Scriptures Have anything to say about Postures in Prayer?

* Kneeling

• 2 Chronicles 6:12-13 – Supplicating (see also Daniel 6:10, Acts 20:36, 21:5)
• Luke 22:41 – Weighted down w/ burden
• Philippians 2:10-11 – Surrender & submission
• Psalm 95:6 – Worship

* Prostration

• Psalm 145:14 – Mourning (see also Ps. 146:8)
• Revelation 1:17 – Utter unworthiness & surrender (see also Gen. 17:3 Daniel 8:17, & Ez. 1:28 & 44:4)

* Eyes

• Luke 18:13 – Mourning for sin

John 17:1 – Ardor & seriousness: “By this attitude Christ declared that in His mind’s affections He was in heaven rather than upon earth, so that He left men behind Him & talked intimately with God. He looked toward heaven, not as if God (who fills also the earth) were shut up there, but because it is there chiefly that His majesty appears. Moreover, by looking towards heaven, He reminds us that God’s glory is exalted far above all creatures.”

* Hands

1 Timothy 2:8 & Psalm 63:1-3 (see also Ps. 134:2) – ‘an outward sign of an inward reality…indicating a pure heart.’ “…this custom has been practiced in worship in all ages, for it is natural for us to look upwards when we seek God, & the habit has been so strong that even idolaters, though they fashion gods in images of wood & stone, yet keep this custom & lift up hands to heaven; we should learn therefore that this practice is in keeping with true godliness, provided that the truth it represents also accompanies it.” J. Calvin on 1 Timothy 2:8

• Psalm 28:2 – Emphasis in crying out for mercy (see Ps. 88:9)
• Psalm 141:1-2 – Like the wafting up of incense (see also 2 Chronicles 6:13)
• Psalm 143:5-6 – Though it is an aspect of the intensity of crying out for mercy, the picture is one holding out his hands to receive mercy. A sign of reception.

Conclusion: As Richard Pratt noticed, “…we have seen that communication in prayer goes far beyond words. We express ourselves through weeping or singing. We may demonstrate our attitudes through kneeling &lifting our hands. We may enhance our prayers through the practice of fasting. As we make these elements a vital part of our prayers, our communication with God will be more effective & rewarding than ever before.” Because our whole body & soul was created by God, & our whole body & soul are partners in sin, & our whole body & soul is being saved by Christ, therefore our whole body & soul out to be re-engaged in the privilege of prayer. Let me encourage you, then, to lift up your heart, soul, eyes & hands in prayer to our God, as you fall on your knees before Him to seek His face!

]]> http://prayingyouth.com/posture-passion-fasting-poised-for-prayer/feed/ 0 http://prayingyouth.com/prayerwalking/ http://prayingyouth.com/prayerwalking/#comments Sat, 02 Mar 2013 07:30:30 +0000 http://prayingyouth.com/?p=111 PRAYERWALKING

“Prayerwalking” is praying for the homes, businesses, schools and government agencies of your community as you walk through the streets of your local neighborhood. Children, teens, adults and elders can all participate. Prayerwalkers share insights based on sounds, sights, smells, and spirit-led impressions as they pray for the people living in particular homes or apartments. With a brief orientation to prayerwalking, singing a few songs and a prayer of blessing, participants are launched on a mission.