on vacation and prayer

We're on vacation this week. We rented a gorgeous mountain home in Blue Ridge, GA for our parents and my sister and we're enjoying the cold weather (and hopefully a little snow!), the "rustic/luxury" cabin, good food, and a lot of fun. Weird how a week can seem so long when you start your Monday off in an office, but so short when you're in this environment--I'm already mourning Saturday, when we have to leave.

On the way here, we were privileged to spend a couple of days with our good friends Scott and Carmen Copeland. Scott is one of my best friends and, although we never seem to talk all that much throughout the year, when we are able to get together every 12 months or so, we pick up right where we left off and have a blast!

Anyway, Scott joined the staff of Brookwood Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, GA recently, so, naturally, we tagged along on Sunday morning. Scott did his normal bang-up job of leading us in worship and then the pastor, Dean, gave one of the more simplistic yet thought-provoking messages I've heard in a long time.

Dean really challenged his congregation with the premise that, in order to be the community God had called them to be and, most importantly, make an impact on their surroundings, there were several things that needed to be paramount in not only the individual lives of the congregation, but the corporate entity, as well. To be honest (and Dean, if you're reading this, I apologize!), I forgot what the others were. But his last point was the sharpest and, at least for me, thought-provoking. Simply put, Dean felt (and I wholeheartedly agree here) that what was missing in their congregation was prayer. Communication with God.

Why is it that churches push programs and money and resources but seem to fall woefully short when it comes to the basic premise of communicating with the very One who sustains them? For that matter, why do those of us who claim to know Him intimately? Understand that I am implicating myself here, as well.

Pastor Dean shared several practical and powerful illustrations from the Bible on Sunday that pointed directly to the awesome impact of the saints' perseverance in the simple act of prayer. He talked of how Peter's companions, in Acts 12, "prayed very earnestly" and were rewarded greatly when he showed up miraculously at their door. He pointed out the incredible fact that Jesus, before He began His ministry here on earth, spent 40 days and nights seeking His Father in prayer. Remember that this is God Himself illustrating the importance of humble obedience in this area--I mean, if God not only says it, but practices it, how much more should we? Finally, Dean, of course, led us to Ephesians 6, where we are told to "pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

Finally, and probably most emotionally--at least for me--we were treated to a video story of a modern-day miracle of prayer named Danny Velasco. I present a similar story here, for your viewing pleasure. An incredible story of a man who was dying, a woman who prayed, and, because of her faithful prayer, a God who saved:



As I was listening to all of this on Sunday morning, I wondered why we don't take prayer much more seriously. And I wondered if it's because we simply lack the faith that God still answers prayers miraculously. I also wondered what would happen if we knew that the Thing we were praying for would happen. Would we clamor to hit our knees far more often? I think the answer is obvious. And, yet, God DOES promise to hear us and answer. He is faithful.

We look to so many things other than the power of prayer to change our world for Christ. May we be constantly reminded, on a daily basis, of the powerful, life-changing, awesome impact of the simplicity of communication with the One who created and sustained us. It is in this communication that we experience the miraculousness of His Power in our ordinary lives.