teach us to pray

Do you remember learning to pray? Was it a matter of repeating the phrases and words that you were taught, echoing the syntax of your mother or father? Maybe you read a book about it, or fell into a group that practiced prayer…who taught you to pray?

And have you ever known someone who was really good at prayer? I don’t mean they were fantastically committed to spending time in prayer–I mean when they prayed things happened! As if they had some sort of hotline to the ear of God, when they asked the mountain moved.* These are the people you want on your prayer team!

For what it’s worth, some folks seem to be better pray-ers than oth-ers. I don’t know if it’s a deeper relationship with God, or the things they’re asking for line up better with what the Lord wants to do, or they live more holy than I do. But there’s no denying that some people see more results to their prayers than others.  We’re going to spend some time with some of those folks tomorrow.

A group of us are boarding a bus in about 5 hours to head to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for a day of teaching and experiential learning about prayer focused on revival in the church and in the city.  Pastor Jim Cymbala will be teaching, sharing his story and wisdom about prayer and the work that the Lord has done in Brooklyn.

I am excited to learn, to hear what the Lord has done in NYC, and to ask the Lord what he wants to do in Happy Valley.  Our pastor has been sounding the call for the last 17 years for Calvary to be a praying people, and we’ve had our moments.  It’s always good to learn from others who have experienced the breakthrough that you’re looking for.  So a small group of us (some Calvary staff, some from other city-churches) are going on a little journey to see what the Lord would tell us.

If the Lord brings us to your mind tomorrow, would you pray for us?  Ask the Lord to teach us, to stretch us, to renew us.  I am believing God for a breakthrough for Happy Valley!

Jim Cymbala preaching about a House of Prayer

*Jesus, Matthew 17:20