We were reviewing last week’s VBS at our church–sharing stories, “crunching” numbers, evaluating the various elements that made up each day… One of the phrases that came out of our various talks and meetings was that Bible School week had been “bathed in prayer.” What does that actually mean?
For me, it represents how prayer surrounded us– much like bath water.
- It covered every part of our efforts– we prayed for the children who were registered– and those who came unexpectedly as guests. We prayed for the families of the children–those from our church, those from neighboring churches, and those who are unchurched. We prayed for all the volunteers– teens, adults, those who where there each day of VBS, and those who helped before and after with decorations, building, providing supplies and funding, advertising, etc. We prayed for each team– teaching, drama, singing, videography, sound and lights, registration, group leaders, science and crafts, snacks, sports and games, record-keeping, security, and more! We prayed weeks before VBS, and we are still praying that the seeds planted last week will grow and produce a harvest!
- It flowed freely. We had organized prayer meetings, and spontaneous outbursts of prayer. We prayed in the “opportune moment” and in the planned schedule. Prayer was a consistent part of each day, but came in random bursts, as well. It came from staff, from volunteers, from children and retirees. Everyone can’t work at VBS– but everyone can pray!
- It “cleansed” our efforts. It is easy to get side-tracked with the chaos and fol-de-rol of an event like Bible School. It is easy to lose focus and let stress, frustration, and even bitterness worm their way into our efforts. On the very first day, our registration and check-in system crashed– and this could have been a disaster. But we had prayed before; we prayed during our confusion, and we praised God that, system or no, HE knew who was there, where they should go, and how we should respond to THEM. We are in the middle of a construction project in our children’s wing– we had to plan around fewer classrooms available, and less indoor space. On the hottest week of the summer (so far) we had to hope that the weather would cooperate for our games. God provided cloud cover on at least two of the mornings, and overnight showers– we did not have to deal with heavy rains or the worst heat of the day on any of our days! And (at least partly) because we had prayed in advance, we were grateful instead of stressful about our circumstances, marveling at God’s provision.
- Praying brings peace– like the clean and relaxed feeling you have after a good soak in the bath! And I hope that peace was reflected in the way we welcomed each child each day– in the way we listened, and in the way we spoke; in the way we encouraged, and in the way we taught; in the way we interacted with the children, and with the other volunteers.
We tend to “bathe” our “big concerns” in prayer. But what about our “little things?” What if we spent as much time praying about our next doctor appointment? Our next church service? Our next family outing?
We NEED prayer! Our efforts, without prayer, humility, and submission to the Spirit of the Lord, will be fruitless. With prayer, our lives, efforts, and plans will be clean, and bring Glory to God!
Just a thought– but if we bathed more things in prayer, we might just receive more “showers of blessing!”
Pursuing Prayer 