Vintage21 Church

Pastor Tyler · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 93 Location: Downtown Raleigh

Over the past 5 months, I have been very convicted that we, as a church, need to pray much more! The answer is not more meetings or events focused on prayer. I think the massive movement of prayer happens three places:

1) In your personal life. I have copied a prayer by St. Patrick that I have been praying for 4 years, consider joining me in this prayer. I have a word document on my desktop with this prayer and then at the bottom of the document, I keep a rolling list of things to be prayed for in addition.

2) In your home groups. Please begin to be in life with each other and pray for one another regularly.

3) In close friendships. Husbands and wives, join me in repenting for not praying for each other and for your marriages--start now. I also hope that 100's of friendship will begin to form among people at Vintage21 with prayer as their center.

Please pray that we would pray more. Here is St. Patrick's prayer:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation
_________________
Pastor Tyler

Amy Crouch · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 20

Tyler,

I, too, have been convicted lately of how little I truly pray, and have begun praying for the grace to be able to pray. I find, however, that my sin sits on my shoulders even as I sit down to begin a prayer. I read a book in high school called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, and I loved it. Recently, however, I have struggled with this idea of having our prayer be part of our life, but also having a time set apart to pray. I have always been a works-based sinner and have fought prayer as just a routine....I long more than anything right now to be a person on prayer. I long for our marriage to begin in prayer, but we are so slack sometimes.

What are your thoughts?