Powerful Prayer

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. 1 Timothy 2:1,2,8

Devotion

Once upon a time, there was a guy named Jim who was married to his sweetheart, Dawna. They were married over 60 years and were faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Jim was a very intelligent, but humble, business man serving in the role of Associate Administrator of Deaconess Hospital. His “sweetheart,” Dawna, (as he always called her) was a volunteer at Deaconess and also served as a Stephen Minister at Belle Isle Community Church/Crossings Community Church. She loved the individuals to whom she ministered and referred to them as her "heart-felt kids."

I remember one of Jim’s favorite quotes, “There is no such thing as a coincidence, but an occurrence where God chose to remain anonymous.” He believed God is ultimately in charge of writing our stories and what happens in our lives. Jim and Dawna both believed in the power of prayer. In fact, they believed so much in the significance of prayer they decided there should be a prayer team that prayed over the church on a weekly basis. They thought every pew and chair in the worship areas should be covered in prayer. That was the beginning of what we now call the Saturday Prayer Team.

I will never forget the years of praying together before they went to be with Jesus, Jim in 2010 and Dawna in 2012. Saturday Prayer Team meetings started with a time of prayer over those on the prayer list who requested prayer and anyone who had been hospitalized. Then, we would then spread out over the church and prayed in different areas. This legacy that Jim and Dawna O’Connell started still continues today. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to be mentored under Jim and Dawna.

Dallas Williard said, “Spiritual formation cannot, in the nature of the case, be a 'private' thing, because it is a matter of whole-life transformation. You need to seek out others in your community who are pursuing the renovation of the heart.” Jim and Dawna both had a heart for Jesus and the desire to be more like him. It was during those times that my real love for prayer grew. It was also when I started to truly see the incredible power of praying together. One of our prayer team members, Joan, is 94 years old and still prays over the Atrium and her section in the Sanctuary. The team stays connected through a text thread, and those who are unable to be there in person pray with us on conference call.

Richard Foster says, “Simple Prayer involves ordinary people bringing ordinary concerns to a loving and compassionate Father. There is no pretense in Simple Prayer. We do not pretend to be more holy, more pure, or more saintly than we actually are … And in this posture we pour out our heart to the God who is greater than our heart and who knows all things (1 John 3:20).”

I am grateful for a prayer team that is always praying for our church staff, our congregants, our culture, our leaders, our nation, and our world to “seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness.” James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

As a church, we want to continue to tap into the supernatural power of prayer we have seen manifested in this church over the last 65 years. My grandchildren will be 75 years old in 65 years, and my prayer is that this church will continue to be more and more vibrant as the years progress. We want the legacy and impact of Crossings Community Church to live on until we all see Jesus!!

PRAYER

Lord, please help us to never underestimate the importance of praying together and surrendering everything to you. In the powerful and precious name of Jesus, amen.

Teresa Peden
Pastor, Recovery Ministry

Teresa is a counselor in LifeCare Ministry and Ministry Leader of Celebrate Recovery.

If you are interested in praying on the Saturday prayer team or being more involved in prayer, please contact Becky Sanders.

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