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Pour Through Me (Vol. 4, No. 31) There are two special prayers offered almost every week where I worship. When I heard the first, I thought it was a desperate plea. “. . . and pour through me the gift of preaching,” Preacher Mike prays each and every time he enters the pulpit. For several years, I heard those words and thought about prayers I had offered. “Lord, give me strength to survive this roller coaster . . . help me with this test for which I remain unprepared . . . provide me with a good reason for not having completed that project when it was due . . .” But listening to Preacher Mike, I came to understand that his prayer was not a petition for salvation, but for deliverance. Although he uses the same words each week, I now hear him say, “Lord, I’ve studied and I’ve prepared and I’ve meditated on this message. I’ve done all that I can do with it. Now you take it and make it what you will. You can do far more than I can even attempt.” “Pour through me the gift of preaching.” Something important about the meaning of those seven words. “Pour” tells us that there is an abundance of blessing on its way. “Through me” indicates that what is God-given won’t be held captive by the holder of the gift. “The gift of preaching” is a recognition that there are many gifts. This is one of several that Preacher Mike has had entrusted to him. With a better view, I now join in Preacher Mike’s prayer and wait as an eager recipient. The second prayer is the Lord’s Prayer – publicly spoken by the entire congregation. When we made this a regular part of our service years ago, I was a little uncomfortable. At some point, the thought had been planted that this prayer is only for those who don’t know how to pray. Falling back on public recitation of the Lord’s Prayer had somehow felt like cheating on a test. Not wanting to be critical, I threw myself into this new worship element with great enthusiasm. There was a time when I listened for my voice as my fellow congregants joined me in the ancient prayer. Was my inflection impressive? My diction correct? Then God opened my ears to hear the many voices around me. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name . . .” from my wife, Nancy, as she begins doing what for her is a constant activity – conversation with her heavenly Father. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven . . .” from the lips of two saints down the row whose days of physical life are numbered, yet they have no dread. “Give us this day our daily bread . . .” from a mouth that has known days without food. “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors . . .” my own voice echoes strongly above the others. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil . . .” chimed in the innocent voice of a child is in sharp contrast to the weathered whispers of those embattled believers who surround me. Obviously, gifts are being poured through these people. The blessings rain down on me daily. The gifts of prayer, encouragement, teaching, hospitality, and kindness stream past me. I’m adding a third prayer to my worship. “God, pour through me . . .”
Shine On!
copyright 2004 Joe L. Cope
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