He has might in my sight
As I walk in the rain to my car after the 5 o'clock service at the Austin Stone, I struggle with whether I will go to the citywide Global Day of Prayer service already happening, or will I drive home to be with my family. The truth is, although we had a sweet time of worship and hearing the word, and I was at both services, I am still wanting more. It's the slavery and joy of my calling to God in prayer. Francis Frangipane said once, "If you are depressed and you are an intercessor, it's because you are not interceding. Go intercede." I totally get that.
Our church has grown much in prayer, our monthly prayer service is a sweet time with Him we are so thankful for and the answer to much prayer, but it is not enough for me. I want weekly prayer services, I want a time of prayer ministry in every service. I want a week long fast this year. I can't rest, I can't stop seeking Him about it until it happens. And the spiritual apathy that wants to threaten our church body is growing. It's a sign of the times.
I sense His Spirit urging me to go to the prayer service, and I ask Him to minister to me if I go.
I really need to just be with you God, I need a fresh filling of your Spirit I tell him.
As I pull up to the service, I am reminded of how God lives with the humble, the contrite, the broken in spirit. This is a humble place to have a prayer service, this rec center on the east side of Austin. As I walk up to the building I hear the sound of the black gospel choir from Promiseland church and it so comforts my spirit. I just hunger for the realness of Christ. I want to be real like He is.
Inside I see a group I know from the Austin House of Prayer and I worship alongside them. As we sit down I see there is a small, elderly, gray-haired black woman in a white suit sitting near me. I sense the Holy Spirit resting heavily upon her as she worships silently, waving her hand back and forth to the music, adoring the Lord. Tears come to my eyes as I feel His Spirit come upon me. I am so thankful He urged me to come.
We break up in groups to pray and I'm holding hands with JoDean, this little lady from Mt. Sinai Baptist and a couple from Hope Chapel. JoDean begins to pray and my tears flow freely as she prays against spiritual apathy, asking God to stir us up! My heart is united with hers in prayer, as I ask God silently to deal with those of us who are too comfortable to be really hungry for Jesus. I include myself in that prayer.
As she continues to pray, the worship leader from Hill Country Bible UT begins to sing onstage. "O God, let us be a generation that seeks, who seeks your face, O God of Jacob." It's my turn to pray but I can't stop crying as all I can see with shut eyes are the thousands of college students gathered in Atlanta at passion '07, and here I am in a little rec center in Austin, holding JoDean's hand, crying as much as I ever have, over this generation. His love for them is simply a sweet crushing, his compassion and longing to draw them in, overwhelming. Probably the people I'm praying with have no idea of the burden I'm carrying but, probably they do. All I know is I'm desperate for God in this moment, desperate to see Him move in my life, in my church, in this generation. To save us from ourselves. "So give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, let us not lift our souls to another. O God let us be a generation that seeks, who seeks your face, O God of Jacob."
We continue to pray through the gates of the city; for our government, the marketplace, for education, the church, the arts, media and family. Various city leaders and pastors lead the prayers and at one point there is a family onstage praying. His Spirit is so there with us. A tall thin blonde boy, who looks a few years older than Syd, begins to pray for families and again I cry as I see how powerfully God is breaking into this next generation.
If you've been following my posts, you know I promised some poetry and art from the Smith house. Syd handed me a poem when I returned from the prayer service, which he titled simply "Pray."
Pray all day
and say Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the light -
he's dyno-mite!
He has might in my sight.
I have fright at night
so I pray
"God help me
to not be afraid.
God don't let
your glory go away
we need it so
you'll save the day," I say.
We should mostly
pray all day.
"They are right in my sight,"
says God.
Our church has grown much in prayer, our monthly prayer service is a sweet time with Him we are so thankful for and the answer to much prayer, but it is not enough for me. I want weekly prayer services, I want a time of prayer ministry in every service. I want a week long fast this year. I can't rest, I can't stop seeking Him about it until it happens. And the spiritual apathy that wants to threaten our church body is growing. It's a sign of the times.
I sense His Spirit urging me to go to the prayer service, and I ask Him to minister to me if I go.
I really need to just be with you God, I need a fresh filling of your Spirit I tell him.
As I pull up to the service, I am reminded of how God lives with the humble, the contrite, the broken in spirit. This is a humble place to have a prayer service, this rec center on the east side of Austin. As I walk up to the building I hear the sound of the black gospel choir from Promiseland church and it so comforts my spirit. I just hunger for the realness of Christ. I want to be real like He is.
Inside I see a group I know from the Austin House of Prayer and I worship alongside them. As we sit down I see there is a small, elderly, gray-haired black woman in a white suit sitting near me. I sense the Holy Spirit resting heavily upon her as she worships silently, waving her hand back and forth to the music, adoring the Lord. Tears come to my eyes as I feel His Spirit come upon me. I am so thankful He urged me to come.
We break up in groups to pray and I'm holding hands with JoDean, this little lady from Mt. Sinai Baptist and a couple from Hope Chapel. JoDean begins to pray and my tears flow freely as she prays against spiritual apathy, asking God to stir us up! My heart is united with hers in prayer, as I ask God silently to deal with those of us who are too comfortable to be really hungry for Jesus. I include myself in that prayer.
As she continues to pray, the worship leader from Hill Country Bible UT begins to sing onstage. "O God, let us be a generation that seeks, who seeks your face, O God of Jacob." It's my turn to pray but I can't stop crying as all I can see with shut eyes are the thousands of college students gathered in Atlanta at passion '07, and here I am in a little rec center in Austin, holding JoDean's hand, crying as much as I ever have, over this generation. His love for them is simply a sweet crushing, his compassion and longing to draw them in, overwhelming. Probably the people I'm praying with have no idea of the burden I'm carrying but, probably they do. All I know is I'm desperate for God in this moment, desperate to see Him move in my life, in my church, in this generation. To save us from ourselves. "So give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, let us not lift our souls to another. O God let us be a generation that seeks, who seeks your face, O God of Jacob."
We continue to pray through the gates of the city; for our government, the marketplace, for education, the church, the arts, media and family. Various city leaders and pastors lead the prayers and at one point there is a family onstage praying. His Spirit is so there with us. A tall thin blonde boy, who looks a few years older than Syd, begins to pray for families and again I cry as I see how powerfully God is breaking into this next generation.
If you've been following my posts, you know I promised some poetry and art from the Smith house. Syd handed me a poem when I returned from the prayer service, which he titled simply "Pray."
Pray all day
and say Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the light -
he's dyno-mite!
He has might in my sight.
I have fright at night
so I pray
"God help me
to not be afraid.
God don't let
your glory go away
we need it so
you'll save the day," I say.
We should mostly
pray all day.
"They are right in my sight,"
says God.