God Did Something Different

We invited Pastor Ann Low from the Malaysia National Prayer Network to minister at our Prayer Rally last Saturday.

Unlike the other prayer rallies we have had in the past, this prayer rally was relatively relaxing and definietly more enjoyable. There wasn't all the non-stop praying and shouting that leaves you hoarse at the end of the four hours. I didn't feel "wearied" at all because the flow of the Spirit was so natural and effortless that we just flowed along.

First of all we learned to be still and to listen to the Lord. Isn't that THE most part of prayer? Our usual approach in prayer is come before the presence of the Lord with a To Do List and, after some preliminary praise and worship, begin to issue commands and tell God what to do instead of listening to Him. That is so wrong. As if we are smarter than God.

We also learned to share and to listen to one another. As Pastor Ann said, how can we pray well for one another if we do not spend time to listen to one another. Listening to one another also means listening to what God is speaking to the other person. Very often we subconsciously think that God can only speak to us and disregard what God is saying to others.

She encouraged us to journal so we can track what God's leading and guidance in our lives. I am not much into journaling so the closest I will ever come to keeping a journal is to turn this blog into a sort-of-journal. So bear with me if, from now on, the contents of this blog get kinda weird.

And she issued a challenge for us to memorize scripture - the whole book of James in 5 months! For me, a passage here and there is manageable but not 5 chapters of 108 verses. By the time I reach Chapter Five I would have probably have forgotten Chapter One 'cos my forgettery is better than my memory.

Then on Sunday I received another nugget from Pastor Ann. She taught us to pray 1 Cor. 2:9 in reverse. Where the verse says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him," we can pray and ask God to give us eyes to see, ears to hear and a mind that is able to conceive what God has prepared for us because we love him. Isn't that wonderful?

I am glad this prayer rally is different. I have been so blessed and it is indeed the most enjoyable prayer rally I've ever attended. If prayer rallies are run this way more people might be encouraged to join us.