Stop responding in Prayer!

Okay, that title was just to get your attention:-) I am absolutely confident that God is calling and drawing me toward a new place and new understanding of prayer as we move into '09. God has been rocking me with this simple thought (maybe you'll hear it as a message sometime in the future):

Prayer is so much more than a response.
When we lose our job we PRAY!
When we or our loved ones get sick we PRAY!
When we have a relational crisis we PRAY!
When we are feeling desperate we PRAY!
When all other roads and options have been exhausted we Pray!

Don't get me wrong those are great times to pray. I have, I would, and I will pray in those kind of circumstances in the future. But, as long as you see prayer as a result and not a cause you (we) have missed something monumental.

Prayer is causal. We shouldn't just pray when stuff happens we should pray that stuff happens. Not bad stuff--but stuff--God stuff! When we pray stuff happens. Sometime huge stuff. Prayer isn't just a band aid, it is the force that shakes loose the foundations of some of the cruddy stuff in our lives. The prayer closet is the dream closet. Some of the greatest dreams and aspirations of our lives will come from times on our face in prayer. Prayer is so much more than a response to tragedy. It is the cause of change and the cause of movements that shape generations. Prayer somehow invites God onto the scene whatever the scene may be!

I told my staff this last week that I want prayer to be the cause of our decisions not a result of our decisions. I want our decisions and solutions to arise from the prayer room rather than the board room. Maybe, just maybe, we sometimes wait for a reason to pray instead of causing things to shake loose as a result of our prayers. Are you with me? Anybody? Is this just my deal? I'd be the first one to admit that I don't understand all of the intricacies of prayer. I feel like a beginner. But I do know this---When I pray, passionately, consistently, and honestly--STUFF happens; God moves; I CHANGE. God changes me. God changes my passions. God changes stuff! So quit waiting for a tragedy or crisis to be the calling card that moves you to your knees.

Let's pray some prayers, SO big, that they require God's involvement and maybe we will see and experience the hand and presence of God in unprecedented form in our lives. That's a ride I want to be on.