Waiting

The National Day of Prayer is Thursday. It is a day when we as Christians recognize our nation's need for God.

The more I travel, the more I appreciate America, but also the more I see America's need. With question, God is America's answer. It is a day when we ask God to move. We ask him to do something in our behalf. This is good. I believe he wants to move in our behalf.

As I think of all this, I am reminded of a recent experience in Congo with the churches we work with there. It seems they had come to this same place. They saw their nation's need for God and they were asking him to move. They were right. God was needed, as reflected in multiple tribal conflicts and a civil war or two. I know this is at times hard to believe in America, but I think God also wants to move in Congo in behalf of others. Their plan, however, was a bit different than our day of prayer.

Our team -- Todd, young Robert, Mr. Jake (my son) and I -- looked forward to a little "R&R" after the long journey. As I wrote previously, we went immediately to visit some congregations. It was time to settle in, or so I thought. Instead, the leader pastor of those congregations began to explain our upcoming itinerary.

We were told that the congregations had been fasting for the previous five days in preparation for that night's all-night prayer service. This service was to be attended by all the leaders of these seven congregations and whoever else wanted to come was their version of our National Day of Prayer. They wanted to see God move.

I must admit that after 48 hours of transit the thought of spending the night in prayer and worship was not in the forefront of my mind. I thought some food and a lot of sleep was in order. They assumed that I was more interested in God's movement than my own comfort.

They have very little understanding of the West -- and America in particular. I suppose they assumed this because it is the way they think and, like us, they think that everyone operates out of the same paradigms.

At about 9 that evening the prayer service began. There were intermittent times of celebrative worship and fervent prayer. I looked for a bulletin but none could be found. There were also times of teaching. I taught some.

Todd Atkins taught. The youngest member of the team, Robert Krause, taught. In some way it was not all that different than meetings I had been to in the United States. In other ways it was vastly different. It seemed that God was orchestrating the events. There was a lack of concern about time. The worship wasn't central. The teaching wasn't the reason to gather. There was more of a feeling that we were waiting on God to move. Waiting on him to do something rather than being impressed with our sacrifice and our worship and teaching. Saying it simply, the time was his, not ours.

Scripture says those who wait on the Lord have the promise that he will renew their strength. After 48 hours transit and into my third night of no sleep, my strength was renewed. More importantly, God's spirit began to fall on that place. All of the participants began to experience the need for repentance. Healing was occurring. I found myself praying for people whose language I could not understand but God was showing me what to pray. It was a move of God that I had not experienced before. I believe it came because we waited on him rather than trying to manufacture something ourselves.

I believe this occurrence relates to this week's National Day of Prayer. I return from the Congo with a message for Christians in America. If you want God to move, it's simple, really. Fast for five days, then meet at the church all night Friday, and wait.

I am not totally convinced we really want him to move.