Making Prayer Happen
Laura at Pursuing Holiness is blogging about prayer and what keeps us from praying as much as we should. She has some excellent thoughts, and in particular she mentions what I think is the most important point:
Another problem with prayer is that we so often, after a discussion where someone has shared a need and we respond, “I’ll be praying for you,” then leave with the best intentions and then forget to pray. It is far better to pray with that person on the spot.
Go read it all.
I want to take the opportunity to mention the most recent addition to our participatory study series tracts, titled Seven Barriers to Prayer in Your Church. You’ll note that this very point is barrier #2, right after “the pastor has to do it.”
As with anything, our real priorities are demonstrated by what we do, not what we say. A praying church prays. Lots of churchs talk about prayer, but that doesn’t make you a praying church, or family, or individual. Only prayer does that!