04/21/2025
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"Praying the Church Directory"
A few months ago, Pastor Joe encouraged us to use the church directory as a prayer guide. That idea stuck with me—simple, but meaningful. Not long after, I happened to read something by a woman named Madame Jeanne Guyon that added a whole new layer to that invitation.
She talked about praying through Scripture slowly—really slowly. Like, letting the words sit with you until something stirs in your heart. When that happens, she said, you just pause and turn those words into a prayer. She described it like the difference between a bee landing briefly on a flower versus one that dives deep into it to pull out the nectar. That image stayed with me.
One of her lines really grabbed me:
"Plunge into the very depths of the words you read until revelation, like a sweet aroma, breaks out upon you… if you follow this course, little by little, you will come to experience a very rich prayer life that flows from your inward being."
So I gave it a try. I opened to Genesis 28:10–19, where Jacob is out in the wilderness, running for his life from Esau. And the first thing that hit me was this: “He took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head…” A rock for a pillow. And it immediately made me think of Jesus—how He said He had no place to lay His head.
That got me praying—for people in our church who might feel that same way. Uncomfortable. On the run. Displaced. Maybe not literally, but emotionally or spiritually. I sat with that and just lifted them up to God.
Then I came back the next day—same passage.
“In you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
And I prayed, “Lord, bless them—make them a blessing.” It felt like the kind of prayer God would love to answer.
The next day, another phrase:
“Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.”
That became a prayer for those facing change, uncertainty, or carrying heavy burdens.
Then finally:
“I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
That line just rang out like a promise over our whole church family. And I prayed that everyone would know God’s faithfulness—that we’d all hold onto that hope.
It was just one passage, but it gave me days' worth of prayer.
And something unexpected happened.
As I kept praying, I started noticing the very people I had prayed for on Sundays. I’m naturally more introverted—I’m not the first to walk across the room and start a conversation—but I felt a quiet pull. Like, “Go check in. Ask how they’re doing. See if there’s any update on that thing they asked prayer for last month.” It wasn’t forced. It felt… gentle. Spirit-led.
The prayers I had prayed in private gave me new eyes to see people—and a softened heart that actually wanted to move toward them.
But it went even deeper than that.
As I prayed for others, I began to feel more connected to the church as a whole. Not just as a place I attend, but as a body I belong to. It made me realize—we all need these kinds of prayers. And the more I leaned into that, the more I started to feel the prayers of others for me. Not always through words, but in the small things: a kind look, an unexpected conversation, a moment of being seen.
It’s like as I stepped into that quiet rhythm of praying Scripture over others, I was drawn into the current of God’s grace running through our whole church family.
So… can I encourage you to give it a try?
Here’s what it might look like:
- Pick a short passage. The Gospels or something in Genesis is a great place to start.
- Read slowly. No rush. Let it breathe.
- Listen for what stirs your heart. A phrase, an image, a word.
- Pray it. Turn that into a simple prayer—for someone in the church, or even for yourself.
- Come back to it. The next day, read it again or move to the next verse. Keep listening. Keep praying.
So who is Madame Jeanne Guyon?
She lived in the 1600s in France, and she had this deep belief that prayer didn’t have to be fancy or complicated—it could be as simple as letting Scripture speak to your heart and responding from a place of stillness and trust. She believed anyone—young, old, educated or not—could have a deep, personal relationship with God.
Even though her teachings got her in trouble back then (she was imprisoned for her ideas), her writings have lasted for centuries. And it makes sense—because what she taught was about abiding in God. Being with Him. Listening. Resting in His Word. Letting it shape you and draw you into love for Him and others.
If that kind of prayer life sounds refreshing to you, you might find her perspective encouraging too.
So here’s my encouragement to you:
Open your Bible.
Open your heart.
Open your church directory.
Let God’s Word guide your prayers.
Let love lead you.
And trust that as you pray for others, God is also doing a quiet work in you.
You might be surprised by how deeply He meets you there.
