About FUMC > Prayer Ministry
Prayer Ministry Committee
Statement: First United Methodist Church of Cary is a praying church
where people learn about and experience the power of prayer.
Goals:
1. To provide opportunities for persons to learn about and experience the
power of prayer
2. To provide a system to lift up identified prayer needs.
Activities of the Prayer Ministry Committee:
1. To immerse FUMCC in prayer
2. Provide "Pray-ers" in the Prayer Chapel during all church services
3 To provide and publish a system to lift up identified prayer needs
4. Offer intercessory prayers for all concerns of the church, community and
world
5. Provide prayers based on the lectionary in each edition of The Messenger
6. Provide daily prayer focus for the monthly calendar
7. Offer prayer studies throughout the year
8. Sponsor the Easter Prayer Vigil
9. Sponsor the National Day of Prayer Service
11. Provide spring and fall prayer retreats
12. To pursue prayer with passion and joy
FUMCC - A Praying Church
We are a praying church. When new members join this church they promise to
give their prayers, their presence, their gifts and their service. In addition
to congregational prayers, there are many individuals whose main service is
prayer. Intercessory prayer groups meet Tuesday mornings at 7:00 am at Cindy's
House Restaurant and Wednesday mornings at 9:00 am in the Prayer Chapel. These
groups pray for the prayer concerns requested by our church community.
To Request Prayers:
-Please contact Karen Chauvaux
in the church office or 467-1861 to request prayers. Please let her know the
nature of the request. Is the request confidential or should it be printed
in the bulletin and The Messenger? Only the names of members or their immediate
family are published in The Messenger or the church bulletin. These names
will remain in the publications until Karen is notified by the family to remove
them.
-Please complete a prayer request form found in the pews and put it in the offering plate or prayer request box found in the narthex. All prayer requests are prayed for by members of the intercessory prayer groups that meet weekly. These prayer groups request feedback from families.
-A church-wide emergency prayer chain is available for serious prayer needs that cannot wait for normal channels. To activate this prayer chain, call Larry Smith at 467.6915 or the church office at 467.1861.
-Stephen Ministers are available after each Sunday service for individual prayers.
About Prayer
-Prayer is a conversation and communion with God.
-Bible studies teach about God and what He has done for us, prayer allows
us to know God.
-The Scriptures have new meaning when we pray. Prayer does not change God,
it changes us.
-Prayerful lives are powerful lives and prayerless lives are powerless lives.
-The praying person must bring to God an undiscouraged life of prayer, the
rightness of what we pray for, the sincerity in asking and faith.
-Rick Warren says people may refuse our love or reject our message, but they
are defenseless against our prayers.
-Prayer is the deepest impulse of the human soul.
-Augustine's words are more than a pious cliché: "For Thee we
were made O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in
Thee."
How to Pray:
-Pray as you can; don't pray as you can't. Don't be like the Pharisees who
multiply words. Brennen Manning says like a little child cannot do a bad coloring;
a child of God cannot say a bad prayer.
-Prayer may be natural but it is not easy. To live a life of prayer requires
commitment and discipline.
-Will Willimon and Stanley Hauwerwas teach that we learn how to be Christian
by praying.
-Matthew 6:5-6 says, "Go into a room by yourself, shut the door, and
pray to your Father who is there in the secret place; and your Father who
sees what is secret will reward you."
-Jill Briscoe teaches prayer must be planned. We should make an appointment
with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords everyday!
-Set aside a significant time and private place where you can read and write
comfortably, think, study, talk to God and weep if you need to.
-Build your own altar full of items signifying your faith.
-Bruce Wilkinson says that unless you get up early, you're unlikely to break
through to deeper relationship with God.
-Briscoe teaches that sleep deprivation is better than God deprivation.
-Wilkinson says we should talk and listen to God like we would to a friend.
We should risk being honest and expect His insight in return. Decide to seek
the Lord until you find Him.
-Keep a prayer journal as a living record of your very personal journey with
God. Keep track of His answers.
-Sylvia Pearce teaches we should use, "Spiritual Technology." When
there is a problem, speak or write a word of faith, rest and allow the Holy
Spirit to do the work.
-How many times do we pray to God to bear our burdens and then we take those
burdens back and try to carry them ourselves? We must learn to release our
troubles and fears to God and then rest in the assurance that God is in control.
-When your thoughts stray, focus on the cross, the bloody cross.
-After you've established a set time spent with God each day, extend the time.
Pray and then practice being in communion with God throughout each day. Commit
to living a life of prayer.
-To pray in front of others, practice, practice, practice! Practice within
a small group. Start with one person you trust and give each other feedback
on your prayers.
-Use a pattern until you don't need a pattern. Make prayer come alive for
you. Find a plan that works for you.
Patterns of Prayer
Praying the Scriptures - the "Way to Pray"
-Praying the Scriptures moves the focus in praying from ourselves to God's
word which reveals God's will.
-The more we see Him through His Word, the less we see ourselves. As you read
Scriptures, paraphrase the words and offer them as a prayer.
-So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent
it." Isaiah 54:11
-Beth Moore in Living Free: Praying the Scriptures, teaches that when a passage
speaks to you, it is time to pray God's word! Reword the passage in any way
that God leads you.
-Moore teaches to restate God's truth affirming your faith. Father, thank
you that you are always good and your love endures forever. (1 Chron.16:34)
-In Praying God's Word, Moore says God has handed us two sticks of dynamite
with which to demolish the strongholds in our lives: His Word and prayer.
-She says to talk to God about passages you don't understand: Father, your
word says, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did (1 John
2:6). I know that I do not live up to that standard. Please help me understand
and walk like Christ.
-Confess sin and ask God to change your life: Father, I know that you hate
pride and arrogance (Prov. 8:13); yet I see the ugly face of pride in my life.
Teach me to be compassionate and humble (1 Peter 3:8).
-Psalm 136: As David asked you to search his heart and mind for sin, we ask
you to point out any wrong motives we may have in our actions. Lord, help
us to live in a way that is in your will. Amen.
-Psalm 133: Loving Father, your word tells us that it is "good and pleasant
to live together in unity." Unify us in loving service for your glory.
Amen.
-Matthew 18:15-20: Lord, we thank you that you take pleasure in your people
and that where two or three are gathered in your name, you will come and be
in the midst. Amen.
-Psalm 105:5: Lord, we seek your presence continually. When we remember the
wonderful works that you have done, we bow before you and say, "Great
is your faithfulness!" Amen.
-John 15:9: Lord God, help me not only to fully accept how much You love me,
but help me to abide in Your love! Amen.
-Phil. 4:7: Lord, I come to you in prayer, and I ask you now to let your peace,
God, which transcends all understanding, guard my heart and my mind in Christ
Jesus. Amen.
-Practice praying your favorite Scriptures to find that "peace like a
river." Isaiah 48:18
Praying the Psalms
-The Psalms are not merely a collections of prayers: they are a way of praying.
By singing, chanting, reading the Psalms, we not only pray, we learn how to
pray.
-We are in a school of prayer - learning, growing, but never graduating because
each psalm brings new challenges, each reading brings fresh meaning.
-The book of Psalms is a great collection of songs and prayers that expresses
the heart and soul of humanity - joy, sorrow, awe, fear, loneliness, self-righteousness,
guilt, remorse, love, anger, pride, despair, hate and gratitude. Nothing is
held back in the Psalms.
-David and the other writers honestly pour out their true feelings, reflecting
a dynamic, powerful, and life-changing friendship with God.
-The major themes of the Psalms are praise, God's power, forgiveness, thankfulness
and trust.
-Join with the psalmists and rise from the depths of despair to new heights
of joy and praise and discover the power of God's everlasting love and forgiveness.
-Psalm 23: 1: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
-Psalm 42:5-6: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted
within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
-Psalm 103:2-3: Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.
-Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my
anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.
-Psalm 147:1: Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
Praying/Singing Hymns
-Hymns enable us to pray. Sometimes when we are too weary or worried for words,
we can sing the Scriptures through hymns.
-Hymns help us praise God. They unite the Lord's earth-bound church in heavenly
harmony.
-Hymns give us a way of encouraging ourselves in the Lord or a means of exhorting
others to come to Christ just as they are, without one plea.
-Hymns are prayers that connect us with generations now gone. Each week millions
of Christians in local settings around the world, using hymns composed by
believers from every era and branch of Christendom, join voices in united
bursts of praise, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, singing and
praying in their hearts to the Lord.
-Sing/pray your favorite hymn. "Amazing Grace," "Blessed Assurance,"
"O Sacred Head Now Wounded," "It is Well With My Soul,"
"How Great Thou Art," name your favorite.
The Acts of Prayer: The Cross of Prayer
ADORATION
SUPPLICATION CONFESSION
THANKSGIVING
ADORATION: Start prayer with God. Enter this time of prayer with praise
of our glorious and powerful God. Focus on Him and all His wonder. The "God
Squad," Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman, call this part of prayer, WOW!
-Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through
all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward
all he has made. Psalm 145:13
-Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:8
-Blessed are you, Lord Christ, who makes heavy burdens light.
-Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:2
-Hallowed be Thy name.
CONFESSION: Don't just ask God to forgive your sins. Be specific,
accept God's forgiveness and make restitution. Make a plan for restitution
or reconciliation at the earliest possible time. Warning: if you pray that
God will guide you to become aware of the sin in your life, He will! The "God
Squad," Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman, call this part of prayer, OOPS!
-If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
-God have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18:13
-Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24
-If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with
you there is forgiveness; therefore, you are feared. I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:3-5
-Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that
you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16
-Forgive me, Lord, for having loved myself more than you. For having put myself
before you. (Paul Geres)
-Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Eastern Orthodox
"Jesus Prayer"
-Teach me, O God, not to torture myself and not to make a martyr of myself
in suffocating reflection, but to take deep and wholesome breaths of faith!
Soren Kierkegaard
-Sylvia Pearce teaches us not to make more of the sin than the Provision.
She says we are to take a "quick down" (get on our knees and pray)
and then a "quick up" to put our sins in the blood of Christ.
THANKSGIVING: Focus on God's faithfulness and all that he has done
for us. Count your many blessings, name them one by one and you will be surprised
at all we have to be thankful for. Even those who are suffering ill health
or misfortune can find something for which they can express thanksgiving.
Come to the Lord with an attitude of gratitude! The "God Squad,"
Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman, call this part of prayer, THANKS!
-Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
-Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks
to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5
-This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
-Oh Lord, Holy Lord, who took my despair and put joy in its place. Thank you
for your healing grace. "Healing Grace"
-Thank you, Jesus, for being obedient unto death to make the provision for
our sins.
SUPPLICATION includes INTERCESSION & PETITION: After adoration,
confession, and thanksgiving, we go to the Lord with our requests. Supplication
is a combination of intercession and petition. Intercession is praying for
others and petition is praying for yourself in the spirit of wanting to do
God's will and find God's way in our lives. God's will, not ours! The "God
Squad," Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman, call this part of prayer, GIMME!
-This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that is we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14
-In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what
we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans
that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of
the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with
God's will. Romans 8:26-27
-Help me put God at the center of my life so I can worship and so I will not
worry. Rick Warren
-Seek God's guidance for the day. Walk in faith, not fear!
-Pray to live like the lilies of the field. Matthew 6:28
-Pray for the Body of Christ, FUMCC, pray for your family, pray for yourself.
-Pray for those on the Prayer Concern list.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Maxie Dunnam has a chapter in The Workbook of Living Prayer entitled, "When
All Else Fails, Follow Directions," in reference to the Lord's Prayer.
Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas teach that the Lord's Prayer is a gift.
It is not for getting what we want but rather bending our wants toward what
God wants.
-OUR FATHER: Abba Father, is a relationship of shared love and fellowship
wherein the father pours out his blessings to his children with none of the
baggage of our human fathers.
-WHO ART IN HEAVEN: Heaven is "a spiritual state of everlasting communion
with God." Heaven is the house of the Lord.
-HALLOWED BE THEY NAME: We are praising and honoring God. God's name is hallowed,
holy, since it is to that name that every creature bows.
-THY KINGDOM COME: The kingdom of God means the reigning activity of Christ
in human hearts and in society in general.
-THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: This is the essence of all
prayer. Asking that God's will be done. What God wants in every situation;
not what we want. This is not a prayer for anyone who does not want to change.
-GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD: We are asking for bread, the very sustenance
of life. We ask for what we need to live, not all we want. Face this day and
all of life believing God will supply all our needs.
-FORGIVE US OUR SINS: Forgiveness is by the grace of God. We cannot pay for
it but Jesus said we are to pray for it. Accepting God's forgiveness leads
to repentance.
-AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS: Receiving forgiveness is dependent upon having
a forgiving spirit. We must forgive others and we must forgive ourselves.
-AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Christian life
is not an exemption from the evil of the world. Sin is always tempting. This
plea is so we can have God's power to resist whenever we are being tempted
by evil.
-FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOREVER, AMEN. We
end with a final shout of praise. This statement is a pledge of allegiance
to God.
BREATH PRAYERS
The breath prayer is an ancient way of practicing the presence of God. It
is a simple sentence to God that cultivates a posture of constant awareness
and availability to God. Sample breath prayers include:
-Let me know your peace, O God.
-My Shepherd, let me rest in thee.
-Jesus, let me feel your love.
-Heavenly Father, please guide me to your will.
-Thank you Jesus!
Examples of Prayers
When the Lord answers some prayers of ours with a "no" or "wait,"
cheer up. He knows what is best. And if He knows what is best, he also knows
when is best. So consider this prayer from an unknown poet and think of the
dark days in your own life that eventually gave way to the light.
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, most richly blessed.
A covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition
I am no longer my own, but Thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
Exalted for thee or brought low by thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
To thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thou are mine, and I am Thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Bible
Companions in Christ: A Small-Group Experience in Spiritual Formation Participants
Book, by Gerrit Scott Dawson, Adele Gonzalez, E. Glenn Hinson, Rueben P. Job,
Marjorie Thompson, Wendy Wright, 2001.
Disciple: Under the Tree of Life Study Manual, by Richard Byrd Wilke and Julia
Kitchens Wilke, 1989.
"God Squad," Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman, Fridays' News &
Observer, godsquad@telecaretv.org
How To Pray After You've Kicked the Dog, Terry Teykl, 1999.
Laity Prayer Vigil for Annual Conference Prayer Guide
Living Free, Learning to Pray God's Word, by Beth Moore, 2001.
Lord, Teach Us: The Lord's Prayer & Christian Life, by William H. Willimon
& Stanley Hauerwas, 1996.
Prayer That Works, by Jill Briscoe, 2000.
Prayer Vigil Handout, by Rev. Dr. H. William Green.
Praying God's Word, by Beth Moore, 2000.
Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance, by Bruce Wilkinson, 2001.
The Breath of Life: A Simple Way to Pray, By Ron DelBene with Mary and Herb
Montgomery, 1996.
The Complete Book of Christian Prayer, Continuum Publishing Company, 1998.
Then Sings My Soul, Book 1, by Robert J. Morgan, 2003.
Then Sings My Soul, Book 2, by Robert J. Morgan, 2004.
The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, 2002.
The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning, 2000.
The Treasures of Darkness, by Sylvia Pearce, 1997.
The Workbook of Living Prayer (Revised Edition), by Maxie Dunnam, 1994.
"Ultimate Healing," a handout written by Mark C. Houston, M.D.,
2002.
Compiled by Linda Hodges.