Presence-Based Prayer & John 15
With the help of Ckori Jones and Ben Abell, our first Prayer Circle at the Diamond Collective took place Monday night. The thoughts and words of those sessions are built to expand into our communities and be shared with those we care about – so I figured it’d be smart to recap our sessions to you.
For those that couldn’t make it, can’t make it, didn’t hear about it, are curious about attending, or attended and need a refresher… this is for you. I invite you to once again, come and see.
All good things start with an introduction, especially to who we are and why we started a Prayer Circle in this space. The facility in which the Prayer Circle takes place is a fantastic resource to training athletes in and around the city – especially those who are traditionally underserved – but its location comes with some uncomfortable scenery not too far away. Drug addicts, drug deals, vacated and vandalized homes, overfilled dumpsters, and so on… but that’s what makes it the perfect place to impact.
We were joined by members of the St. Frances high school baseball team, members of UMBC’s baseball team, David Upchurch of GamePlan DMV, Ckori’s wife Chanell, and a handful of local coaches and youth. A wonderful start.
Ben introduced the concept of Presence-Based Prayer, which sets the tone for the mentality of prayer we strive to achieve. It reads as follows:
“Practicing sensitivity and submission to the presence and direction of Jesus; Moment-by-moment abiding in the strength, peace, wisdom, life, and love of His person; Surrendering all discernment, conversations, attitudes, plans, actions, reputation, and authority to His authority and purpose.”
As a group, we picked out certain words or sets of words that stand out or are impactful, which led to conversations around these points:
- “Practicing” – is a term of consistent work, habit, and routine. Never perfected but always attentive, intentional, and humble. If there’s a desire to get better at anything, say, swinging a baseball bat, or a spiritual relationship, then there is need for much practice.
- “Surrendering” – our toughest challenge as humankind. Giving our wants, plans, pride, and ego up to the discernment of God. Not praying for what we think we need, or what we want, but that His plan is executed according to Him, and not according to us.
- “His authority and purpose” – the ultimate authority and purpose. The feeling that He has written tomorrow. That the Holy Trinity has discussed your problems, fears, anxieties, and questions… and that they already know the answers. It’s just a matter of brining them into our lives and allowing them to work under His purpose.
- “Abiding” – listening, absorbing, observing, feeling, and enacting. Not coming in with pre-meditated agendas or plans for prayer, but listening to the words put on our hearts. The words and feelings that burn for attention. Being mentally quiet and listening to what the spiritual influences on our worlds are telling us.
Abiding is also repeated numerous times through out John 15, which we then read through. When we don’t know what to pray, or how to pray, the Word is the answer. The Word is His Word for us to read, meditate on, and recite, and is often the best starting place for a mind unsure of what to do. Some highlights of John 15 ESV and the group’s biggest takeaways are as follows:
- John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
- Jesus here declares himself to be the vine, the growing and living source for which branches and fruit expand out from. Here, he is saying that we are the branches that grow from the vine, and that God is the vinedresser who prunes the branches. ‘Prunes’ is a massive word here that suggests we will be often cut back, faced with adversity, and tested by God in what feels like a setback, but is often a spiritual, mental, or physical pruning to help us eventually bear more fruit – as long as we are still attached to the vine.
- John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
- As mentioned, abide is a key phrase in this chapter. We, the branch, cannot bear good fruit (grace, kindness, patience, etc.) if we are not abiding in the vine. And, my favorite point of the night – the fruit is not for us. No branch grows fruit for itself, it grows fruit for others to enjoy and consume. Our relationships, families, spouses, children, business partners… that is who we grow our fruit for.
- John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
- The more in tune we are with the vine, the more fruit we bear. There are only two types of fruit – good fruit and bad fruit. There’s no gray area whether fruit is good and wholesome or rotten and flavorless. These are the instructions to bear good fruit.
- John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers”
- Branches dethatched from vines have no life. They wither, die, dry out, and blow away or burn up.
- John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
- This sermon, believed to be Jesus’ last before his crucifixion, used this vine and branch example to advise us to love one another by following His love later in the chapter. Love is abundant in this life and meant to be shared.
- John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
- Joy is also abundant in this life – and meant to be shared within us and around us and into the communities that we pray on.
Then, we prayed. Prayed on the presence of mind we were in, for the community, for the attendees, for their ability to share the word, walk confidently, and never walk alone. For the coaches, and resources, and teachers, and athletes of our communities and their relationships, mentalities, and joy. And that our messages will be received, direct from the Word, onto those who feel moved enough to join us. I hope that will be you, too, on the first Monday of every month.
I’m looking forward to seeing you May 5th at 6pm at 1205 S Carey Street in Baltimore.
Until then,
Bryce Frederick
Super 8 