P – Prayer: 5th Step in The RECAP Model
Here we are with the best for last!
Prayer is a closure of our Group time together, a connect God and not just each other and a time where we can grow closer in our faith.
We can pray for many things.
- We can lift up the lows that were mentioned in the high/lows when we started
- We can pray about the commitments made in the Activate portion we just completed
- We can thank God for the highs and celebrate His goodness
- We can add any additional prayer requests people may have
Pro Tip: If people are sharing prayer requests, ask them to just give a gist or to pray out their request. Sometimes prayer requests can go on longer than actual prayer and it is a good habit to just pray them out more that share all the details.
There are several different ways we can pray together.
- Popcorn prayer – people can pray their concern in a word or two or maybe a phrase. It’s called popcorn because as people say their one or two words, they may pray at the same time as others saying their word or phrase at the same time. It usually starts just life popcorn popping – one person says a word prayer and then another until the “popping” starts to be simultaneous. The words could be a name, a concern, a place, etc. Usually a Leader stats with a couple sentences sharing with God what we are going to be doing and then there is a designated finisher. This can be a wonderful way for people less comfortable with praying out loud in front of others to step out if they only need to say one or two words.
- Leader prayer – The Leader simply prays for all. This could work well on the occasions when the discussion takes longer than usual.
- Assigned prayers – Different people represent different topics, possibly as requested by the Leader, or simply as they feel led.
- Smaller groups – break up into groups of 2-3, and pray in those groups.
Prayer is meeting with God as we close out our Groups. It’s lifting up our lives – the good, the bad, the needs, and connecting with him there.