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Prayer Ministry

Prayer is perhaps the most intimate relationship one can have with God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, in every prayer and supplication. “…to that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). It is important that we remain mindful of the necessity and power of prayer.

When you believe in a merciful and faithful God, you will find that there are many opportunities to become a part of the Prayer Ministry at First Methodist Houston, either as a giver or a receiver. The areas of ministry in which one is able to serve include:

• Prayer Teams – This team of people prays for members of the congregation, families, friends, as well as other needs and concerns on a weekly basis.
• Prayer Walks – A team that walks through the sanctuary and chapel to pray as directed by the Holy Spirit
• Prayer Room – A commitment by one to pray one hour per week in the Bintliff Chapel.
• Prayer Request Correspondence – An individual that will write notes of encouragement as an additional response to prayer requests.
• “May I Pray for You?” Badge-wearer – One wears this badge on Sundays, or other times of worship and gatherings, and prays for others upon request.

Prayer is an act of communication that we participate in consciously and perhaps sometimes unconsciously. I grew up being taught to pray privately, and even public prayer was part of my religious and spiritual experience. I have grown to understand and appreciate that there are many means, expressions, and postures of prayer and sincerely hope that we are offering that level of acceptance to one another as we increasingly find ourselves among people who pray in a different way. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines the word prayer (From Latin precari, “to entreat”) as “Human approach to God and addressing God in praise and adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession. A consciousness of God’s presence, love, direction, and grace may be experienced”.

“It is not the power of prayer, but the power of the living Lord, which comes through prayer, that we seek. Therefore, we don’t struggle with prayer, we struggle in prayer” (excerpted from Unless We Pray, Brief Lessons on the Practice of Prayer). Considering the many aspects of our lives that are at stake: our relationship with God in Christ, our souls, our family relationships and friendships, our health, our finances, etc., we simply cannot afford NOT to be in the struggle of seeking God’s guidance, and direction for our lives.

As we seek God, prayer is the primary means of connecting with Him. It is not so important to get [the logistics of] prayer right, rather we should just ‘talk with Him” – trusting God as we bring our lives to Him and yield to Him in prayer. The apostle Paul teaches us how to trust God in prayer, “for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” Romans: 8:26a-27.

Please remember that you can always enjoy meaningful daily devotionals at: www.upperroom.org/devotional.

God’s love and blessings!