One of our Elders here at Gaylord E-Free Church emailed me Monday and suggested we call an impromptu prayer meeting for any of our Elders and Ministry Staff that could make it for Tuesday (yesterday) at 5pm in order to pray for the well over 100 children, teens and adults who made decisions between last week's High School Spring Break trip to Florida and last Sunday's Easter services here at the church.
As a result we put the word out and 7 of us were able to gather around the table last minute in the church office conference room to give God glory for what He has done and to pray for those dozens of people who made decisions. I love it when Elders step up to the role of what Elders are all about in Scripture. I have often said that one of the main roles of an Elder is to pray for the church. That is what the 7 of us were able to do yesterday as afternoon turned to evening.
I loved listening to these men pray. Their words were so genuine and so passionate, many of them showing sincere emotion. As they prayed I opened my eyes and looked around the table at each man. You could see their fervency as most every one of them sat with the faces cupped in their hands as they lifted up these new believers to the Lord as well as those who recommitted their lives to Christ.
As I looked around the table I saw a sight that really caught my attention. Interestingly enough, each of the 7 men around the conference table entered the room wearing glasses. As I looked around thanking God for each of these men I noticed 7 pairs of eyeglasses sitting on the conference table as they prayed. I was struck by that picture. The key to "sight" for Elders is not in what we say when our eyeglasses are on our face and we are talking to each other. The key to "sight" for church leaders is what we say when our eyeglasses are on the table and we are talking to our Heavenly Father.
If it would not have been inappropriate I would have taken out my phone and taken a picture of those 7 pairs of eyeglasses on that conference table. I firmly believe that the more time that we spend as church leaders with our eyeglasses on the conference table and our head cupped in our hands praying for God's leading, direction and wisdom for our church, the more we will see God continue to bless us and blow us away in allowing us to meet thousands of people right where they are at and helping to move them to where He wants them to be!
Where are your eyeglasses? On your face or on the conference table?
2 comments:
Hey, I thought it was, "with all eyes closed and all heads bowed..." :-) It was a good evening... Our God is so, so good!
I'm thinking it was a good thing that it was the glasses, instead of 7 Elders picking their noses. Not to sure I would want to read that blog. I praise God that we have a strong Church and leaders behind it.
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