A Team that Prays Together, Stays Together

Lesley.DeBono
Mar 26, 2019
5 min read

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. - Henry Ford

With the craziness of preparing for my mission trip to Bolivia that is only 11 days away, I have felt like the world is on my shoulders and that it just might fall apart in my absence. I often forget that I am surrounded by amazing, and I'm talking SUPERADDED, over the top, amazing people who go above and beyond to make my job easy. But still in all the chaos I forget that I serve a mighty God who has surrounded me with a powerful community, a group of fierce fighters and loving teammates who walk alongside me through every need.

As I look at the ever seemingly shrinking roster of volunteers, I instantly go to a place of fear. "What if we don't have enough people for serve on Sunday" usually comes out of my mouth or across my mind at least 10 times a day. I start to think of all the ways that I can fill in the holes as if singlehandedly I could run our children's ministry that is on the verge of averaging 400 children per week. I forget that I am just a part of our great community, that I was not created to do it all on my own.

But God didn't create us to do it on our own, to be alone. God created us to live our lives in community. In a community of believers, supporting and uplifting each other. Right from the very beginning of the Bible God shows us in Genesis 2:18 NLT "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

WE NEED PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR US AND WITH US!

God gives value to companionship, community and intimate relationships. It is practically in our DNA to desire to have others and not be alone. When we think about the SUPERADDED life that God desires to give us, we have to remember that loneliness is a subtraction that we have to be willing to make. Being alone is against God's design.

So, I had to ask myself "How intentional am I being at superadding God's people into my life?"

"Am I going out of my way to to invest into the lives of others?"

"Am I budgeting my money to take trips to see friends and family that are important to me?"

If I am being completely honest, I feel like I am failing at every one of these. As I struggle to fight the sadness and pain that has recently come to the surface in my life, my instinct is to push everyone away from me and guard myself from any further pain or disappointment. In my need to self protect I have failed to allow others to share in my struggles and most importantly I have not allowed them the opportunity to pray for me.

Each week we are asked if we have any prayer requests. Our first instinct is to quickly say "no" in hopes that the next person will go and we will not have to share our struggles or needs. I chose the name of this post long before I ever sat down to write it, but as much as prayer is our way to communicate with God, it is also about SUPERADDING to our community.

WE NEED PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR US AND WITH US!

God wants to SUPERADD community into our lives, but this is one area of our spiritual growth that we must be intentional in. We all need people who will carry us when we're down, who will courageously call us out when we are wrong, who love us, are loyal to us and are always willing to put up with our crazy.

So here is the time when I add a little Element shameless plug...

If you feel disconnected, alone or just another number in the church auditorium and you have not connected with anyone inside the church, then sign up for a small group. This is the single best way to connect to other believers who have a similar interest to you. Hey they signed up for the same group you did....just sayin'

Anyway...

Look for ways that you can step out of your comfort zone and SUPERADD community into your life. This element takes action! You can not sit on your couch alone in the dark and assume that God is going to drop your new bestie into your life. We have a large team and close connections can be difficult. But if you are serious about growing community in your life then start by SUPERADDING onto someone else.

Coffee or lunch is always are great place to start a conversation. Reach out with a kind word or a text message that says "How can I pray for you today?" We all need community, and we all need prayer. Let's be the team that prays together. Because the team that "PRAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER!"

Let's Pray:

God, you know that my instinct is to always protect myself. That I often push others away instead of SUPERADDING to the community that you have given me. God reveal to me others whom You want me to reach out to and include on "my team" Please give me the courage to step outside of my comfort zone and to be intentional in reaching out to others. Thank you for the community that you have already given me, and for each person who has SUPERADDED to my life. God help me to find ways to reach out to them, encourage them, connect with them and lift them up. - Amen

Questions:

Why is it sometimes easier to keep to ourselves and keep our stresses or insecurities hidden?
What changes in our hearts and minds when we share with people and allow them to lighten our load?
Who is someone who is already your SUPERADDED? A person who in on your team, constantly fighting for you and lifting you up?
What is a way that you can engage with your community more this week? Think on asking someone out to lunch. Think on scheduling a trip with a friend. Simple can still be SUPER.

SUPERADD:

Think of 3 people who add onto your life. Text or email them some encouraging words. Let them know you're thinking of them. Say a prayer for them and what they may be going through, and ask that God would add onto their lives as they have added onto others. Let them know that they are your SUPERADDED.

Please feel free to share your answers in the comments if you feel comfortable.