prayer ministry training week 2
Soicism of the english spirit. it's the one that supresses our emotions and makes it embarrasing to cry. and church is often somewhere where we're encouraged to be happy, to praise God and keep our tears inside.
Prayer minstry training yesterdya raised an interesting question yesterday. amongst our discussion of the benefits of ministry mints, appropriate attires, placing your hand on someone, listening for words from God; knowing when to pray them and when it's inappropraite to keep speaking etc, was this question of watching responses.
"When praying for someone it is helpful to keep your eyes open and watch their response" (paraphrase of HTB training material). being the good Christian girl with good Christian upbringing I know that it's better to close my eyes. concentration. it's the christian formula... training material goes on 'as you ask the Holy Spirit to come you will notice changes in the person: relaxtion/anxiety/flickering of eyelids/tears-these are most encouraging.' hmmm...
Simeon asks: 'why are tears most encouraging?' i have to say I was asking the same question. There was a number of good reaosns for this but one caught my attention and has made me think. Often, when people are prayed for they cry. I often have done. Sometimes I notice that little voice in me tellng me to stop being so emotional. afterall, this is God and I shouldn't be emotional. or 'why is that person always crying?' Helen, the vicar's wife continued with her explanation. often people cry when they are being prayed for, becuase as the spirit starts to work more powerfully in them there's a sort of emotional release that is occuring. we often feel that England isn't the place to cry. and church certainly isn't. People have alot of trapped sadness that they never let out and don't let heal. The Holy Spirit is in the business of healing and dealing with hurt, sadness, areas of our lives that are in contrats to the people God wants us to be. We cry as we're prayed for and seriously allow the spirit to work in us becuase it's an emotional release that he's bringing as part of his work.
Tears and emotions. get crying
posted by becci brown @ 6:07 pm
9 comments
9 Comments:
three posts in one day, becci... my my my.
Do you reckon it's an English thing? I think it's more of a human thing. Some cultures are more accepting of public emotion than others, but I don't know if England is any more emotionally guarded than most other western countries.
Gotta beware of being merely emotional and just responding to the atmosphere and situation... very easy to be hyped.
However, it does figure that we we are taking time to focus solely on our God, adoring him, gazing upon him then God tells us already that we'll be changed (2 Corinthians 3v18). And so long as that change is towards glorifying God, assurance of faith, fighting against or weeping over our sin then that looks very much like the work of God to me.
Or laughing? You're right, soicism of the english spirit. I think we neglect the full range of emotion when we deal with God. Actually Limes Avenue is one of the few places I've seen people cry.
I'm a bit confused though - surely 'it is helpful to keep your eyes open' is just as much a formula? I don't think it matters either way. I guess the point is we should be honest with our emotions. After all, who are we kidding? God??? But we are English - you can't escape that. And guys and girls are different. Maybe it'll have to do that we just cry out in our minds. But you're right, we tend to err on the side of caution when we do that, as though we feel we can't approach God in that state. But God isn't the average person in our British culture.
yeah interesting comments, thanks guys. dave, you're right. we do have to be careful of emotion for emotions sake but sometimes i think we're so careful of being careful of emotion that we're too careful and thus tears are shamed. this also depends i think oftne on the types of church we attend and how they carry out 'worship'.
As far as keeping eyes open...this was just a by comment to the point i was making...but now you mention it. the prayer that they're talking about is when you're praying for others. as in laying on of hands when someone comes to you for prayer. it's not the perosn being prayed for that has their eyes open but the ones doing the praying dso that you can watch their response and therefore pray more effectively into the situation. for example, if i pray something for someone and they smile, or cry when i say it, if i see their response then i am better able to know what the next thing i am to pray is (that and relying on the spirit for words of course!!). hmmm...all very interesting
Got taught the "praying for people with your eyes open" thing by Soul Survivor in 2000 (for Message 2000)... find it hard to pray for people with eyes shut now..
The classic reason is that if you shut your eyes they might just walk away and leave you praying for them (though if you're laying on hands that's less of a risk) - i just think it's useful to see how they are, and to be aware of what is going on.
Back in Bath it was necessary cos people kept falling over...
yup...once you're used to it, it's hard to pray any other way!! U at soul survivor this year?
Probably not - I'm taking a UCCF summer mission team out to Bulgaria in late July, early August - still need some more girls for the team actually if you don't have any plans yet...
And when I get back I'll need some time off to rest!
would love to...but im going to serbia to do aid stuff with refugees and then am going to Copenhagen and Berlin with CU people. then soul surivor (momentum) late summer as well as working...phew! Bulgaria sounds very exicitng though. when are you going?
Forum?
Post a Comment
<< Home