If Someone Says—
‘Pray with me first, then give me your message’

You might reply: ‘I’m glad to know that you are a person who appreciates the importance of prayer. Jehovah’s Witnesses also pray regularly. But there is something that Jesus said about when and how to pray that may be new to you. Did you know that he told his disciples not to offer public prayers with a view to having others see that they were devout, praying persons? . . . (Matt. 6:5)’  Then perhaps add: ‘Notice what he went on to say should be of primary concern to us and what we should put first in our prayers. That is what I have come to share with you. (Matt. 6:9, 10)’ (Reasoning from the Scriptures, page 295)

The advice listed above is taken from the field ministry aid I was given when I began my life as one of Jehovah’s-door-knockin’-Witnesses back in 1996. I was instructed NOT to allow anyone outside of my religion to lead prayer. In fact, I wasn’t even allowed to pray audibly with the Jehovah’s Witness woman who conducted a Bible study with me until I was a baptized publisher approved by the leadership. The week after I’d been baptized at an assembly, we had lunch together and she announced “I guess I can let you pray for us now.” Let me? Being my first public prayer, I fumbled through a quick and uncomfortable blessing over our meal hoping I did it right.

Apparently it's not normal to pray for several hours a day. To organize lists of individuals, groups, and situations for a weekly prayer binder is just weird. But I remember when it began over a decade ago and have only God to blame. I was driving in my car when God spoke to my heart saying "you don't know how to pray."  It perplexed me for a few days not knowing what more there was to prayer than I'd already been doing, but the words persisted so I took the bait and submitted by asking "okay then, teach me to pray." From that day forward, the Holy Spirit took me on a prayer journey. And I became one of those weird people known as an intercessor. I guess. I don't know, I just know I'm goofy and I pray a lot. The title of "Intercessor" somehow makes it sound  more dignified.

As the hostess of this ministry's Prayer Meetup from 2009-2017, I can honestly say I've prayed for hundreds, quite likely thousands, of active and former Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, their family and friends, and those who minister to them. 

During most of those years I also worked as a house cleaner which afforded me the silence to pray while scrubbing other people's toilets. Yes, intercession is sometimes that glamorous. In addition to the Prayer Meetup, I was also hosting the discussion groups for former Mormons and Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses and as the ministry emails and phone calls mounted up, I slowly let go of my day job.

As we pray for our loved ones in the Watchtower, it is my prayer that we focus on their faith and not their flaw. Their faith may be sincere, yet misdirected and therefore flawed indeed. However, I praise God for noticing the offering of every active Jehovah's Witness who prays and witnesses from a place of faith in HIM for I believe what He sees is far deeper than what we see. God treasures faith. 

She was in the wrong religion. The leaders she trusted took her offerings but did not shepherd her through her losses. She had little left to give and yet in her sincerity gave all because she had nowhere else to go. So day after day she spent her faith serving an outdated religion set for the fall. But some had already left it to follow the truth and watched her activities pondering the outcome as her insignificant offering was taken up by the shepherds fleecing their flock.

Stop right there. What is stirring in your heart? Do you run to tell her? Do you rail against her religion and it's leadership? Do you plead in prayer and ask Jesus to show Himself to her?

I was in prayer this morning having a lot of thoughts about the difference between prayer and worship. In prayer, we often spend the time petitioning. And we are indeed called to do that. But petition takes us out of the present. It focuses on future desire, "God, please help so-and-so overcome..." But worship has no past or future but only brings you into the present. And a stream of thoughts was filling me on how to present this truth to you. As Jehovah's Witnesses we were very "thinking" oriented. And even now, as we engage in Bible study we are using our minds. But over and over we see Scriptures encouraging us to live in a place called Spirit.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.... unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:3-6)

Look back at that passage. Do you notice what the Spirit allows us to do? To SEE the kingdom of God. We actually ENTER it when born of Spirit. And that which is born of the Spirit is…. ?

Whenever Christians find out how Jehovah's Witnesses practice their version of communion at the annual Memorial, they're usually pretty shocked. "You mean no one eats the bread or drinks the wine?" That's right. It's only for the remnant of the 144,000. A very small number in relation to the 8 million Witnesses who claim an "earthly hope." Most Kingdom Halls have no one at all who is "allowed" to partake that night. And so, bread and wine get passed from person to person with a very conscious decision not to partake. They are rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in favor of "Jehovah's arrangement" set forth by the Watchtower Society. 

I attended my last Memorial in 2002 or 2003. I'm not sure. But I do know when I first partook of the bread and wine with full understanding that the sacrifice Jesus made was for me. September 9, 2007 was a very joyous day and I've never stopped appreciating this remembrance ritual whether gathered with other believers at church or at home alone. 

But is it a mere ritual? To some, perhaps. But communion has become a form of prayer for me. And as I contemplate with sadness the upcoming Memorial of 2018 in which Jehovah's Witnesses will once again confirm their rejection of Jesus Christ, I'm reminded of the intimacy they will all miss out on and the lessons God taught me one sleepless night when I listened close to what His indwelling Spirit had to teach me.

On April 11, 2017, Jehovah's Witnesses will celebrate their annual Memorial in Kingdom Halls worldwide.

"We want to pray for Jehovah's Witnesses, that their eyes might be opened and come to the Lord Jesus this Memorial. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16). As some may know, the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to partake of the bread and wine.

However, Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no eternal life in you." (John 6:53) Let's also pray for those who have left and are seeking for the Lord still! Pray that they will come to know and experience God's grace and love and mercy and come to Christ. Such a hard and long road, with all the WT teachings so ingrained.

Please spread the word about this event! We will begin our prayers on April 11th at 3 pm Mountain time and will continue until the Memorial is over."

Last month I shared an article called No One Is Born a Prayer Warrior. This month I have some encouraging news about one man's journey in learning to pray for his wife. This is one of the FASTEST turn-arounds I've ever had the privilege of watching because what I am about to share happened within less than 3 weeks.

I once heard a story about some tourists traveling through a little village. They had gone to the sites on the tour map indicating where famous people were born or landmark events happened. They were unfamiliar with this place so they asked one of the locals, "were any great men born in this village?" The local resident replied, "no, only babies."