Day of Prayer at PCBC

I hesitated when the sign-up sheet came to me.

See, I'm not the giant of prayer that I should be. I'm more of a Zacchaeus of prayer, height-challenged. A midget of prayer at most. And I know it.

So I hesitated. But only for a moment. I signed up for the 6:30 AM time slot and quickly passed the sign-up sheet along.

The night before the Day, I didn't sleep well. It was odd. I normally have my alarm set for 6:00AM and the backup alarm for 6:30, just in case. In preparation for the Day, I set it for 5:45 and the backup for 6:00- plenty of time for getting up, getting ready, doing my hair, and making the long drive to PCBC.

I used to travel for work quite frequently, which often means getting up early and driving to the Burlington International Airport (one of the great mysteries of life- just WHERE, "Internationally", can you fly from Burlington?? To what other nation????). The night before a trip, I wake up frequently, in a panic, to check the clock. I'm fearful that I'll oversleep and miss the flight. It was the same feeling the night before the Day.

Finally, 5:45AM came- the Day had arrived and I was up and in the shower. I made some coffee and wondered what God would think of me if I drank coffee during my allotted time. Would He understand? Was it somehow unspiritual? Did Spurgeon drink coffee during his morning prayers? Coffee cup in hand, I fired up the Saab (Old Blue) and made the journey to PCBC. I thought about stopping at the store to buy a Free Press from Andy- sort of a joking thought- in case I couldn't make it through my 30 minutes.

I worried a little bit about that. I know what you're thinking- 30 minutes is NOT very much time to pray, and if I can't do that, then what kind of a Christian am I? I wondered how it would go, as I parked Old Blue and walked up the steps. I had a vision of being in prayer for what seemed like hours, sweat running down my face at the strain, and then sneaking a glance at my watch only to find out it was 6:35- I'd only been at it for 5 minutes!

I opened the door and walked in the sanctuary. There, at the front, on his knees, was Larry. I was struck. "Oh Lord" I thought, "You are so good." Larry got up, we embraced. Then I was alone.

I got down on my knees and looked at the platform. Prayer requests, hymnbook, selected scriptures, and a list of the church family were laid out on the platform. I added a pew bible, and got down to business.

I started by confessing my sins and asking God for help. Then I moved to praying for my immediate family. Then on to giving Glory to God for how good He is. A quick glance at my watch and it was 6:45- wow! I then asked God to continue to bless and build up the Panton fellowship. Then I prayed through the church family list, which was an incredible experience.

Suddenly, it was 7:00AM. Where did the time go?

As I drove down Panton Road on my way to work, I was amazingly refreshed and encouraged. I was so thankful to God. During the rest of the day, I visualized the church and another person on their knees at the front platform. It felt so good to think of that.

Later, I talked to Rich about it at work. He told me of a church he went to that had continual prayer. They blocked off a hallway which had a separate entrance to make a sort of "prayer closet". People would sign up for their time, but it wasn't just for a Day, it was a commitment for a certain time that they would be there every week. Rich said there was even a telephone in the prayer closet and people with urgent needs could call in and ask for prayer. He said that it was very comforting and encouraging to know that someone was there all the time, praying. And Rich, thank you for organizing the Day.

That night, I talked to my wife about the experience. She told of coming in at her allotted time, and there was a family praying together. Actually, as she entered, they were singing a hymn together to close out their allotted time. She was equally struck with the beauty of the scene, and how pleasing it is to God. She also told me that during the Day, she liked to visualize someone at the church, praying. It was very encouraging to her. A common theme perhaps.

Often, in Sunday School, we talk about building up the church, about edifying the congregation. Sometimes we wonder how to do that personally. We think of the teaching, or the sermon, or the worship leader and wonder "how can I do something like that to build people up?" Let me tell you, the Day was a very practical way that each of us can provide encouragement to others. Certainly the prayers that are offered are powerful. But I'm thinking of just us being there, each taking our turn on our knees. It unifies the body of believers in a very special way.

Thoughts? Please leave a comment describing your experience on the Day...

Eric