May Ministry Focus

Outside These Walls

This month of May we are asked to consider our prayer life, and to pray in public. 1 Thessalonians says: "Pray without ceasing."

Praying in public can cause some real controversy. In one place in the Bible it tells us to “pray without ceasing”, in Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount to pray alone and behind closed doors. How do we know what to do? It is all in the intention of the prayer, not the structure. The goal of prayer is to communicate with God, thank God, worship God and have a very personal relationship with God. We pray neither to impress others with our belief nor to put them to shame. This week we are encouraged to use our prayer time to: 1) approach and talk to God; 2) thank God for God's goodness; 3) pray for specific people, concerns and circumstances; 4) listen to God.