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Our next meeting is scheduled for 

March 11 @ 11 am

in Safe Harbor (Gymnasium)

Five words tell me everything I need to know about Cornelius: He prayed to God regularly. Scripture doesn’t record exactly when or where or how he prayed.  It doesn’t reveal whether he prayed in the morning or evening.  It doesn’t tell us what he said or the posture he prayed in.  It just says he prayed regularly.  And when you pray to God regularly, irregular things happen on a regular basis.  You never know when or where or how God will invade the routine of your life, but you can live in holy anticipation, knowing that God is orchestrating supernatural synchronicities.

Like a grandmaster who strategically positions chess pieces on a chessboard, God is always preparing us and positioning us for divine appointments.  And prayer is the way we discern the next move.  The plans of God are only revealed in the presence of God.  We don’t get our marching orders until we get on our knees. But if we hit our knees, God will take us places we never imagined going by paths we didn’t even know existed.

We tend to view the goal as the goal, but in God’s economy, the process is the goal.  It’s not about what we’re doing at all; it’s about who we are becoming in the process.

It’s not about doing great things for God; it’s about God doing great things in us.

After explaining the binding nature of our prayers, Jesus explains the power of prayer circles.

“if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.  For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

The concept of prayer circles is a double entendre.  It refers to specific things we are circling in prayer, like the crack house that we turned into our coffeehouse.  But when two or three agree in prayer, they are forming a prayer circle around the prayer circle.  It’s like double or triple circling!

The word bind means “to tie together.”  It’s the same word used to describe marriage vows.  Just as the two become one flesh, when we agree in prayer, the two become one spirit.

Something powerful happens when we agree in prayer.  Our faith isn’t just added together; it’s multiplied.  It doesn’t mean we can walk down to our local car dealership and circle our favorite model with some friends.  But if we are praying in the will of God and for the glory of God, then agreeing with someone in prayer is like getting our prayer contract notarized.

Finally, the word bind means “to chain.”  There are more than three thousand promises in Scripture, and according to the apostle Paul, all of them “are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”  Our most powerful prayers are chained to the promises of God.  Don’t just pray your words all the time; pray the Word of God because His word does not return to Him empty.

In the Old Testament, the idea of binding yourself to the Word of God was taken literally.  The Word of God was kept in visible places and attached to body parts as a constant reminder.  The Lord commanded the Israelites, “Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”

Chain it to your mind through memorization.  Chain it to your heart through meditation.  Chain it to your past, present, and future through prayer.

From DRAW THE CIRCLE By Mark Batterson

Contributed by Lula Board