It's Raining....It's Pouring.....

God is good.
Isn't He?
I have returned to something I use to do in the past at Rapha.
Soaking prayer.
Some of you may have heard of this term before.
People are prayed over by a group or individual and are required only to sit and receive.
God has let me take this idea of "soaking prayer" to another level.

In my afternoon class, I ask the men to go and retrieve their pillows and blankets and meet back in the chapel.
I usually tell them we are going to take a nap "In Jesus Name."
Once everyone is situated in the floor, I explain that what we are going to do is like what you do with a steak when you marinade it. I ask them, "What happens to the steak when it is marinaded?" They usually come back with, "It takes on the flavor of the marinade" or "It makes the steak tender." Well, the soaking prayer accomplishes the same thing.
If the Spirit of God is the marinade, then they are flavored or changed by being in His presence.
If the Spirit of God is the marinade, then they are made tender. Hearts that were hard are tenderized and opened to the reality of the gospel.

I have worship music playing and usually within a few minutes of beginning, the men drift off into sleep.
I spend the next hour moving about the room praying for each man. Sometimes God gives me verses to read over them. I liken it to planting seeds that will produce a harvest at a later time.
This all may sound strange to some of you but the truth is over the past 2 weeks we have been doing the soaking prayer, the attitude and behavior of the men has changed.

Where there was division, there is the beginning of a sense of unity.
Where there was dryness and apathy, some have begun to study and read their Bible.
There is more of an awareness of God and His presence on the camp.
I am a believer in the power and presence of God which everyone needs to experience. Having an experience in the presence of God only strengthens and increases the faith in a man.
That is what I am seeing presently at Rapha.

Pray for us at Rapha that we remain steadfast and true to the call that God has given us.
You might consider participating in some "soaking prayer" during a prayer group.
You might get some of your friends together and try this.

God on you....
mb