Praying Big
Elizabeth Hudson reports from Orlando, Fla.
Wednesday, July 23
Everyone has them: times when the snooze button seems more alluring than morning devotions or when church seems like just a weekly tradition.
As I sat with my Bible open on my lap and surrounded by 6 other OSP young women, I became aware of how low that spiritual valley actually was in my own life. I am one of the Bible study leaders. Yet even I could not garner any excitement for our meeting.
With empty ice-cream bowls cast aside, I asked everyone the question burning on my own heart: on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rank your relationship with God?
The words lapsed into silence for a few minutes until Hollie, another OSP intern, spoke up. "What if we were to pray big?" she said.
A New Way of Thinking
I remember being a little stunned by the suggestion. I thought I was praying big, but with further inspection, maybe I wasn't.
My prayers tended to look like children's Christmas lists to Santa: Dear God, please let me get an A on this calculus test. Please let that cute guy look this way. Please let them have my size in this black dress.
Hollie said that she always got more spiritually revved when she witnessed the Lord answering prayers. What if we, as a Bible study, were to pray for one really big thing, and then sit back and watch God move?
This struck me as an odd way to pray. This was breaking out of my normal prayer routine and letting God show His power through others' lives and not just my own.
Our Big Prayer Request
We were in the middle of a discussion on Paul's persecution. Tina, another OSP intern, suggested that we pray for the release of imprisoned Christians around the world, those persecuted for sharing Jesus in cultures without religious freedom.
We all thought the same thing instantly: how would we know if Christian missionaries were released? Then, God convicted our hearts of the doubt forming within.
If God were to make it all happen, then He would find a way to let us know. Who are we to tie God's hands? I thought.
That was when all 7 of us OSP women decided to commit to praying big. Hollie had given me encouragement to get past my stagnant routine and break into a prayer life I didn't even know existed.
We are now praying and waiting for the release of imprisoned missionaries. We are waiting for God to demonstrate all His power and might.
And through this process of trusting God, we are all growing closer to Him. I could not have asked for more out of a Bible study. These fellow OSP interns are truly amazing women of faith.
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