18 Jul Life as a Prayer Secretary!

In The Beginning . . .

The day I sat at the UESI office and tried to understand every little thing that was going on before me is still fresh in my memory. Smiling faces filled the hall and from their faces, I could say that they knew exactly what was going on in my mind. I passed on from my chilled vibes to warmer ones as I heard God’s Word. In no time, my name was called and I was nominated to be the Prayer Secretary of Vepery ICEU. Now this put me back on my ‘chilled vibes’ mode. The duties of the Prayer Secretary were carefully explained to me right at the meeting. The Prayer Secetary has to call every cell leader/cell parent and get the prayer points of the cell. It’s also the prayer secretary’s duty to type all the prayer points gathered from various cells, compile them and send it to the overall Regional Prayer Secretary, every month! I sat back in my place and started wondering how on earth I would do all this. In fact, I never knew half the crowd in the hall and I myself was not part of a cell at that time. (Freeze)
And God Said Let There be Light:

The unique and unexplainable will of God brought me where I had to be. When I think about that day today, I know how it has changed my life. All of us know prayer is talking to God, but only some of us really have experienced the wonders of prayer. As I’m typing this I feel nostalgic on how I’ve just passed on my big chore of getting the prayer points. But what it taught me will last for a much longer time. Every month is like an adventure when you type your pleas before God and you slowly see the prayer points become points for praise. The cherry on a Sundae would be the year end Christmas program, wherein I would be asked to give a neat sketch of the prayer and praise points throughout the year highlighting the significant ones. Initially, it looked like an extra chore for the month but typing them became a tool to have a glimpse of the wonders that our Saviour had done throughout the year. Another awesome day that comes to my memory is the thanksgiving meet that we had. I realized the depth or intensity of the prayers rendered and the answers received in accordance, just like a neat question and answer paper. Of course, there are unanswered prayers but there was never a moment where HE let our faces to the ground. Another WOW event is the Prayer ride. I still remember how God made my heart long so dearly, for a holiday on that specific Saturday. That visit to the colleges strengthened and widened my approach to pray for the colleges in our area. Every first Sunday prayer was unique. The monthly updates of local, City, state and national level ministries, current issues and personal prayer points would generally be a great start for the month. Seeing the small miracles at work by God was a huge experience and my experience specially was a little bit deep since I had the privilege of getting it from each cell and typing them out.
And There was Light!

Whatever you find God asking you to do will have a unique touch of His hand on your life. When you do what God asks you to do, the very act of doing it, seeps into your life and soul, slowly building to your experiences which make you fit into the person God intended you to be. On the other hand, every wrong thing God doesn’t want you to do also seeps into your soul mingles with the experiences of your life and leaves a mark, which only God can revert with his grace and forgiveness. That being said, I knew my job was from God but little did I know that it would seep deep into my life and make me how HE intended me to be. I’ve always prayed, our Sunday schools teach us how to pray, don’t they? “Read your bible, Pray every day and you’ll grow!”

Fortunately, these 2 years of my life I’ve learnt that prayer can fight battles, literally with shield and sword. I’ve learnt that prayer brings a touch of difference in every activity. I’ve learnt that days with prayer has a stark difference from the days without. I’ve learnt that God loves the very communion with us and so has set so many richly blessings in the hour of prayer. I’ve also learnt about Nehemiah’s prayer wherein he would pray about the issue regarding the temple of God, for long days, fasting and tears. And when the king asked about it, he just said a word of prayer and the victory was his. Even our Saviour, Jesus Christ spent hours of prayer all alone and said a simple thanks before miracles! I really learnt lessons from these examples. I also learnt that it is a prerequisite to spend a lot of time in prayer before you lead a singing session or a Bible study. Believe me, the difference between praying/not praying clearly shows.

Our Saviour cherishes the prayer time so much that he would say we’re stealing his time if we occupy the hour of prayer with something else. All the sentences stated above can never really be understood or relished unless you’ve tasted the actual fruit, yourself. I would go on and on explaining my learning, experiences, and the greatness of God harnessed by the prayer of earnest hearts. It is always better done than said, so I would pray that all believers find the relishing sweetness in the hour of prayer. I would truthfully state that not every day was like the ones stated above. There were prayer hours swallowed by hours of sleep rendering me guilty throughout the day, pushing me to set a louder alarm the next day and so on. But these are a part of the relationship, you know!

Endnote: I may not be the Prayer Secretary of the Vepery ICEU anymore, but no limitation can stop me from being a Prayer Secretary to God over my life. I wish my end note would be an invitation to all those who are reading this article to be the PRAYER SECRETARIES OF YOUR LIFE.

    Emy Florence, Vepery ICEU, Chennai