40 Days of Prayer

“The Christmas lights at the church are wonderful!”  This can be heard many times over throughout the season as you could imagine.  It is interesting what comes next in many cases.  I usually follow this comment from someone by asking if they have parked and tuned their car radio to 97.7 to see and hear the full experience.  Many of the people I talk to have only seen the lights on Hwy 285, and then there are some who have parked and watched the animated lights without realizing that the lights are choreographed to music and broadcast on the radio.  Others still have seen and heard the full experience.  The last group are the ones who are the most amazed.

For many of us this illustrates well our experience of the Christian faith and in particular, a life of prayer.  Many experience prayer simply as a drive-by observance.  The intersection of life and prayer consists of hearing an elder, pastor, or worship leader pray at church, and occasionally sharing in a word of grace when the family is gathered for big meals.

Others have said prayers at bedtime, dinnertime, and difficult times throughout their lives.  This experience can be rewarding and challenging.  It is as if you are watching life flash in front of you with only the soundtrack of your particular life playing.  You are left to create your own music in your head, and many times that music is silent.

But then there are those who seem to be constantly in a prayerful attitude.  They see and hear things that others do not.  They have answers to their prayers, and there is a sense of constant contentment as the storms of life rage around them.  Somehow they have tuned in to the correct station and hear what music is suppose to be playing in the otherwise seeming silence and chaos.

As you can see from the illustration of the Christmas lights, there is not a great distance between those three experiences.  My hope and prayer is that during the first 40 days of 2014, as we commit to pray in new ways, we will all see that there is a full and meaningful experience within the Christian faith and relationship with God that is not too far from where you are right now.

What is 40 Days of Prayer(DOP) suppose to be?

40 DOP is a spiritual growth campaign lasting for the first 40 days of 2014.  The personal challenge is to ask yourself, “What does my prayer life look like right now?” And “What are some small steps of faith through prayer can I take in the first 40 days of 2014?”  Maybe you have never prayed regularly or daily.  Set aside a few minutes each day in the morning and evening to simply pray. You don’t have to have the “right” words.  You just need a heart that desires to be in tune with God’s heart.

Maybe you have been praying bedtime and mealtime prayers for years, but there seems to be a deeper experience that you are missing.  It may be good for you to set aside a larger block of time to pray and listen to God’s guidance.  You may want to pick a Psalm and pray through he Psalms.  This can keep your thoughts and prayers focused on God rather than the concerns of the day.  You may also want to use a prayer devotional such as Draw the Circle to help guide your prayers for those 40 days.

Perhaps you consider yourself a “Prayer Warrior.”  You will probably already know what to do when we as a church and community set 40 days to prayer.  You may want to spend some time at the church praying through the rooms, and walking around our property praying for God to keep His hand on His church.  You may also decide to walk around your neighborhood praying for those who live close to you, and when you are walking through the grocery store pray for those who you pass between the aisles.  You may also want to sit and pray for those around you at church on a Sunday morning.  Pray that God will bring His Spirit to life among us in 2014.  The possibilities are limitless, and the growing experience is priceless to see God at work.

Bottom line is that each of us takes a new step in prayer as we begin a new year.

Why 40 Days?

There are a few reasons for the 40 day designation.  Before I give you a few reasons, realize that there is nothing right or wrong with doing things this way.  It is simply a designated concentrated time for us to be on the same page for 40 days and developing the same spiritual discipline for that time.  With this in mind here are a few thoughts on the 40 days:

1)  40 is a significant number used throughout the Bible.  The rain fell for 40 days and nights on Noah.  The children of Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, and Jesus went into the desert for prayer and fasting for 40 days before He began His ministry.  Again there is no magic in the 40 days other than it is a significant period of time to focus our hearts and lives.

2)  40 days will help you develop a new “prayer habit” for the new year.  If you build a new habit for this amount of time consistently, it is more likely to become a lifestyle.  We should be constantly striving to build patterns in our lives that reflect the character to Christ, and prayer is one of those disciplines that builds character and causes growth effectively.

3)  Why prayer for 40 days?  We are encouraged by the apostle Paul to “Pray continuously” (1 Thess. 5:18).  Prayer is as essential to our relationship with God as studying His Word and worship on Sundays.  Prayer adds a dynamic to our relationship with God that allows us to express our deepest struggles, confess our sins, and listen to His voice and will.  40 days of concentrated effort and expression will allow us to grow significantly in our spiritual lives.

What is the plan for the 40 days?

Personally:  Set aside time each day for prayer and pray during that time.  There will be resources provided to help guide those prayers for our church, community, and personal lives.  If you have a kindle you may want to purchase the 40 day devotional Draw the Circle to set the tone.

As a Church:  We will have designated opportunities to come together in prayer and study during the 40 days.  Share your stories and struggles during this time of prayer with others that you know well.  My hope and prayer is that this time will broaden our vision of our God and see the things He wants us to set our hands to do this year and into the future.  Sermons will be focused on the topic of prayer and challenges will be proclaimed each week through God’s Word.