Don't Watch. Pray.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." — Matthew 6:5

If God doesn't speak to the rest of you, please bow your head. Do not watch who is coming. Just pray for those people.

That's what I said that Sunday when God stopped the service. People were coming forward for prayer. Some were dealing with medical needs. Others were facing financial struggles. Some were carrying burdens they couldn't even name.

And I had to tell the rest of the church: Don't watch. Pray.

Do you know why? Because we have this tendency to become spectators. We watch other people respond to God. We watch them go forward. We watch them worship. We watch them serve. We watch them pray. And somehow, watching makes us feel like we're participating when we're not.

But God doesn't call us to be spectators. He calls us to be intercessors.
When someone else is responding to God, that's not your cue to observe. It's your cue to pray. When someone else is stepping out in faith, that's not entertainment. It's an opportunity for you to stand with them before the throne of God.

Don't watch who is coming. Don't compare their struggle to yours. Don't evaluate whether their need is as serious as it could be. Don't judge whether they should be coming forward or not.

Just pray.

Pray for those people. Lift them up. Agree with them that God hears. Believe with them that God cares. Stand in the gap for someone who needs your intercession.

Here's the truth: You'll never mature spiritually as long as you're watching other people follow God. You have to participate. You have to engage. You have to pray.

So let me ask you: Are you watching or praying? Are you observing or interceding? The church doesn't need more spectators. We need more prayer warriors. Don't watch. Pray.