Every Sunday morning I prayer drive. Maybe you have heard of prayer walking before and if so this is really the same thing… except I’m driving (with my eyes open… most of the time). On a recent Sunday I was going through my usual routine by driving through the surrounding neighborhoods and praying. I have a couple reasons for doing this type of prayer. First, I am praying toward our morning worship gathering at Crossings Community. Second, I am praying through some of our local neighborhoods. I am praying over the homes and the people that I see. I find God uses this time tremendously to prepare my heart for the morning. It creates a brokeness in my heart for those who are not experiencing the great joys of worshiping together with His church. It also keeps me focused on our mission of engaging, equipping, and empowering homes for gospel transformation.
Praying for God’s movement in our community
I’m often listening intermittently to music which encourages worship for me. So, there are prayers mixed in with song. Yes, I am singing and praying pretty loudly often times. I do get a little self-conscious at moments when I realize that someone has driven by and noticed me ‘scream-singing’ and often with some combination of my hands in the air. I’ve made it a few years now without anyone calling the police because they saw an intoxicated driver meandering through the streets of the neighborhood. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens at some point. Maybe I’ll write a blog post from jail just to get a better understanding of how Paul felt when he wrote Philippians (I’m kidding, of course!)
On this particular morning a song came on that I have heard countless times. The song is called “Let It Rain” recorded by Jesus Culture. I only remember a few words but it was those words that God used to move my heart that morning.
Let it rain, let it rain. Open the floodgates of Heaven. I feel the rains of your love, I feel the wind of your Spirit. And now the heartbeat of heaven, let us here. Let it rain.
Those words became true to me in that moment. I did, in fact, feel the rains of His love. I also felt the wind of His Spirit. And, I was crying out to God for the heartbeat of Heaven to be felt HERE. Let it rain. I was broken, yet not only broken. I was broken and desperately desiring to see the Spirit of God rain down amidst our community. It was one of those moments which words cannot describe. The Holy Spirit was moving in my heart and I was not only compelled intellectually but emotionally schizophrenic. I was thrilled and excited with great anticipation while being devastated on behalf of the community in which I was surrounded. I was so encouraged by what I sensed God was doing around me, in our community, and through our church. Yet, I was burdened by the newness of these deep emotions in my own heart. It was really a storm of thought and emotion.
I have continued in this spirit since that morning in the middle of January. I am responding to what God is doing in my heart by also asking him to do the same in the hearts of others.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and ask a question. Has God moved in your heart in a similar way in recent days? Has he brought brokeness combined with excitement over the need of His presence to ‘rain’ (reign) over our community? If so, would you share it with me and our readers?
Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.