Now taking requests


		Friday, Dec. 3, 2004

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Now taking requests

By Father DAVID EPPS
Contributing Writer

Father David Epps is Rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church which meets at 8 and 10 a.m. Sundays at 4881 E. Hwy. 34. He may be contacted at 770-252-2428, or at frepps@ctkcec.org

It was an afterthought, really. I had checked my calendar and, after realizing that I had no appointments for last Monday morning, decided to spend the morning in prayer and reading of the scriptures. I had been spending an hour or more in morning prayer for a while but wanted some extended time and Monday looked like a good opportunity.

So, before I left for church on Sunday, I sent an e-mail to our congregation and the other folks on my e-mail list and invited them to send in any needs they might have so I could pray over them the following morning. I repeated the offer during the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. A few requests came in Sunday afternoon and evening so I felt good that I had made the offer.

Sunday night, I set the clock for a 5 a.m. wake-up so I could get an early start. Apparently, that wasn't early enough! At 3:33 a.m. I woke up unexpectedly and "knew" that I was to get started. I fixed a cup of coffee and headed downstairs where I put a log on the smoldering embers in the fireplace, settled into my chair, put a John Michael Talbot worship tape in the CD player, and began to pray. As always, I began by praying for the president and all those in authority, the leaders of churches, the persecuted Christians throughout the world, my family, the people at my church, and for the few requests that I had received the previous day.

I did what we call "The Daily Office," a structured prayer time which included scripture, confession of sin, and directed, specific prayers and, by that time, it was 6 a.m. and my wife had left for work. I went back upstairs to the computer, checked my e-mail, and found more prayer needs that had been sent in, dozens and dozens of them. I printed them off, refilled the coffee cup, and went back downstairs, feeling just a bit overwhelmed. At 11:30 a.m., I sent an e-mail to the people who had sent in a prayer request and to the other people on the e-mail list. It read, in part:

“As of this moment, it's about 11:30 a.m. and I am still in prayer for the many, many requests that I received via e-mail. Twice, I have returned to the computer to find still more requests waiting for me each time. I have almost been overwhelmed, not only with the number of needs, but with the seriousness of the needs. Some regard jobs and careers, a number are concerning relationships, others about people in dangerous situations, some deal with spiritual and emotional problems, and not a few involve very serious physical conditions, even life-threatening illnesses and diseases.

“Although most of the requests have come from the local area, a good number of prayer requests have come from as far away as California, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, and China. I thought I might have eight or ten people share their needs with me. I was seriously wrong!

“I have prayed sitting, standing, walking, and kneeling; silently, quietly, out loud, and even with crying and tears at times. I used to wonder how people could pray for more than ten minutes; yet, here it is in excess of eight hours and a goodly number of serious requests remain. I set the clock for 5 a.m. but awoke at 3:33 a.m. today and got up to pray. Two people have written me and reminded me that Jeremiah 33:3 says: ‘Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.’”

It would be 1:30 before I took a break and made two hospital visits and, at 9:30 p.m., I took the remaining requests and finally finished around 11:40 p.m.

When I was an evangelical, Protestant pastor, I saw my task as to "fix" everything that was wrong with people. As a priest, I no longer think that way. My task now is, first of all, to take people to the Lord, especially in prayer, and to bring the presence of the Lord into the lives of people. I can't be one of those guys who prays, "Lord just bless all the people." If people take the time to share their needs, I feel it is incumbent upon me to take them seriously and individually to the Lord. That's why it takes so long. Yet, as long as it took Monday, there was nothing more important to do than what I did.

So here's my offer to those who read this column: If you will send in your needs, I will pray for you. You have to sign your name (Don't worry, I won't send you a request for money!) and you have to realize that God's will for you may different from your own will, at the moment. I can't make any guarantees except that I will take your requests seriously. And who knows what God might do?