RHOP Moms will be on break until January 26, 2007. I am glad for this “selah” time to pause and reflect, but I’m already looking forward to when we will be together again!
During this time, please don’t relax your pursuit of God! We must feed our bodies regularly or we will starve. If we don’t feed our spirit, it too will starve. In addition, our hunger will wane. On the other hand, when we meet with God regularly in the Word, worship, and prayer, our hunger will increase! Ask God for the gift of hunger. As our hunger increases, so will our capacity for receiving from and enjoying Him.
I would encourage you to continue taking advantage of RHOP. It takes you out of your usual context and into a room where God’s presence is continually invited, with others who are also pursuing God. Child care will continue to be available on Fridays from 10am to noon. There are also a couple of other family times available (no child care, though): Wednesdays from 8-10am (children welcome), and Saturdays from 7-8am (specific intercession for families).
Of course, RHOP isn’t the only place for seeking God. In fact, Jesus talked about our regular place of prayer being at home.
But when you pray, go into your most private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open (Matthew 6:6).
Create your own prayer room at home. Make it easy and fun for yourself! Plan ahead so that you don’t have to work hard to get there and so that it’s a pleasant place to meet with God. Organize your favorite prayer room items so that they are easily accessible. Some things you might want to include are a Bible, journal, pens, highlighters, book(s), folder for loose papers, and a computer (E-Sword, NetBible, and IHOP Streaming are some useful tools I have found.) If you like, have worship music playing. In addition, organize some of your prayer room items so that they are easily picked up and taken with you to RHOP or wherever you may be.
My current favorite prayer room setup is to have my laptop close by playing IHOP streaming. (I do have to discipline myself not to check email during my prayer time, and I’m not always successful!) I have my Bible, journal, and a bag with highlighters and pens. I keep it all in a canvas bag, as I tend to move between the living room, my desk, and the kitchen table. And I often add a cup of Earl Gray tea with milk and sugar. Having my favorite morning drink reminds me that this is my time to relax with God. Then I sit and enjoy God’s company while marveling that He also enjoys mine!
Once you are at your place of prayer, structure your prayer time as you’d like. Worship first, last, or interspersed through your prayer time. Read the Word for breadth (many chapters, big picture) or depth (one verse or group of verses, like holding the Word under a microscope to examine the cells and atoms, discovering the intricacies). Make it into a conversation. As you come across something that catches your attention, ask God questions about it like, “Why are you pointing this out to me? Is there something here you want me to apply to my own life? Is this an area in which I need to repent and be transformed? A truth about You that I can delight in?” Another fun question to ask is, “Why in the world did you put this in the Bible?” It’s exciting because now, instead of skipping past things you don’t understand, you begin to receive deeper revelation of God through those very passages. This conversation with God is your prayer. As you meditate on the Word, the Holy Spirit will bring people and circumstances to mind. Stop and pray about them. When you are finished, return to the Word, and the conversation will continue.
Enjoy your prayer times! I can’t wait to see you again.
During this time, please don’t relax your pursuit of God! We must feed our bodies regularly or we will starve. If we don’t feed our spirit, it too will starve. In addition, our hunger will wane. On the other hand, when we meet with God regularly in the Word, worship, and prayer, our hunger will increase! Ask God for the gift of hunger. As our hunger increases, so will our capacity for receiving from and enjoying Him.
I would encourage you to continue taking advantage of RHOP. It takes you out of your usual context and into a room where God’s presence is continually invited, with others who are also pursuing God. Child care will continue to be available on Fridays from 10am to noon. There are also a couple of other family times available (no child care, though): Wednesdays from 8-10am (children welcome), and Saturdays from 7-8am (specific intercession for families).
Of course, RHOP isn’t the only place for seeking God. In fact, Jesus talked about our regular place of prayer being at home.
But when you pray, go into your most private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open (Matthew 6:6).
Create your own prayer room at home. Make it easy and fun for yourself! Plan ahead so that you don’t have to work hard to get there and so that it’s a pleasant place to meet with God. Organize your favorite prayer room items so that they are easily accessible. Some things you might want to include are a Bible, journal, pens, highlighters, book(s), folder for loose papers, and a computer (E-Sword, NetBible, and IHOP Streaming are some useful tools I have found.) If you like, have worship music playing. In addition, organize some of your prayer room items so that they are easily picked up and taken with you to RHOP or wherever you may be.
My current favorite prayer room setup is to have my laptop close by playing IHOP streaming. (I do have to discipline myself not to check email during my prayer time, and I’m not always successful!) I have my Bible, journal, and a bag with highlighters and pens. I keep it all in a canvas bag, as I tend to move between the living room, my desk, and the kitchen table. And I often add a cup of Earl Gray tea with milk and sugar. Having my favorite morning drink reminds me that this is my time to relax with God. Then I sit and enjoy God’s company while marveling that He also enjoys mine!
Once you are at your place of prayer, structure your prayer time as you’d like. Worship first, last, or interspersed through your prayer time. Read the Word for breadth (many chapters, big picture) or depth (one verse or group of verses, like holding the Word under a microscope to examine the cells and atoms, discovering the intricacies). Make it into a conversation. As you come across something that catches your attention, ask God questions about it like, “Why are you pointing this out to me? Is there something here you want me to apply to my own life? Is this an area in which I need to repent and be transformed? A truth about You that I can delight in?” Another fun question to ask is, “Why in the world did you put this in the Bible?” It’s exciting because now, instead of skipping past things you don’t understand, you begin to receive deeper revelation of God through those very passages. This conversation with God is your prayer. As you meditate on the Word, the Holy Spirit will bring people and circumstances to mind. Stop and pray about them. When you are finished, return to the Word, and the conversation will continue.
Enjoy your prayer times! I can’t wait to see you again.
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