Praying Through The Cherry Orchard
In the years I spent at Ohio State University’s Theatre Department there was one particular quarter where I ran the sound board for The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. The sound board for the theatre was in its own little room. I wore a head set that the Assistant Director, Lighting operator, Stage Manager and a few others had access to speak on. Night in and night out I sat in front of the computer and waited for the Assistant Director to give me the sign to click on the sound effect for each scene. The nights wore on, and I spent my time staring at the computer, watching the play for the twentieth time, and creating my own artwork out of whatever paper and pencils I could find.
One night in particular the students were talking over the headset about random things and the Lighting Operator revealed that she was Wiccan and had just had a reading done. Suddenly all voiced turned to her. Their curiosity was sparked, and they wanted to know more. I have found that people have a supernatural desire in their lives and all so often they don’t know that God has given us the gifts of the Holy Spirit and they go and pursue the deception. People are interested in those kinds of things, and they need to know that God doesn’t like Tarot cards, but we don’t have to go have a reading done, because we serve the one who created the stars and He wants to talk to us! So I piped in the conversation as if electricity perked my ears and said something along the line of, “I’m a Christian and I believe God wants to talk to His people but going and getting a reading done is not Godly.” Well, no one heard me. They were all so caught up in asking questions to the girl, they didn’t pay attention to what I had said.
As I sat on the stool and could see The Cherry Orchard playing below me, I slipped down to my knees in the dark sound room, raised my headset so they couldn’t hear me, and began to pray. I prayed for these people on the head set with me that night. I prayed that they would hear me and what I know what the Holy Spirit wanted me to say. I prayed for boldness, and I prayed that God would give me the words to speak. Finally I got back on that stool and lowered my headset again. This time when I began to explain the difference between the prophetic (a gift from God) and a psychic (the counterfeit from the devil) the voices on the head set heard me. They wanted to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It became an open door for me to set there and begin to preach on the Word. To my knowledge no one gave their lives to the Lord that night, but I know they heard the word and seeds were planted. The Wiccan got quite annoyed with me, but that’s okay I still pray for her.
I love telling that story, because God used it to show me first hand what prayer can do. There was a shift in the spiritual realm that night, not because I was so obedient, but because God wanted those people ministered to. So many times people think that praying is nothing but mumbling a few words that do nothing more than ease a conscious or give us the veiled thought of some kind of control. But the Bible says different! James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Proverbs 15:29 says, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.” James 4:2 says, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”
Praying isn’t something that we go and recite a few memorized words. But it’s something from the heart. God wants to have fellowship with His children. He loves it when we talk to Him. I teach people all the time to talk to God just like you would talk to your best friend. You don’t need to get out the King James Version of the Bible and say your Theyth, and thy’s. You just need to talk Him. Be His friend. Tell Him when something is bothering you. He wants to be your friend, but you have to let Him be that for you. It’s absolutely silly when people don’t talk to God. If you don’t talk to your best friend how will they still be your best friend? You must communicate with God. Talk to Him, and allow Him to answer you. I promise you that you’ll be glad you did.
One night in particular the students were talking over the headset about random things and the Lighting Operator revealed that she was Wiccan and had just had a reading done. Suddenly all voiced turned to her. Their curiosity was sparked, and they wanted to know more. I have found that people have a supernatural desire in their lives and all so often they don’t know that God has given us the gifts of the Holy Spirit and they go and pursue the deception. People are interested in those kinds of things, and they need to know that God doesn’t like Tarot cards, but we don’t have to go have a reading done, because we serve the one who created the stars and He wants to talk to us! So I piped in the conversation as if electricity perked my ears and said something along the line of, “I’m a Christian and I believe God wants to talk to His people but going and getting a reading done is not Godly.” Well, no one heard me. They were all so caught up in asking questions to the girl, they didn’t pay attention to what I had said.
As I sat on the stool and could see The Cherry Orchard playing below me, I slipped down to my knees in the dark sound room, raised my headset so they couldn’t hear me, and began to pray. I prayed for these people on the head set with me that night. I prayed that they would hear me and what I know what the Holy Spirit wanted me to say. I prayed for boldness, and I prayed that God would give me the words to speak. Finally I got back on that stool and lowered my headset again. This time when I began to explain the difference between the prophetic (a gift from God) and a psychic (the counterfeit from the devil) the voices on the head set heard me. They wanted to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It became an open door for me to set there and begin to preach on the Word. To my knowledge no one gave their lives to the Lord that night, but I know they heard the word and seeds were planted. The Wiccan got quite annoyed with me, but that’s okay I still pray for her.
I love telling that story, because God used it to show me first hand what prayer can do. There was a shift in the spiritual realm that night, not because I was so obedient, but because God wanted those people ministered to. So many times people think that praying is nothing but mumbling a few words that do nothing more than ease a conscious or give us the veiled thought of some kind of control. But the Bible says different! James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Proverbs 15:29 says, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.” James 4:2 says, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”
Praying isn’t something that we go and recite a few memorized words. But it’s something from the heart. God wants to have fellowship with His children. He loves it when we talk to Him. I teach people all the time to talk to God just like you would talk to your best friend. You don’t need to get out the King James Version of the Bible and say your Theyth, and thy’s. You just need to talk Him. Be His friend. Tell Him when something is bothering you. He wants to be your friend, but you have to let Him be that for you. It’s absolutely silly when people don’t talk to God. If you don’t talk to your best friend how will they still be your best friend? You must communicate with God. Talk to Him, and allow Him to answer you. I promise you that you’ll be glad you did.
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