Open Mic Prayer Requests

There's almost no wrong way to pray. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. And authentic prayer (which is truly seeking God) will inevitably lead to: a deepening sense of God's love, a more faithful alignment of your will to God's, and an increase in discernment throughout the day. Prayer is powerful.

So why is it so tricky to take prayer requests during a church service?

 

Photo credit: Lars Hammar via Flickr

Consider this imagined scenario: Pastor Jim takes a moment during worship to ask if anyone has a joy or concern they would like him to lift up in prayer. Eleanor's arm shoots up into the air. She is eager to share.

The only problem is that Eleanor is sharing some news she heard through the grapevine. As Eleanor begins to speak, Pastor Jim realizes that part of what she is sharing is inaccurate. To make matters worse, he is pretty sure Eleanor did not ask for permission to share about this person's struggle.

If you were Pastor Jim, how would you handle this situation?
     Would you gently cut off Eleanor and pray a general, less-detailed prayer for the situation?
     Would you correct Eleanor's information, running the risk of breaking confidentiality?
     Would you allow the worship service to be broadcast on local television? Or edit the prayers out?
     Would you change to taking prayer requests by card instead of by open mic?

These are real questions that ministry leaders have to ask themselves. On one hand, they want to encourage the congregation to be people of prayer. On the other hand, part of being a shepherd is to create a safe environment for people to grow in their faith. Hmm.

Well, I'll leave you to ponder that scenario. But let me end by sharing about something powerful that happened this past weekend at my church: Normally we have a time of open-mic prayer requests before the sermon. I really enjoy this time (even though I remain sensitive to the dangers described above). This past weekend, however, we changed the order of the service and our prayer time came after the sermon.

Wow, what a difference that change made! The music and sermon must have churned our souls because that responsive time of prayer felt genuine and Spirit-filled. And that's what prayer should always be -- putting the focus on Jesus and getting excited about next steps. So be encouraged today that prayer is a powerful thing and God wants to spend time with you.