IKEA Prayer

When I think about prayer, I think about a small garage that was converted into a chapel. It was low lit with four chairs, no kneelers, and the tabernacle. Just me and Jesus. This house chapel is where I learned to pray and was my inner room of prayer.

This year has challenged that idea. My inner room was all of a sudden out in the open, exposed like an IKEA display room. I not only had to share my private prayer with my community, but also expanded to praying with people I had just met on the streets. It was intimidating at first. At the beginning I sometimes hoped that people would say no when we asked if we could pray with them, and when we did pray I was second guessing if I had the right words to say. I remember praying over someone and Sam had just finished so it was my turn to speak. My heart was racing, my palms were sweaty and I asked the Lord to speak your words through me because I had none of my own. My words alone cannot transform lives, heal, or break the chains of addiction. But Jesus' words through us can. He wanted to use me to speak to the hearts of others. There is power in His words. 

Through this experience, I have come to know the power of prayer. It is not only amazing at bringing a community of four totally different people together, but it also is a powerful tool to connect strangers. This year has convicted me that my prayers are heard and there is power in prayer. There was a woman we crossed paths with when we were doing street ministry one day. She straightforwardly asked us to pray for her infected leg that was causing her pain and made walking difficult. We laid hands on her and prayed boldly for a miraculous healing. In the middle of our prayer the woman walked away and crossed the street into the middle of traffic. She did not look at the traffic nor back at us. She just simply walked away. I was convinced that her leg was healed at that moment. Maybe she did just get tired of listening to us pray and walked away, but I believe her leg was healed, her prayers were answered, no need to look back because her life is now changed. 

That being said, I could not have done this work without private prayer, too. It is what has fueled me. It is easy to fall into despair. As a melancholic person, I can easily find negativity and despair in any situation. Add to that the circumstances of those to whom we minister, and it can be easy to lose hope. It’s hard to see the physical, spiritual, and emotional state of our friends on the streets. We desire so much more for them and for them to know God. Often we see little to no change after visiting again and again, or maybe we never see them again. But through prayer I have been reassured that my small drop of water in the large pond can have rippling effects that I may not see in this lifetime. But in heaven all will be revealed.

by Chelsea Lua