There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. – I Corinthians 12:4-6

Our team leads on the trip talked about us constantly working to stretch ourselves in our walks as we worked on the trip…and in our lives in general.

And I saw a lot of stretching going on!

Even in my own family.

Even in…me!

God took me to places in an area I thought I was “good” in…the area of prayer.

Now, I have been involved in prayer ministry for many years.  It is something I can do despite my schedule and little ones, wherever I am, and all the time.  It also uses words, and you all know that I am pretty familiar with words.  OK – I have a big mouth.

What God clued me into on this trip was praying with my hands.

Jesus did a lot of His ministry by touching people…physically and emotionally.  He made physical contact as he prayed over them, healed them, and ministered to them.  There is no telling how many people He touched physically.

Now, I have had hands laid on me in prayer before…and have laid hands on others.  But this prayer lesson was slightly different.

I was laying hands on things.

As I have already shared, we arrived early to the week of ministry.  After we had gotten everything ready for the rest of the team to arrive, I felt compelled to pray over the chairs.

Well, not really the chairs per se, but the people who would be occupying them.  I walked through the room and touched all 60 chairs and prayed over each occupant…safe arrival, safety during the work, touching the lives of others, being touched themselves,  And I felt blessed from being able to pray such prayers over individuals I had not even met yet.

The next morning, I was up early, before most of the team, and again, I walked around the room and prayed for every person while touching their chair.  I felt compelled each work day were were there to do the same.  It was not a ritual or a talisman, but a grateful heart adding my prayers to all the others over our week and our team.

When we went to M.A.T.S., the homeless shelter I have already mentioned in another blog entry, I did the same over the names of the individuals living in the shelter which were on a board in the office.  I did not meet all of them, but I prayer over all of them by name before the Lord.

It really was a beautiful and humbling experience for me.

I have a friend in the medical profession who told me years ago that as she lays her hands on a patient, examining them, she prays over them.  Every single one of them.

Now I get the power of touch as a part of prayer in a new and more complete way than I previously did.

And it has made me more bold in my prayers.  Praise God!

When our Children’s Director was stressing this week about the start of VBS, I quietly lay my hands on her shoulders and silently prayed.  When one of my boys had a hurt arm, I silently prayed as I held his arm and examined it.

Sometimes little things are needed to energize us for the Lord.  This was one I needed…new life into this old wineskin.

Praise God that He saw it and taught me something!