By Tom Flaherty
In the spring of 2009 the woman leading our weekly prayer meeting requested prayer because the burden of leading was heavy on her. She was in charge because she was a known intercessor and I knew I wasn’t. Early one morning while praying for her, I received an impression of a large ship with a small rudder. A sentence came into my mind: “Lead the church from the prayer meeting.” With this came an immediate understanding of three things:
1. I had been trying to lead the church from Sunday mornings to that point.
2. Because of this I was leading the church politically – through words – instead of spiritually.
3. The large ship represented the church; the small, unseen rudder, the prayer meeting. God was asking me to take my place as the leader of the prayer meeting.
From that time until this I have tried to lead our prayer meetings. We started telling all who came to our membership classes that we consider the prayer meeting the most important gathering of the week.
Our prayer times aren’t very impressive. We worship; we often open the mic up for people to pray or give words that God has put on their hearts; we usually have a prayer focus, and at some time during the night (6:30-8) whoever is speaking the coming Sunday gets prayed for. Yet it’s the prayer meeting that gives me confidence God is in all the other ministries at church including Sunday mornings.
Jesus said: “My house shall be a house of prayer” (Luke 19:46). Until we’ve prayed, we should do nothing. Once we’ve prayed, we should only go forward as God directs. This is true of a church, but it’s also true for individuals. We are the house God lives in today. (2 Cor. 6:16)
So what’s the rudder in your life? What is the underlying motivation for all you do? Is it money? Fun? Selfish ambition? Family? Ministry?
What’s the rudder for your ministry?
The same Jesus who turned the tables over in the temple knocks on our door today asking for our permission to enter. He is still filled with zeal to make us a house of prayer but has chosen to wait for us to make prayer a priority in our lives.
In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is seen knocking on the door of His own church. I think He’s still knocking today. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Tom Flaherty is the Lead Pastor of City Church in Madison, WI.
