Movements of Prayer

It’s been a week of contemplation and prayer, inquiring of the Lord and of discerning next steps. We have campsites (and a house-sitting) that will take us to September 6th. This sounds a long ways off, but is only a few weeks. The time is flying by.

Our prior week, written about HERE, has been settling into our spirits, hearts, and minds. For a few months now, I’ve been asking the Lord to remind me of what I carry in my hands. And somehow, over the last months but even more so last week, I’ve had this mirrored back to me. I’m working to settle into, further still, this work of the Lord over my life. It’s never very complicated yet somehow in the simplicity, it’s so very easy to miss.

Here is what is standing out to us about A House of Prayer: At Capturing Courage we hold three specific prayer stances, you might say.

1. Silence & Stillness with a deep listening within self and to the Lord. I was teaching this last fall, winter, and spring as a Meditative Prayer Practice. It was a beautiful thing to share and facilitate a deep inner process with self and God with many others.

At the same time and by the Spirit, my friend and colleague, John, shared with me a book about prayer called Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer, “You come to mind, Cyndy, as I read this book.” Sensing a gift of the Lord I ordered two copies. One by mistake! No matter. I’ve read it through. Gave one copy as a gift. And have shared the other with a friend. I will be reading it again.

2. A Simple Prayer that establishes us with right hearts is another thing we teach as Capturing Courage. Over the last twenty years, we have come to understand that it is our hearts attitude that determines the blessing (or the cursing) of our prayers. This is a prayer of releasing that carries the weight of the Lord.

1. First, we ACKNOWLEDGE: We say what we see. Just that. Short and sweet, “God, I lift my daughter to you this day in the name of Jesus. I perceive that the boy she is going with is not the best choice for her.”
2. Second, we VALIDATE: “And while I’ve struggled with him I also see that he has been a gift in a number of ways. His presence in her life has brought a certain settledness, a new confidence, and a tangible stability to my daughter.”
3. Third, we give GRATITUDE: “Thank you (name the boy) for these things you have provided and facilitated for my daughter. Thank you God for these new strengths that I see in her.”
4. Fourth, we can then RELEASE (out of a heart that is no longer at war, fighting, pointing the finger, blaming or condemning): “Today, in the name of Jesus, I release my daughter from this boy. Boy (name) I release you from any further obligation to my daughter. I release you both to your futures. Amen.”

This prayer checks our hearts. It cannot be uttered without peace within us. We have already struggled through our condemnation and fretting, our blaming and accusations. Now, in a heart that has done the hard work to come around to blessing, we can truly release in a spirit of gratitude and generosity to all involved.

We pray this for whatever may be besetting our lives. World circumstances. Local troubles. Family feuds. Jobs lost. Unexpected moving. And so much more.

There is a LOT to teach about this SIMPLE PRAYER! This is one of the things we practice, model, and teach as Capturing Courage Canada. What a joy it would be to host workshops on this. Even an in-house studio by which to broadcast would facilitate much. In whatever way, how blessed to come together in fellowship of a deep shift within our beings, whereby we are established as the prayers of a righteous man that prevaleth much! Yes and amen. May it be so Lord.

3. Inner Healing Prayers for self, communities, areas, regions and nations, is a key goal we have had for some fifteen years. I am an inner healing prayer minister and have been for twenty years now. The initial heart to work with pastors was a strong compelling to bring inner healing prayer to them. Within the work of Capturing Courage International Ministries we have been in the precursor to this for these last eleven years of international work.

Inner healing prayer requires quiet spaces, careful teachings, with the right kind of people, those with hearts eager for a deeper journey with the Lord. Perhaps House of Prayer would facilitate individuals in inner healing prayer. But mostly, we would love to host prayer teams that are keen to declare and decree healing, wholeness, and freedom over entire regions and nations.

We have learned how to do this at Capturing Courage. It takes but a bit of teaching and again, the right kinds of hearts and people, and living water will flow from us to all over the world; may we all drink deeply of ancient wells of the Spirit.

The world needs our prayers. We need to be praying prayers that establish the healing and wholeness of God for everyone. Shalom must be applied, borne and birthed within hearts that put down swords and pick up plowshares, for all mankind, that we may live. May we learn your heart God, and exhibit your power through our hearts of prayer.