Thread by @fairlyspiritual

In seminary, I met a man who radically influenced my prayer life. He really believed in the immediate presence of God. His expectancy in the presence of God, changed how I approach prayer and altar ministry. His role in my life was an answer to prayer. 1/

It started when I asked the lord to teach me how to pray. I cried out that I desperately wanted to learn more about his presence, but I was just learning theology. The next day in chapel, this man came to me and said, "The Lord told me you are supposed to follow me around." 2/

I immediately said yes because I knew this was the answer to my prayer. In the coming months I follow this man and fellow student around as he prayed for people in revival services. I watched with amazement as people were touched by the presence of God. 3/

I noticed that while other people filled up their prayers with many words, he would often wait in silence. He would simply say things like, "We ask you Lord to come & to fill us with your Spirit. Come Lord, we are waiting upon you." He didn't rush things or say lots of words. 4/

He would sometimes hush the people he was praying for. If someone was praying a bunch he would say, "I'd like you to be quiet now. God has heard your prayers, now is the time to receive from the Lord." This would offend the religious, but others immediately received something. 5/

I saw person after person encounter God as my new friend showed me how to wait upon the Lord as he prayed for people. I saw wonderful, strange and unexplainable things happen. I saw people come closer to Jesus and to find genuine peace, hope and healing. 6/

I learned much about waiting on the Lord from this man of prayer. Later, after many hours of praying for people together, I learned this man had been influenced by aspects of the prosperity gospel that I despised. When I first heard him say a prosperity statement I cringed. 7/

He never said anything like this in his prayer times. But he said something to his friends at a dinner, that greatly troubled me. It was a statement about health and wellness that I fundamentally believed and still believe isn't biblical. I felt betrayed. 8/

As he talked, I realized that he had been raised in an environment that preached a prosperity gospel. It was pretty much all he knew. His elders, mentors and pastors, all preached a form of it. And so did he. He was a product of that environment. 9/

As I drove home from that troubling dinner, I thought about how if I had first known about his prosperity gospel, I would never have become his friend. I would never have followed him around and learned how to pray from him. I would have avoided him because of his theology. 10/

This thought troubled me. Because I had learned much that was right and beautiful and holy from my time with this man who deeply loved God and deeply loved prayer and deeply believed in the abiding presence of God. I wrestled with God that night. 11/

I thought about how I knew people with pristine theology who I would not ask to pray for me because they seemed to not really believe God was present. While others with messy and broken theologies I would gladly have pray for me because they truly believed God was present. 12/

I thought about how different I view people once I become their friends & understand the motivations of their hearts. I wrestled with God & promised God I would never simplify his work or limit where I would see his face or find his voice. There is beauty in the ashes. 13/

My prayer life was blessed by a man with broken theology. In my opinion he had a false notion of how God blesses people. However, he truly believed in the resurrected presence of Christ. Because of this belief he made room for God wherever he went and people found God. 14/

This experience influences how I treat people. I truly believe we are to pursue a true understanding of God. However, we must understand our best attempts are broken. Regardless, I will honor & respect anyone who genuinely makes room for the resurrected presence of Christ. 15/15