It turned out that Jimmy was suicidal.

Our youth staff team met with him after he had attended an outreach event we hosted at his high school. He later came to Christ, but his emotional, mental, and spiritual challenges were frankly, overwhelming to us at times.

I remember that on one occasion we all entered into a time of focused prayer for Jimmy. We listened to each other pray for him and in that concentrated time we also listened to what the Holy Spirit was saying to us individually and as a team.

In the months after that concentrated prayer time for Jimmy, we were able to involve him in a Friday night Bible study at the home of a dedicated Christian family. They took him under their wing, in addition to the time investment our team was giving to him.

In the years that followed, he became established in his faith and identity; even his outward appearance and expressions became more positive. He finished college, met a wonderful Christian girl, and now is married and is a new father. Of course, he was prayed for many times throughout the years. But looking back, the deep, concentrated time of group prayer we had for him turned out to be powerful!

We all know how effective prayer is, and we have often seen the miracles of prayer expressed in various ways and forms. As E.M. Bounds wrote, “Prayer is of transcendent importance, for it is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work…only praying hearts and hands do God’s work…prayer succeeds when all else fails. Prayer has won great victories and has rescued, with notable triumph God’s saints when every other hope was gone.”

Prayer in your network

Most youth worker meetings include a time of prayer. More than likely, these occur at the end of a meeting and include quick prayer requests and quick prayers. Although this is often the norm, what I am excited about is the effectiveness and power that happens when we enter into deep and concentrated group prayer.

This form of praying is actually linked to having a deep and personal conversation with God. As in a conversation with friends and family, it includes listening and expressing and sometimes exhausting a topic before moving on to another.

As we enter into focused, concentrated group prayer it is good to quiet our hearts with a time of silence and confession. We are then much more sensitive to pray under the direction and in alignment with the Holy Spirit.

I love the passage in Romans 8:26-27, “The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that can not be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”

Not surprisingly, the Holy Spirit gives us impressions, thoughts, and specific verses about how to pray for someone or something specifically.

I remember one time praying with a mother about her daughter’s lack of Christian friends. Her daughter often felt alone and alienated at her high school. During our concentrated time of prayer together, I felt the Holy Spirit impressing me to pray that her daughter, Lisa would want to go on an overseas project that we were leading that year. After the prayer time with my friend, I invited Lisa to go with us. Through the project training times and the actual overseas experience Lisa made lasting friends with several other students on the project. They are still friends 10 years later!

Listening carefully to what others say in prayer along with the impressions of the Holy Spirit makes us much more sensitive in expressing our own thoughts and prayers. We can agree with others about what they pray, or share a pertinent Scripture, because we are involved in a conversation.

Making it work in your schedule

The main hindrance to this very effective way of praying is time. As a society and as youth workers, we often are pressured by time constraints. One suggestion is to divide the group up into smaller groups, with each group taking just one or two requests. That way, you can pray more effectively and all concerns can be covered. Sometimes, the request is so important or life-threatening that the entire prayer time needs to be devoted to it.

I think the early apostles might have used this focused, concentrated style of prayer. In Acts 4 it says “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

How I would love to see our prayer times become truly revolutionary- then we couldn’t wait to pray and trust God to work. Shake us up Lord!

In this post from National Network of Youth Ministries, Kristi DeVito shares how important it is to find time for silence in this loud world.

God loves having relationship with me! But I miss God’s attempts to capture my attention. My life is so busy and noisy that I hardly notice God’s constant presence.

Henri Nouwen said, “There was a time when silence was normal and a lot of racket disturbed us. But today noise is the normal fare, and silence, strange as it may seem,silence has become the real disturbance.”

In my own Christian journey the need for silence and solitude has seldom been spoken of or practiced. Much of my training and experience has been about working hard and accomplishing things for God.

Working hard is good. But I didn’t realize that all of this doing is much more rewarding when it flows from my being – that place inside where God loves and lives in me, and I love and live in God…Jesus calls that abiding.

Often I’ve been impressed with the Psalmist’s words: “Be still and know that I am God.”In recent years I’m embracing the practice of “stillness” or silence. In the beginning, and sometimes still, it feels awkward; I wonder if I’m doing “it” correctly. My mind may be everywhere, and it can even feel like a waste of time. But God continues to draw me to silence, and I’m feeling more and more comfortable being still in God’s presence.

So what is silence? I’m learning that it is one of the ways I create space in my life to pay attention to God. God is always paying attention to us; always present to us. It is we who are seldom attentive and present to God. So as I create space for silence, I’m providing myself with the opportunity to listen to God;and listening is necessary for growth and love in any relationship.

Why is silence important? The Bible encourages us to embrace solitude and silence (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 30:15; Exodus 14:14). Jesus took time for silence (Luke 4:42; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12).

From early Christian history, men and women of God have observed silence as an integral part of their daily lives. Dallas Willard writes, “Of all the disciplines of abstinence, solitude is generally the most fundamental in the beginning of the spiritual life and must be returned to again and again as that life develops.” Even as I write this, I’m still amazed at how little I have seen this practiced throughout my years of following Jesus.

What role can silence play in your life? Larry Warner says, “God desires to communicate His love, grace, peace and very self to us, but sometimes we move too fast and live with too much noise to receive them. In silence and solitude we slow down, extend our open, empty hands of faith and ready ourselves to receive from God whatever God may have for us.”

I like that; especially the last phrase, “receive from God whatever God may have for us.” That says to me that there is nothing manipulative or magical about silence. God’s presence to us is always a gift. We can only provide the opportunity to pay attention, listen and receive.

In my practice of silence and solitude I have run across some helpful suggestions to encourage me along the journey. I hope you will find these encouraging, too.

Suggestions for those who are new to silence…from Larry Warner

• Let the time be a gift to you with no expectations. God is with you even if you do not “feel” like God is with you. Scripture is clear that there is no place where God is not present. So even if you do not “feel” God’s presence, to the extent that you are able, settle into and rest in God and in God’s presence.
• Offer yourself to God just as you are in this moment. Actually, that is all you can do. One of the most common mistakes is to think we must somehow be different or have a different history or have in some way cleaned ourselves up a bit before we can come to God. None of this is true. The very best you can do is to offer yourself to God right now just as you are. Now of course, God is not going to leave you as you are. Rather, God is going to help you become the magnificent child of God you were always meant to become. In truth, this is what we most desire.

More suggestions…from Karen Cooper

How do I begin to practice silence and/or being alone?

• Start small and build.
• Take advantage of available space for silence in your daily routine (i.e. walking/jogging, showering, driving, etc.).

What do I do once I get alone?

• Invite God’s presence and end with gratitude.
• Practice silence.
• Notice, notice, notice.
• Have conversations with God.
• Write in my journal.
• Sleep if I’m tired.
• Be emotional.
• Have fun.

What do I do when my mind won’t stay focused?

• Don’t fight mental distractions – this will make it worse!
• Jot things to do later on a piece of paper.
• Express or write your anxieties, emotions, fears to God in a journal.
• Return to prayer when I have released my distractions.
• Dealing with troublesome thoughts in prayer:
  • Don’t be discouraged or even shocked at my thoughts. God knew them before me and is not surprised.
  • If sin is revealed, confess it, allowing God time to show me its source.
  • Return quickly to God, thanking Him for His presence and love and rest in Him.
• Declare my helplessness and my desire to be more whole.
• Keep practicing silence… it will get easier.

Mother Teresa wrote, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we care in our active life. We need silence to touch souls.”

O God, I thank you for experiencing You anew in silence. Help us touch more souls with Your active love.