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Sunday, October 9, 2011

Why You Need A Prayer Maven

Are you in a prayer rut? Maybe you don’t have the time. You lack motivation. You have no energy.

But you really want to pray.  Right?  You really need to pray.

In addition to a kick in the pants and a healthy dose of the Holy Spirit, may I make suggestion?  You might just need a prayer partner.  Heck, you don’t just need a prayer partner.  You need a Prayer Maven!

You may not be familiar with this term, so I’ll do my best to explain.  A Maven is an expert in a particular field who seeks to pass knowledge on to others.  (For a great discussion of Mavens generally, check out Kristen Lamb’s Blog here.) 

Now, back to a Prayer Maven. Naturally, a Prayer Maven is an expert on prayer.  She’s passionate about prayer. She prays, and she just doesn’t go through the motions. She believes in prayer.  But she doesn’t stop there.  She seeks to pass this knowledge on to other people.  She doesn’t want to keep the joy of prayer to herself.


I am blessed to know a couple of Prayer Mavens, including my own dear mother.  But for purposes of this post (and the related posts that will follow), I’m going to tell you about my sister.  My sister Amy is a textbook Maven.


How do you spot a Maven?

Here are a few clues.  When Amy finds a bargain, she doesn’t keep it to herself.  She calls everyone she knows. In fact, she’ll even buy you the last pair of shoes that are on sale, just in case you want them. (She’ll gladly take them back later; she genuinely doesn’t want you to miss out.)  Amy does the same thing when it comes to food and health choices.  Once she found some luney holistic doctor and she sent me every article he ever wrote, completely unsolicited.  She’s always looking out for your best interest.

Get the point?

Ok, now translate the above to a Prayer Maven.  Amy is crazy about prayer.  Which means she doesn’t just want to pray for you, she wants to pray with you.  She’s not one of those prayer partners who gets together just to talk about herself or vent or complain.  She’s going to limit the fluff talk and help you focus on prayer.  Which makes the perfect recipe for a prayer partner.  And since God promises that where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them, you’re in business!

Do you know a Prayer Maven?  Maybe it’s time to ask God to put one in your life!


And don’t worry, you don’t need a Prayer Maven to get started.  God will honor the prayers of a regular Joe or Jane when we come together in faith.

[We’ll keep talking about prayer partners later this month.]



8 comments:

Wendy Paine Miller said...

How cool that your sister has the gift of intercession! And I love how you described her passing along good deals. We do that in my family, too.

I'll be on the lookout for my prayer maven, although I have a few close friends who might already be in this role.
~ Wendy

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of a prayer maven - I have certainly found out that hanging out with folks who are passionate about prayer rubs off on my prayer life.

Anonymous said...

I do know a few prayer mavens....I'm so glad you introduced me to the word maven...I plan on using it often!!

Stacy @ Heartprints of God said...

Praying God brings a prayer maven into my life...and giving thanks for the ones He has placed in yours.

~Stacy

Michelle DeRusha said...

Now that I think of it, I might actually know a Prayer Maven -- how cool is that? Now perhaps I need to summon the courage the ask her to pray with me?

Theresa Miller said...

Funny, I was just thinking about this topic this morning during my prayer time. The thought of a prayer partner actually came to me, as I was struggling to find words and depth. This is a great affirmation to pursue that. Thank you!

Amy Sullivan said...

Hmmm. I know Prayer Mavens. Three to be exact, but you know what? I'm not one, but I'd like to change that.

Laura said...

Hey, I know some prayer mavens too! Though I've never known to call them that. Love it. I think I'm going to hang out with those mavens a while and see if it rubs off a little bit. I sure have room for improvement.