Abby and Eason,
I love writing you letters about talking to Jesus. I think it is one of the most important things I can tell you. Today I want to talk to you about talking to Jesus in community.
When I refer to community, I am talking about with other believers. They are our community. We are instructed to gather together with other believers in the Bible. I want to write you a whole bunch of letters on that one day soon… But for today, I want to talk about prayer (talking to Jesus) in community.
The thing I love most about praying with other believers is listening. I love to hear people worship Jesus as they pray. I love to hear them authentically pour out their hearts to the King.
Because of pain in my life, I used to veer toward isolation. I used to be afraid to be honest and transparent with other believers. I used to feel judged when others were not judging me. I used to feel awkward or different when I worshipped authentically.
This was something I had to give to Jesus. I remember one day in particular when I was struggling with feeling awkward worshiping Jesus in a church setting. I decided right then that I needed to ask Jesus why I was feeling that way. I was in a place that I knew intelligently was 100% accepting and encouraging of me in whatever way the Lord was leading me to worship Him. So, why was I feeling awkward?
After I spoke with Jesus and confessed my need to “look right” in the church setting, I remember Him encouraging me to look around at His kids – to look at each of them celebrating Him, to see the diversity of how they worshipped, to see how He was meeting each of the with His kindness where they were.
I can’t really describe that moment. There was a flow in worship that I had never seen. There was an authenticity that was so unique and special. Jesus’ kids were seeking Him. We all sought Him differently, but we had one heart.
It is that moment that I feel when I pray with other believers. We all talk to Jesus a little bit differently, but we are all talking to Jesus. We are all seeking Him, and He is meeting us in the place where we are.
Some of my most special times talking to Jesus in community have been in small prayer groups. Each of the prayer groups have been different, but one of the things we have done in several that I love is to worship together. We praise Jesus and talk to Him in short sentence prayers. The Holy Spirit builds incredible unity as we press into a topic where He is teaching us. As we all pray, we find that layers of revelation come as the Holy Spirit speaks to each of us to guide us in prayer. Those are moments that I have always treasured. They are so transparent and honest. The way that prayer flows can only come from Jesus. It can’t be created by man.
I also love to pray ongoing with believers in community. There have been times where we have shared prayer requests and sought Jesus on behalf of one another. I have found that praying with other believers increases my love for them, and when Jesus answers their prayer, we celebrate Him together.
The bond we have as believers is that we all have the same Dad. He loves us so much, and we love Him so much. This bond of love is something we share. Praying in community, talking to our Dad, is an amazing experience in seeing the unity believers have. We are children of God.
I love you both,
Mom