By Adron Dozat

My wife and I have a metal fire bowl on our deck. Some evenings, we, along with family and friends, sit around the fire to enjoy the flames, eat desserts, and watch the stars appear. I’ve been thinking that this fire bowl reminds me of prayer, and I have some thoughts I’d like to share.

So here are ideas from the Fire Bowl! I hope it helps you and your church!

VISION
The fire bowl on our deck is successful because my wife had a vision for it. She saw the possibility of sitting around it enjoying time with friends. The bowl didn’t show up one day with some logs and a box of matches. She owned the vision for it and pursued it. If no one has a vision for prayer, then it just won’t happen. A church without a vision of what prayer can mean to them rarely has a dynamic prayer ministry.

Pray and seek God’s vision for your prayer ministry.

FEED THE FLAMES
The fire goes out if you don’t feed it. A good-sized log will last a couple of hours, but after the first hour, it isn’t much to admire and gives off little heat. There needs to be a supply of logs to continue to feed the fire. That means someone must be intentional and have wood nearby. We need to be purposeful to maintain prayer. We can do it by regularly encouraging one another, providing resources, celebrating prayer and those who pray. We need to keep feeding the fire of prayer with regular and frequent input like training, teaching, the example of leaders, and attending seminars or prayer retreats.

LET IT OUT
The steel fire bowl keeps the fire contained. In the case of my deck, I’m okay with that; I don’t want the fire to escape. But when prayer is confined, it is not so good; you want to let prayer out. Prayer might be confined if the prayer warriors are given only a corner in the church life or only a few moments on the schedule and public gatherings. The majority suffer if public prayer is seen as the job of a select few. We must find ways to let the prayer out. Give the prayer warriors more place in church life. Give opportunities to emerging prayer warriors. Consider prayer events like the National Day of Prayer. Brainstorm on how prayer can be “let out.”

ADVERTISE
The fire bowl does not promote itself. If it is lit in the backyard and everyone is in the kitchen, they will miss out on enjoying the warming, dancing flames. Someone must tell them that the fire and the ingredients for the smores are ready.

Prayer needs regular promotion. A fire on an autumn evening is very attractive, and you don’t need to repeat the invitation, but prayer is different. The devil, the world, and even our old nature oppose prayer. You need to keep the invitation to pray before the church, keep sharing the vision and the benefits, and remind people that they are blessed by gathering to pray. Also, multiple channels should be used to communicate because people tune out repeated announcements.

IT GETS HOT
The fire bowl is a very social place. The effect is intensified when more people gather around it. Enjoying the moment becomes contagious. Prayer is similar. The more individuals who come together to pray, the greater the blessing each person feels. Your church may have many prayer warriors, but a powerful aspect of church prayer is diminished if they don’t know one another and are never encouraged to pray together.

The longer people sit around the fire bowl, the louder the laughter grows. And the longer conversations go on, the deeper they become. It’s similar to prayer. Extended times of communal prayer allow for greater richness, depth, and revelation of Him to whom we pray. Foster an environment that encourages prayer teams and the church to gather for prayer.

IT ALWAYS STARTS SMALL 
No matter how large the fire becomes, it always starts with a small flame, and sometimes, it takes several attempts to ignite it. Many prayer ministers feel discouraged when the prayer ministry draws so few participants. Remember, Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…” Don’t be disheartened by a small turnout. Even if only a few individuals pray, remember that God hears every prayer they offer. The blessing of God may not lie in having larger numbers in the prayer ministry but rather in the wondrous answers to the prayers of those faithful few.

SOMEONE MUST LIGHT THE FIRE
You may be the only one with a match, but it only takes one to start the fire. So, clarify and share your vision of prayer, fuel the flames, spread the word, and gather with others.

Adron Dozat serves as our BCM/D Prayer Missionary. For information about starting or strengthening your prayer ministry, email [email protected].