The Power of Community

Posted by Roger on Jul 30, 2010 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

Although reluctant at first, I finally caved last summer and joined the wonderful world of Facebook. I’m also theoretically LinkedIn and you can follow me on Twitter, but I’m not actually doing anything there worth following. I’m intrigued by the relatively new realm of social media. Of course, I’m just as thrilled as the next person to see what exciting things my friends are doing in Farmville, or what they’re having for dinner, what their crazy kids have done this time, or what ridiculous video they’ve uncovered on YouTube. I think we’ve all discovered which of our friends have just a little too much time on their hands, haven’t we? But still, it’s fun.

Recently I had the opportunity to discover a new and real value for social media in my life. We’ve been dealing with a few medical issues in the last month as my daughter had a surgery on her ear and I underwent some diagnostic tests, and generally have just spent way too much time in doctors’ offices. With just one email chain and a couple of posts on Facebook I was able to activate a powerful network of 296 FB friends and extended family, my CCC men’s group and some co-workers to lift us up in prayer. Literally within minutes I had friends and family from California to Florida and sea to shining sea calling out our names in prayer to Almighty God asking for His grace and healing. Even people I otherwise might never have individually reached out to were now aware of our situation and were praying for us. I can’t even begin to describe the peace and comfort it brought us during what was otherwise an extremely anxious time in our lives just to hear the replies and know we were cared for and surrounded with prayerful support.

I need to pause at this point and give thanks to God that my daughter came through what ended up being a fairly invasive surgery very well, and my symptoms are not an indication of anything serious. I believe God heard those prayers and answered with “yes”. It’s been a humbling experience. I think it illustrates a bit of what James 5:16 talks about. God is omni-present and Jesus promised He would be with us always, but sometimes I need a physical hand to hold, or a real shoulder to cry on, or an audible voice or email to remind me God is in control. I think God knew we’d need that from time to time and provided a tremendous resource in the network of believers around us to be His hands, shoulder or voice in those moments. I don’t believe He intended for us to go it alone—there’s real power in community. It’s our awesome responsibility to lift each other in prayer. Lean on your social network today.