WHY -- BOILER ROOM MONDAYS?

 

I love the heart of my church. I love their hearts for doing God's will, seeking him, and being obedient to his direction. We are far from perfect. We can do more! We demonstrate our collective heart in many ways including our Food Pantry and Clothing Closet. In a little over a month we will serve at an event for those recovering from addictions. We care about people. We love them and we are always looking for ways to serve them. I think that is why we have such a faithful group of people who meet each Monday to pray over our church and our mission.

BOILER ROOM MONDAYS is one of the highlights of my week. On each Monday morning at 7am about 11 of us gather to pray for our church and our community. God has heard our cries and I am completely humbled by the frequency of these answered prayers. But, some may not be aware of why we call it BOILER ROOM MONDAY. The great pastor Charles Spurgeon had a group of faithful "PRAYER WARRIORS" in his church that met in the dark, damp Boiler Room in the bowels of his church. They met on Sunday Morning to pray. We have modeled our Monday prayer time after that group. I would love to have an entire church filled with prayer warriors like the 11 that meet on Monday mornings, but I am thankful for those who have faithfully dedicated themselves to this focused time of prayer. 

Our church cannot complete our mission through our own power and are own will. We cannot do anything except that which is ordained by God. Our BOILER ROOM MONDAYS are to seek God's guidance, his strength, his power, and his might that we will complete the mission he has assigned to us. 

As I was reading in 2 Chronicles today, I loved reading Solomon's prayer at the completion of the Temple. He prayed a very heartfelt prayer to the Lord. The following passage is a part of that prayer:

"If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their captivity and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors -- toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name --- then hear their prayers and their petitions from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. Forgive your people who have sinned against you. 'O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place." (2 Chronicles 6:38-40, NLT)

My prayer is similar to the prayer of Solomon:

Please Lord open your eyes and ears to all the prayers of our congregation. We are far from perfect. We do not serve you as we should, we have sinned against you. But, with all of our frailties and all our weaknesses, and flaws, please Lord direct the lives of your people so that we will fulfill your will for New Castle and the surrounding communities. We humbly come to you knowing we are nothing and you are everything. Direct us, guide us, speak through us, work through us, that we might serve you more and more each day. Amen!