Last week Saturday we had our first PRAYER PARTY for Matt. And what is a prayer party? – it is a fun way of bringing friends and family together to pray for Matt. This one was at breakfast time so the prayer was accompanied by muffins and a good cup of tea or coffee. The next one may be an afternoon prayer party with cakes and biscuits. Or an evening cheese and wine.
There are 2 main purposes for these Prayer Parties. Firstly we have been feeling that we need to be more intentional about praying for Matt, and to get prayer for ourselves. We must be honest and admit that we still have some questions about prayer – why pray if God really knows our needs? How does prayer work…does it change God’s mind? And surely God is committed to Matt’s best anyway so why does He need us to ask for Matt’s best? Even though we have these uncertainties we know that Jesus prayed and we are keen to follow His example. We trust that He will teach us more about prayer as we journey down this road.
Secondly we felt that we needed to allow our friends and family to support us – to hear our struggles; but also to share in our celebrations in terms of raising Matt. We realize that sometimes we may come across as though we are doing fine and coping all the time. We don’t always find it easy to share our challenges – especially when we are in social settings it is sometimes a bit awkward to talk about serious (often tear-producing) life issues. So the Prayer Parties give us the space to be real about the good and the hard things we face when raising Matt.
This first Prayer Party was so refreshing and comforting for us. The actual prayer time
was a bit chaotic because there were also 3 exuberant toddlers and a cute new-born joining in the party. But in the midst of the muffins being thrown on the floor, the toys being fought over, the cats being chased – not to mention the havoc the 3 toddlers also caused :) - we felt God’s rich blessing and presence.
There are 2 main purposes for these Prayer Parties. Firstly we have been feeling that we need to be more intentional about praying for Matt, and to get prayer for ourselves. We must be honest and admit that we still have some questions about prayer – why pray if God really knows our needs? How does prayer work…does it change God’s mind? And surely God is committed to Matt’s best anyway so why does He need us to ask for Matt’s best? Even though we have these uncertainties we know that Jesus prayed and we are keen to follow His example. We trust that He will teach us more about prayer as we journey down this road.
Secondly we felt that we needed to allow our friends and family to support us – to hear our struggles; but also to share in our celebrations in terms of raising Matt. We realize that sometimes we may come across as though we are doing fine and coping all the time. We don’t always find it easy to share our challenges – especially when we are in social settings it is sometimes a bit awkward to talk about serious (often tear-producing) life issues. So the Prayer Parties give us the space to be real about the good and the hard things we face when raising Matt.
This first Prayer Party was so refreshing and comforting for us. The actual prayer time
was a bit chaotic because there were also 3 exuberant toddlers and a cute new-born joining in the party. But in the midst of the muffins being thrown on the floor, the toys being fought over, the cats being chased – not to mention the havoc the 3 toddlers also caused :) - we felt God’s rich blessing and presence.
2 comments:
What a fabulous thing to do! I think that it is wonderful that you are reaching out to your family and friends.
Do I ever have some questions about prayer, a freind and I were just talking about this tonight. why pray if God has a plan for our lives already????
that is a great thing to do though with your friends, I love it.
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