A Missed Opportunity

So our first outreach event was seriously rained-out. In spite of handing out 400 fliers and even receiving a couple of phone calls with inquiries, we didn't get to meet a single new neighbor.

We did however mingle with one another down in the fellowship hall and ate plenty of ice cream. Some of us went upstairs to watch the movie. Others joked about knocking on doors and giving out free ice cream.

In any case, it didn't once cross our mind that the rain had created an opportunity to exercise our faith and our belief. I wished that the rain would have inspired us to pray together for our church plant and the neighborhood and the people that we might reach. I wished that we would have entered into a genuine dialogue with our Father, and would have asked him for his help.

Even me, the prayer coordinator, did not think to pray. Instead, I just thought about the crappy circumstances and assured myself that we'll just have to put on another event. I am so dependent on "what I know" and "what I can do," and less dependent upon God. I believe that perhaps a lot of you can relate to this particular character trait. Well, you know what, I think this trait can prevent us from having a deep and full prayer life. One critical aspect of prayer is our dependence on God. Until we sense utter dependence on God, it might be difficult to create a culture of prayer, which is what I've been tasked to do.

Though Friday was a missed opportunity to pray, might it inspire us to reflect upon both our prayer life and the church's. Now we have a new opportunity.

(See James, chapter 5)