in Zoom Bible studies , to name a few . But as we go on , I want to focus on several ways to use the world ’ s primary means of digital connection to pray : texting .
Why digital prayer ? Prayer is the most powerful , yet simple entry to faith ; digital technology quickens our ability to move through that doorway .
Spiritual hunger may wane , but it never goes away . Prayer is usually tied to a person ’ s needs or wants , and those never go away either . Most people want to be prayed for . They may resist the gospel , but they won ’ t resist prayer . In fact , while church attendance may be in decline , two-thirds ( 64 %) say that they pray weekly or often , according to a Barna study .
Think about the Apostle Paul in his letters telling people exactly what he was praying for them . Now imagine if someone from your church texted a visitor an echo of Paul from Romans 15:13 , “ Hey . I just prayed for you . I prayed that God , the source of hope , will fill you with joy and peace !” Can you imagine the encouragement and connection someone would experience with something like that ?
And consider the possibility of asking a new believer to pray for you as Paul did in Ephesians 6:19 , “ I ’ m about to go into a meeting . Could you pray for God to give me the right words and the right time ?” That ’ s powerful and helps build the confidence of someone younger in the faith .
Why digital prayer ? Because it connects people to prayer at any time .
At my church , and probably at yours , we have a “ connect card .” During the service , someone will say , “ If you have a prayer request , fill out this card , and one of our pastors will contact you .” That ’ s the traditional way , and quite frankly , it ’ s limiting . A person would need to be in the building at that time on Sunday morning to put a card in the prayer box to get prayed for .
Now say your church has a QR code or a number that people can text any time and get a response in real-time , even if it ’ s just an automated message saying , “ We ’ ll pray for you ,” which is later followed through by a church volunteer . Digitally-native approaches like these are coming forward as innovative and new ways to be effective during this liminal time .
Of course , the Holy Spirit transcends time and space and eliminates distance when we use the conventional method of a prayer card . But newer technology like texting is also a place where the Holy Spirit can work just as powerfully .
Why digital prayer ? Because it ’ s a discipleship pathway .
Discipleship is just following and living like Jesus . What does that look like ? Twenty-five times in the New Testament you will find what I call the “ one another ” statements : Commands to follow as disciples like , “ love one another , “ serve one another ,” “ forgive one another ,” etc .
In fact there are only two you can ’ t do digitally : “ Wash one another ’ s feet ” and “ greet each other with a holy kiss .” The other 23 can be
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