Our prayer retreat isn’t quite what it sounds like. It’s not a traditional retreat—it begins with three hours on Friday evening and continues for most of the day on Saturday. And while there is a lot of prayer, it may not look like the kind of prayer you’re used to.
We begin Friday evening with dinner and an introduction to the weekend. We talk about spiritual warfare and spend time identifying the lies the enemy tells us—what they look like and how they sound. As we walk through these lies together, we quickly discover just how unoriginal the enemy is, as many of us hear the same whispers in remarkably similar ways.
Pastor Andy is the first to receive prayer with Debbie—but again, it’s a little different than traditional prayer. Pastor Andy simply begins sharing what’s going on in his life and where he’s struggling, while Debbie listens and takes notes on areas where he may be believing lies. The prayer that follows is similar to the exchange-work prayers we do on Sundays, but with Debbie gently guiding the process and helping identify where the enemy needs to take a hike.
Saturday morning begins with an opportunity to ask questions about the previous night’s prayer and process. Then each participant has a turn to share what’s on their heart, followed by guided prayer with Pastor Andy and Debbie—praying off the bad and praying back in the good. Often times deep wounds arise and are processed, and some participants have been surprised at how light, yet completely exhausted they feel at the end. It’s a guided and protected process, but can be intense in nature!
Each prayer retreat is limited to a maximum of six participants. Pastor Andy and Debbie prayerfully group people together based on many factors, including (but not limited to) responses on the registration questionnaire. Because of this, some people may wait several months before being placed in a group, until the appropriate combination of participants is formed, while others may be added more quickly.