Power in Numbers - Fusion

The point of this blog was to share the events hosted by Devonshire and give all the members (and perspective members) a place to read about the work being done here.  When I say ‘work’, I do not refer to the obvious strength of its leadership, the growing presence it has within the community, or even the aesthetic renovations of its location.  I refer entirely to the ‘work’ of God’s hand as we all perk our ears to listen.
 

When I started attending this church, I really and truly thought that prayer had everything to do with being a devout Christian.  I thought of prayer as a language; one that had to be learned and understood before my spirituality could be put into valuable practice.  I had heard others pray and it was as though I was hearing something personal and not meant for my ears.  Prayer intimidated me a great deal and more so: the boldness of placing your innermost thoughts out there for the world to hear.

A few months into a more regular church schedule, I noticed the practices of a devoted Christian began to develop a bit more within me.  This language I had thought of prayer to be is really more a type of communication.  It is a two way street and for some reason, that came as a surprise to me.  Prayer is just the talking part of it, but equally as important it the listening part.  Seems obvious, I know.  I grasped the standards of effective communication years ago: listen, then speak… speak, then listen.  I have many years of experience, but it is a much more complex process when the one with whom you are communicating is, well, the One. 

Tonight a large group of us from church gathered in worship, music and ministry.  The purpose was to communicate with Christ: Fusion.  (def: the merging of two substances into one, under the element of extreme heat.)  The goal is to combine the worries, thoughts and desires of all these people and pray together; to create and listen to music and sing our praises to the Lord so that our message might be sent as our voices rise up.  For my husband and me, it was another opportunity to gather with them and continue our spiritual education.

I loved every minute of this new experience.  Walking into the church, the sound of music greeted my ears and the corners of my mouth turned up.  We walked in and saw a friend right away, holding his daughter with patience and consideration.   We found our seats and the music swelled in my chest, like I was breathing water into my lungs.  It was warm and engaging.  A few people spoke on the stage and then, before I knew what was really happening, we were being called to pray over a man.

I watched and learned as I went, resting my right hand on the shoulder of someone who had her hand on the shoulder of someone who was holding the man’s hand.  We were five or six people deep and someone was speaking… praying out loud for the man with whom we were all connected physically.  I felt us begin to connect spiritually. 

The etiquette of this form of prayer was unknown to me.  I raised my head too soon at times; I used two hands instead of one at other times, I was afraid to raise my voice above the crowd to share my prayer for this man.  It didn’t matter though; I had a powerful sense that we had been heard.

My personal prayers to Jesus have evolved over time.  I have gotten better at forming my thoughts and clearing my mind.  I have become a better listener – taking note of subtleties and pondering the relevance of things a bit more deeply.  I am proud of my personal progress, but experiencing the power of combined prayer like we did tonight was, by far, the most moving experience I have had to date.

Again, I walked through the doors of Devonshire not knowing what to expect, and again I leave having found more of myself.