All Night Praise & Prayer

9/01/2013 06:12:00 PM sendtheroths 0 Comments

We do all night prayer every last Friday of the month at the Goma Training Center. It started off as a bunch of us showing up to pray all night. Now, it is becoming more organized and since many different kinds of people are coming, there is a need to have leadership and direction for the night.

I have to admit that every time the end of the month rolls around, it is easy for me to dread it. I can’t explain why except that I sometimes just want to be invisible.

We are beginning to delegate a lot more while also implementing plans that have been in the works for months and even years. This is hard and it takes a lot out of us. The temptation is to just do things ourselves, because it is usually more draining to train and teach others (especially cross-culturally).

But we know that this is necessary. Most importantly, we aren't just trying to teach a skill or job.... we are trying to pour into people.

Pouring into individuals takes a lot out of person.

My mom is paralyzed at home.
My dad was killed in the war.
I have a skin disease.
I can't find a job.
My ex-husband is threatening to kill me.

These are real issues that our disciples face everyday. As opposed to popular belief . . . our job is not to solve everyone’s problems. (Praise the Lord, because I can’t even begin to tell you how hard some of their situations are.)

Our job is to influence people to be radical disciples who can hear the voice of God in their lives and make tough decisions for themselves, their families and their nation.

"Being a part of the Training Center has given me an outlet," said John, a young adult and disciple, "It is good to share struggles, worship freely and let it out. I am encouraged and thankful for this."

Click to view a snippet of what an all-nighter looks like.

John is twenty years old. He is one of the many young adults who are involved in the Training Center. Andrew watched him and the others show up for all night prayer this weekend. They brought snacks, blankets and various musical instruments that they made, borrowed or bought for themselves. They were pumped and excited for the night.

Andrew sat next to me.

“Amethyst, look at this. You can’t be tired. They are excited to be here. They love this. They need this. And we love them.” He said.

I’m convinced that prayer, worship and meditation is more than interaction with God. It is the process of making hearts beat together. It is a healing medicine. It heals my tired soul. It heals their grievances. And it will heal this nation.