(10th post on Excercise thread)
My wife Marie and I enjoy the Spinning class at our local Gold’s Gym. Simply put Spinning is a high-intensity exercise that uses specially designed stationary bicycles in a classroom setting. It works your heart rate up and makes you sweat profusely.
One of the differences between exercising alone and our Spinning class are our classmates. They vary from middle aged guys (like ourselves) to people in their 30’s and some very young ones.
Then there’s our instructor who pushes us to the limits of our capabilities and keeps us pushing when we have opted for slacking.
Here is where our Spinning class interfaces with prayer. While it is important to spend quiet times alone with God in the Word and prayer, it is equally important that one finds a people to pray with.
Like a Spinning class our church prayer meetings in the past and present have stretched my prayer life to places I would not wish to venture out into. That’s either due to complacency or my own inability.
By being with those who have known prayer longer and have a gift of intercession (which is not exactly natural to me) I have learned to pray in ways I have not been able to do in the past.
Like the Spinning class I did not learn only from the instructor but from the participants themselves. Over the years and many, many prayer meetings I have learned much from pastors, prayer group leaders and other participants. My faith has been built up and strengthened.
To stay steady in prayer it is important to be in local church that knows how to pray. Then take part in those prayer meetings. It is in these settings that we learn to pray in ways we are not used to.
On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you
help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for
the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of
many. 2Cor. 1:10b-11
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