Sacramental Living

Here’s a question that some who did not commit to an hour of prayer have asked (and one I’m continuing to ask myself during this time): Why would we pray for 24 hours straight?

Think about it. Is anyone “watching?” We are essentially cooping ourselves up in the church building and focusing on God aren’t we?

Maybe it’s just a matter of a group of people joining in a concerted effort to put our lives at the feet of Jesus and see where this unique God will lead us.

Maybe our entire understanding of life in Christ will change. Maybe we will finally see this community, our families, our neighbors, our enemies, and strangers as Jesus sees them. Maybe we will step out of this time of praying into lives of prayer that are partnering with God in mission.

Hour 2 … a scattered and overworked lady comes in a bit late after getting off work much later than anticipated. She braves the thunderous downpour. Her husband (my smiling friend who lost part of his leg last year and is confined to a wheelchair) realizes it’s not the best decision for her to help him into the vehicle in the thunderstorm. He stays home and commits to pray during this time. She stays past the one-hour commitment, letting her will be swept into God’s will.

Hour 3 … a wonderful couple who are grandparents with custody of two young grandchildren leave the two little girls with someone and join together in an hour of prayer. Their lives are hard. They spend their lives for the sake of others. They are now open to Christ’s possibilities.

What will come of these personal stories? What is the purpose of sacrificing time, resource, even sanity in order to pray for an hour? Again, why are we doing this?

So that God might have his way with us. So that we might be changed into “little Christs” in our world. So that we won’t miss what God is doing and how we can be a part of it.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Why do you pray?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com

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• 24-hour Prayer Vigil … Hours 15-17
• 24-hour Prayer Vigil … Hour 1
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• 24-hour Prayer Vigil … Hours 19-24
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Tags: prayer, church, Jesus, sacrificing