This morning during worship at church I found myself on my knees with my eyes tightly closed praying fervently in the spirit. The lights were dimmed. Many were singing around me. Musicians played their instruments. Voices were lifted to heaven. Little children were spinning in circles next to me swaying to the music. I began praying in my heavenly prayer language (Acts 2:4, Romans 8:26-27) for several situations that desperately need changed. The prayer came from deep within me. It felt more like it was prayer coming from heaven, deposited in me and I was to be a vessel yielding to the prayer. I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that I have no power to change anything. I do, however, know the One who has all power. I can yield to Him. This morning as I prayed, I was longing for a place where we as Christ’s body could come together in united prayer and see God’s glory revealed.
I felt like there was a boulder in the way. Not just one boulder but a pile of them. I’ve seen these boulders more than once when I’m in the sanctuary in corporate worship. I knew that one person could not move the boulders alone. But I knew deep within my heart that if we all came together, we could make a place for God to come and dwell among us. And when He comes, everything changes. Miracles take place. The impossible is swallowed up by the possible.
As I worship and pray, I am waiting. I am expecting. I know He is coming. I know He will meet us. This morning I wanted to stop the singing for a moment. I wanted to say to everyone in the sanctuary, “Let’s press in to God like we have never pressed before. Let’s lift our voices together in faith. Let’s look away from everything that would distract us and let’s look at Jesus. Let’s follow Him together… all of us. Where will He take us?”
Right now, more than ever, I sense that God is not wanting us to pray our own prayers or sing our own songs. I am sensing He wants us to make a place for Him to come. When we prepare that place, we see Him. We hear Him. Sometimes we can barely speak because He is among us. He Is in our midst.
I need to see Him like never before. I need God to come. When He comes, when His presence becomes more real to us than our very own heartbeat, something shifts. The atmosphere changes. Our focus becomes Jesus. We look into His eyes and ask, “What do you want us to do? What do you want us to say? What do You want to do among us? What is on Your heart?” Eli instructed Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening (I Samuel 3:9).” We need to do the same.
I have felt in my heart for many months that we must have more times of corporate prayer and corporate worship. Prayer and worship go together. We move in and out of both of those places. I know that there are things that will not be moved and cannot be moved without the power of the corporate anointing.
I am asking each one of you. Please come and join us when we meet together. Find your seat. We need you. We need your supply. We need your part. We need your voice. We need your heart. We need your love. We need you- all of you. You are missed when you are not in your place. Please, get in your place. You matter.
Today, I knew the boulders were not yet moved out of the way. There are still obstacles in the path. But we won’t stop. We will keep gathering together and I believe that we will learn to move together as one unit. We will flow as one. We will be His body. He is the commander in chief. He is Lord. He is our Master. We will follow Him…. And the glory of the Lord will be seen and all flesh will see it.
You are loved by,
Maureen Stanek
Isaiah 40: 3-5
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
James 5:16
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”
Acts 12: 5-10
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but [a]constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were [b]keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so, he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.”