Prayer

Last night at my Mansion Builders Bible Study we had an amazingly convicting lesson. We have been studying 1 Peter, but we took a break from that this week. The lesson was semi-topical, but we stayed in one place, 1 John 4:11-21. The way that Mr. Little taught this lesson was just mind boggling to me. It was so convicting. The main idea of this set of verses is that if you are truly saved (we know the author is addressing other believers because he starts the passage with "Beloved") you will love other believers and have a passion to put them before yourself. This passage also talks about how when we as believers love each other, God is glorified through us obeying what he is commanding us to do. This passage also talks about the fact that you cannot love God and not love your fellow believer. It also clearly states that you are not saved because you love your fellow believers, love of the brethren is just a defining characteristic, not a way of salvation.

After the lesson, we had small group time like we always do, the boys stay downstairs and the girls go up to the family room on the main level to discuss the lesson and give prayer requests. Most of the time in small groups, the leaders are the only ones who talk, but this week was different, almost every single girl had a comment about the lesson. Then we took prayer requests, which took awhile because we kept getting distracted and started talking about other things. Finally Sue, our fearless leader, said, "Alright girls, would someone like to pray for all of these requests?" When no one raised their hands, I spoke up and said that I would. Everyone was shocked, including my leaders. Sue said, "Annastazia, that's wonderful! I'm so happy you want to pray out loud!" At first I was really confused, but then I remembered that this was the first time I had prayed out loud in front of this group of girls. It's not that I didn't want to, the opportunity was never presented. At my youth group in Ogallala, it seemed like I was the only one who ever volunteered to pray. It got to the point where Amy would stop asking the other girls if they wanted to pray and would just say, "Annastazia, will you pray for us?".

Last year at National Day of Prayer, when FCA was running it, I was asked multiple times to pray on stage in front of everyone, but I always said no. Had it been a bunch of girls, I would have, but it is not fitting for a woman to lead men in prayer. It is also not fitting for a woman to teach or have authority over men in the church or such settings. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 state this quite well.

"11. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint."

Momma always tells me to reread these verses when I am struggling with leadership issues. Like last year in FCA and in praise band. It's hard not to have that desire to lead, but that is a man's job. We constantly teach these verses to the Girls of Grace girls. This is one of the reasons that Girls of Grace was started: to teach girls at a young age how to be submissive, godly women. I have been reading a lot of passages on the role of the woman lately. It is so interesting how I can read and reread passages that I have grown up reading and still learn something new every time. It is just absolutely amazing.

On a side note, I found a bunch of my old devotional books in a box in my basement last week. It has been so cool to look through them and read even though I have read and reread them all so many times.