Theme Introduction

Prayer and the Holy Spirit

 

Every month I meet with a group of prayer leaders who share a similar responsibility of leading their church’s prayer ministries. Some are volunteers. Some are staff. But all have the same intercessor’s heart and a desire to see the prayer movement flourish in their churches.

Each time we meet, I ask the same question: “What is the Spirit saying to the Church?” I know these are leaders who pray, seek God, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I’m always curious about what they are sensing, so we spend time in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to direct our group.

It is no surprise that often a common theme will emerge—a sure sign of the presence and prompting of the Spirit.

A couple of weeks before the end of 2017, the Holy Spirit once again took over our conversation. One person started by saying she was trying to establish a prayer room in what is now designated the “green room” next to the worship center. She was encouraging a strategic name change to give that room a different focus.

Another observed that the prayer room in his church was often used by musicians as a storage area for their instrument cases on a Sunday morning. He was stirred to reestablish consistent use of that space for prayer.

A prayer leader from another church had just noticed how dusty their prayer room had become, indicating lack of use. She resolved to revive it.

Still another bemoaned the fact that their beautiful prayer room is often locked—even on Sundays—for security reasons because of their church size.

I inserted a bit of hope because my church had recently done some “refreshing” of the prayer room. We replaced badly worn furniture, drywalled around ugly pipes, and added a fresh coat of paint. We sensed a new chapter in our prayer ministry had begun.

As our group of prayer leaders continued talking, we quickly realized that the Spirit was speaking to us! Together, we sensed His instruction to be diligent in facilitating a renewed vision for prayer in our churches, and that He was preparing to accelerate the prayer movement in 2018.

No one in our group wondered if all our experiences were just coincidental!

 

It’s Supernatural

When you believe in partnership with the Spirit, you want your prayers to be divinely authored and supernaturally breathed. None of us wants to operate in a vacuum with only our own thoughts and ideas. We want to be directed by God. And that happens through the supernatural leading of the Holy Spirit. But making space for the Spirit must be intentional.

In this issue, Kay Horner discusses common indicators of Spirit-empowered prayer. She describes ways a Spirit-led life is anything but typical and ordinary. Leighann McCoy tackles various interpretations of the term pray in the Spirit, and promotes a common-ground understanding of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers. Doug Small delves into that reassuring passage of Romans 8:26–27 and explains ways the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes on our behalf—even with groans!

All this reinforces my belief that God is preparing to accelerate the prayer movement this year, and He wants us to facilitate this new vision where we worship. These days on Sunday mornings you can find me in our church’s refurbished prayer room, feeling refreshed, praying with friends, and eager for the Spirt to supernaturally partner with us.

Get out a dust cloth. Rearrange some furniture. Allow the Spirit to breathe new life into your prayer room or closet.

What is the Spirit saying to you? Listen well.

CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect.