Breaking out of the Mould

On Monday night I went to my mentoring woman's group,(these are small groups which gets together every two weeks/month to fellowship and go through a book/dvd that our church recommends etc.)

I dont usually open or close these meetings in prayer, nor do I often prayer aloud as I never feel completely comfortable. On Sunday night I finished the book " Listening to God" by Joyce Huggett. In her last chapter she urges the reader to not copy someone else's prayer style. Suddenly it dawned on me, this is why I have always felt uncomfortable. It wasn't about prayer, nor about praying aloud, it was that the style is completely different to how I pray alone. I never pray long winded prayer requests, so no wonder I felt tongue tied all the time.
I nervously asked if I could open the group in prayer. I asked everyone to please be still for 5 minutes and pray in their heart. I just prayed aloud, asking God to meet with us as HE feels fit, and then we went silent.

I could feel the ticking of the clock get louder and louder, and my heart started beating faster and faster. I tried to quieten my mind and just focus on the cross, and what it symbolizes for me.
Well, nothing profound happened to me nor anyone else during those 5 minutes, and so the meeting started. Towards the end of the meeting, as a friend was sharing what the chapter in our study book meant for her, the Lord gave me a very clear vision for her. I asked God to please show me scripture to back it up, and He did.

Now I knew without a doubt that if I had not been "still" and had not been brave enough to ask our group to pray differently I would not have been given this encounter to bless my friend.

My prayer tonight is Lord, teach me how to be humble. To know that I am the pot and your are the potter. To learn that as I venture forth in this direction, I am to always place you First. It is so easy to let my pride get in the way, and so to take my eyes off Christ. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.