Starting a Prayer Group

[Reimagine Curator]

I received this inquiry on Facebook; my reply follows ... but I'd like to know how you would respond to this request - We can learn from one another,

Phil

Illinois Baptist Prayer Ministries

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Hello sir. Just became a member of your page and I have an article in "Pray!" magazine that you wrote some years ago. Was wondering if I could trouble you with a question.

I am in the Army and I am about to head over to Afghanistan for the first time, and I feel the Lord has laid on my heard to start a prayer group while there. I have never participated in one let alone started one. Can you offer some advise as to how to get one started, how to get the word out about it, if I do start one - what would be expected of me (by the members and most of all by God), etc. Just looking for some guidance if you can help me...even suggesting some website would be beneficial to me. Thank you so much.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
John

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John,
Blessed to hear that you are wanting to serve the Lord as you serve our country; my thanks as a citizen and a Christ-follower.

No trouble to respond to your question. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Start it now by inviting the Holy Spirit to prepare the minds and hearts of others, so that when you arrive, a core of interested people need only to find one another.
2. Pray the chaplain of your troop/battalion will be a support; he may have already started a group.
3. If someone has the experience to lead the group, pray for them and ask what you can do to help strengthen the group experience.
4. If no one steps up to lead, step humbly into that role.
5. Consider using the Lord's Prayer as a template. Read one line ("Our Father who art in heave...") and invite anyone/as many as want to pray on that theme or topic to pray aloud, then go on to the next phrase ("Hallowed be (holy is) your name") ... prayers, then continue on. A good friend has written a good book on the prayer (see the link).
6. Another format is to use the letters of the word P-R-A-Y to identify segments that focus on Praising (telling God how great he is and how thankful we are) then Repenting (forgive us our sins) then Asking (presenting our petitions to the Lord so that as he answers our prayers and meets our needs his goodness and glory is revealed then concluding with Yielding (saying yes in hope to all he wants us to do in his service to others.

John,. after you read/review this, ask me further questions,
Phil
www.PhilsBlog.net

www.livingprayer.net">Living Prayer