A PRAYING PEOPLE

My sister, Alicia, has been posting various things about prayer on her facebook status over the last several weeks that have really encouraged me as well as challenged me in my own prayer life. 

She was quoting some from a book she was reading and then giving some of her own insight as well.  The bottom line is we are all called to pray but perhaps we don’t really know what it is to truly be a praying people.  True prayer comes from humble people who express absolute dependence on God.  That’s what our LORD wants in our prayers.  “God is to have priority in every aspect of our lives, and certainly in our times of deepest communion with Him.  Prayer is not to be a casual routine that gives passing homage to God; it is to be a profound experience that should open up great dimensions of reverence, awe, appreciation, honor, and adoration.” (John MacArthur)

In light of this and after returning from Pastor Nahum’s home in Haiti where he feeds and cares for the orphans of Gilbert, Mirebalais, I can tell you I witnessed first hand a praying people. 

My favorite picture of Papa Nahum :)

Experiencing prayer with the Haitians was like viewing a painting of a humbled child coming to his Father and bestowing at His feet praises, needs, desires, and a listening heart. 

These people know the power of prayer…they are passionate in their prayers.  Papa Nahum, my brother Frantz, and all of the people I talked to, referenced prayer as their core foundation of living.  The ability to pray…to call on the name of Jesus with no plan B…is a matter of life or death to them.  To pray is to accomplish something.

A man of prayer....my brother, Frantz

Let me try and give you a little visual of a morning in Haiti:  In Haiti, everyone wakes up before dawn.  The roosters seem to do their “cock-a-doodle-doodling” off and on all night and then between 4-5 am they bust out with all their might.  Everyone wakes up and gets going for the day.  By 9am, you have already been up for nearly 5 hours, and it feels like lunch time…it’s great!

One morning, Kathryn, Nadege (Pastor Nahum’s oldest daughter who we invited to have a “sleep-over” with us in the room we stayed in) and myself where all lying in the bed half-awake/ half -asleep.  It was somewhere between 4 and 5am.  As I was lying there listening to the sounds of the orphans stirring and the roosters doing their thing, I heard Papa Nahum praying from his room.  I heard his voice speaking Haitian Creole for several minutes and then I heard my name…”Ochelle.”  (They don’t pronounce the ‘R’ in my name.  I miss hearing the Haitians calling my name this way).  Then I would hear more Creole and then “Katryn.” (They don’t pronounce the ‘th’ in Kathryn’s name).  Then I heard more Creole and then our names together, “Ochelle and Katryn.”  I recognized the names of his children in his prayers too.  Umm...I can’t describe the beauty of this moment.  The perfect way to wake up.  Amazing!   

Nadege, Papa's oldest daughter.  We had much so much fun!

The first few nights we were there, Kathryn and I stayed up laughing and joking with Nadege in our best Creole.  Now, if you know me, I’m the kind who is all about staying up late and slumber parties.  Just so you know, this is fun in both America and Haiti.  Of course I would have had the decency to contain myself if I was with people not amused by this kind of entertainment, but I discovered my sister, Kathryn,  is like-minded with me in this regard and so when it was time for bed, we got silly.  However, by night three, the 5 am wake up calls were beginning to get to us and so for this night we were all very tired and had no energy to stay up late.  Everyone was in their place they call bed…for a few it was a bed you would understand, for others it was an air mattress, and still for others it was a blanket on the floor of a tent.  When all was mostly quiet (well, with the exception of the spazed out roosters) I heard Papa praying from his room again.  The sound of Haitian Creole drifted through the small home and then “Ochelle” and “Katryn” was heard.  Talk about having your spirit filled up…it felt like my heart was about to explode.  I could get used to falling asleep to the sound of Papa’s  prayers…Mesi Jezi/ Thank you Jesus!

Every time I met someone new from the village, and I would go to introduce myself, Papa Nahum would say, “They know you already.  They come to church and they have all been praying for you for a long time.”

I had no idea I had an army of praying people in Gilbert, Mirebalais praying for me!  I am not even sure I have grasped the extraordinary level of this love…To have someone sacrifice their time to pray for you is one of the most humbling experiences and what I view as one of the greatest gifts and acts of love to another brother or sister in Christ. 

How can a people with such great need themselves take the time to pray for me and my problems?!

Humbled beyond words!

One of my spiritual highlights of my entire life came on Friday morning during Papa Nahum’s early morning prayer service.  Kathryn and I made our way out to my favorite place on Papa’s land…the church.   

The church/school

It was only minutes after 4 am and still dark.  There is one light bulb hanging from the center of the church roof that was giving light for the people who were already at the church.  There were probably about 4 or 5 people there at this time…some were kneeling on the dirt floor, some were sitting on the benches…some were  praying, some were singing, and some were reading their bibles.  Kathryn and I joined these people…we also prayed, sang, and read our bibles.  The Holy Spirit was in this place that morning.  More and more people came trickling in and by 5:30am there were probably about 30-40 people present.  Papa stood up and led us in a few songs and then he instructed everyone to form a large circle holding hands.  He told us we were all going to pray together for three things.  Number one:  for me and Kathryn.  Number 2:  for Joe (I had told Papa the first day I was in Haiti about the bracelet I was wearing as a reminder for me to pray for my friend’s son, Joe, who is fighting cancer).  Number 3:  for all of his people of the church and his viallge.

This was not just Papa Nahum leading a prayer for everyone to say Amen at the end.  Let me explain how this worked.  Papa began by praying aloud for me and Kathryn for a few minutes.  Then everyone in the circle lifted up prayers simultaneously for me and Kathryn.  Every single person there was praying deep passionate prayers and we could hear our names lifted up among the symphony of the Creole language from various people at various times.  This went on for several minutes.  Then hand in hand we all lifted our hands to the LORD in praise.  That was prayer number one. 

Then it was time to pray for Joe.  Ummm…first of all, I had only mentioned Joe to Papa a few days before and the idea that my request was a priority for him to bring to the attention for everyone in the church to pray for was amazing.  So, in the same fashion, Papa prayed for Joe and then these beautiful people who have their own struggles and heartaches, cried out for health and healing for my friend’s little boy in Jesus’ name. 

I had always been so hesitant to tell Papa anything I was praying about aside from them because I felt like telling them my worries was the last thing they needed to deal with considering their circumstances.  But, I can tell you, after I shared my heart and prayer request for Joe, Papa Nahum not only thanked me for sharing my needs but he proved himself faithful to pray for that very need.  He encouraged me several times to be sure I always let him know anything I need prayer for.  These are a praying people!

Finally, following the same pattern, we all prayed for the people of Papa’s church and the village.  More passionate and sincere cries to Jesus were made and with this, the Friday morning prayer service ended. 

Before these people went about their day of going to the market and doing their tedious chores and jobs, they came to pray.  These are praying people!    

When you are face to face with people who live in what some say is the third world of the third world, there is no more pretending.  These people have been stripped of everything  and the masks of fake smiles we as Americans so readily put on to go along with the lie, “I’m good, thanks,” is not an option for these people.  Their physical needs leave them fully exposed to all who take the time to look them in the eye and everyone who takes the time to look, can see their life is not okay.  Death is knocking at their door as they wonder where the food will come from to feed their children and how they will find shelter when the storms rage.  In Haiti you are forced to face the truth.  Prayer is a necessity for them.  They know how to pray.  They pray with utter and complete dependence on the hand of God to move and sustain them. 

We are now all faced with the opportunity to obey Jesus' command for us to care for the poor.  Our obedience just might be how the LORD chooses to answer someones prayer.

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."  2 Corinthians 1:10-11