Chapter 5: What Happens When Women (We) Pray by Evelyn Christenson

The Method-Six S’s

When I think about prayer it takes me back many years ago.  I remember as a young mom not knowing very much about prayer.  They would tell me at church that I was supposed to do it, but I really did not practice it until I came to a point in my life where I needed God’s help.

Looking back, it all began one cold snowy winter evening.  My husband Dave had gone sledding with a group of Awana kids at church.  He was a leader at that time.  I was home with our two small children.  The hours passed…

Then the phone rang.  With an uneasy feeling in my heart, I picked it up.  I was given the news that my husband had been hurt in a sledding accident.  They had taken him to the hospital. 

OK, I have two small children in bed and my husband is in the hospital.  Fear overshadowed every thought in my mind.  I can not even tell you how I did it, but I bundled up my kids, took them to my sisters and raced up to the hospital.

When I got there I found out my husband was bleeding internally.  Oh my gosh! What should I do?  I somehow managed to act strong, but inside I was filled with fear.  After many hours of waiting, I needed to go home and get some rest.

When I opened the door to my home, I kneeled right down on the floor and began praying like I have never prayed before.  I needed God’s help and he came through.  Dave was in the hospital for a week.  It was one of the hardest times in my life, but many good things came out of this trying event.

One was, I made a commitment to God that night that I would begin reading my Bible and praying for at least 5 minutes a day.  I also prayed that I did not understand the Bible, but asked that God would help me.

When I first began to pray, I felt nervous praying in front of other people, but little by little I kept doing it.  When you see the answers to prayer, you begin to lose that fear of praying with others.  When I pray with others I feel God’s amazing power filling me courage and strength to believe with God all things are possible.

This was many years ago.  I did follow through with my 5 minutes a day.  When I followed through, God blessed me with a desire to read my Bible and pray.  He has given me a desire to encourage other people to stop and get off of the busy treadmill of life we are on and find the time to speak and listen to God.  You will be so glad you did.  He’s SPEAKING!  Are we LISTENING?

Below you will find some practical ways to encourage group praying.  Evelyn has taught me so much about praying together with other Christians.  If you want to begin a prayer group, please continue reading. 

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Quote from the book, What Happens When Women (We) Pray:

Evelyn Christenson,  page 44-53

“Well, I suppose you all know how to pray.  I won’t fit into this group.”

With that remark, Betty, my neighbor, joined the three of us meeting in a home on our block to pray for the coming Billy Graham crusade.  There she was apparently wanted to take part, but scared to death to pray aloud, even with only three other women present.

There are thousands of people just like Betty.  They are all over the country—in neighborhood prayer groups, in midweek services, and in special prayer sessions—and they are not praying audibly for only reason:

they don’t know how.

There are Six S’s, six simple rules to follow, whether one is participant or a prayer group leader, a seasoned pray-er or a shy and untrained one.  These six rules serve as effective tools to help a prayer group get started, to encourage newcomers, and to motivate timid people to pray aloud.

Subject by Subject

The first “S” is Subject by Subject—praying in one accord about only one subject at a time.  As one person prays out loud, the rest pray silently on the same subject, not planning their own prayers in advance.

 
Short Prayers
Short Prayers, the second handle, are the secret to the success of small group prayer.  Just one, or only a few sentences from each person on each subject allows time for all to pray if they wish.  No one should be forced to pray aloud:  let pray be spontaneous, something a person wants to do, even if it’s only to hear her own voice in prayer.

Simple Prayers

The third “S” is Simple Prayers.  Those who have never prayed before will find it possible to utter the simple sentence from the heart when the leaders and other participants avoid using complicated phrases and a special prayer vocabulary.

Specific Prayer Requests

Handle Number four is Specific Prayer Requests.   Specific requests listed and specific answers noted are a great encouragement to continuing and expanded prayer.  Use a notebook to list your requests and answers.       

Silent Periods

The fifth “S” is Silent Periods.  Silent periods between prayers are a privilege and blessing.  Don’t panic when there’s a lull—just listen!  Prayer is a two-way conversation with God.  

Small Groups
Small Groups, the sixth “S” are usually best for newcomers, as well as for the shy or untrained.  For some, it would take great courage to stand before hundreds of people and raise their voices in prayer for the first time.  But in smaller groups they can gain confidence in praying audibly.

Whatever we do, we must never underestimate the value of a small group praying, for Christ promised that where two or three of His followers are gathered together in His name, He will be in their midst (see Matthew 18:20).