Prayer Meetings

.... The ‘agenda’ we learned from the model prayer (a.k.a. the Lord’s prayer,) was designed for our personal, devoted prayer times, when we are able to focus our undivided attention on the Lord (Matthew 6:6). But what about Christians coming to- gether corporately, in a prayer meeting?

.... "for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."

(Isaiah 56:7)

.... Because corporate prayer involves many Christians together, it requires a certain discipline, especially in deciding who will speak at any time and what they will be saying. This is because everyone should be in agreement with the speaker (James 1:6-7). And for this very reason, this module on prayer has intentionally followed our previous modules on the oracles of God (v 5). Because the first person who should always be speaking is God Himself, and we should all begin by listening to Him. Let's put two Scriptures together to explore this concept further:

.... "for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."

(Isaiah 56:7)

.... "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few . . . a fool's voice is known by his many words."

(Ecclesiastes 5:1-3)

.... Prayer begins by drawing near to listen to God, to inquire about His heart and mind to insure that we're on the same page with Him. This is where we'll learn what He wants us to pray about: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5).

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.... Therefore true, effective prayer may begin with a silent (and perhaps extended) time of quiet attentiveness, in which the Lord's thoughts are explored in a manner that is similar to contemplating prophecy. As God expresses His will to us in this way and we listen intently, we'll come to understand the leading of the Holy Spirit clearly and He'll emerge as the meeting's true prayer leader (1 Corinthians 2:10). And as we respond in prayer, by seeking the Lord's will in the things He's revealed to us, we know that our prayers will be effective:

.... "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

(1 John 5:14-15)

.... When our prayer is focused in this manner it will always be effective, but it also presents many of us with a need for correction. Most modern prayer meetings are dominated by the concept that nature abhors a vacuum. As the prayer warriors gather together they are (by their own description) ‘bombarding heaven’ with their requests. If one speaker falls silent for even a moment, it is the queue for another, who immediately enjoins so the barrage may continue. They are praying for everything that comes to mind, using a scatter-gun approach that is simply designed to cover all the bases.

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.... But true corporate prayer would be highly reflective in nature. Words would be few because most of their time would be spent in listening to God, as a prophet would do, in order to know His mind more fully. When someone did perceive His thoughts, they would only pray aloud when they felt prompted to do so and they'd be careful not to go beyond what they'd received.

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.... If they'd really heard from the Lord, other Christians in the meeting would be hearing the same things, so it would naturally hold their attention and agreement. And this would allow them to follow up on the same prayer topics with further refinements as the entire revelation was developed and pieced together between them. In this manner they would be praying exactly what God wished them to pray, exactly what was on His heart, and in full agreement – a perfect bull’s eye, rather than a scatter-gun approach:

.... "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

(Matthew 6:7)

.... Thus prophecy and prayer should go together naturally, turning our prayer into a conversation with God in which He leads and we respond as the conversation unfolds.

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.... So when you join with other Christians to pray, listen reflectively and meditate on the things God is showing you before speaking up about them. And be aware of the prayers of others, who may already be articulating the same puzzle pieces you're still working on. It's okay if there are long periods of silence; it’s okay to ask the Lord for clarification and to wait on Him, because this is a conversation – but overall, try to speak neither rashly nor hastily. This is not a pep rally. God is the audience of your prayer, and not just each other.

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.... And since you know He will hear when you pray according to His will, you'll invest your time wisely in discerning His will first of all, for you know He will grant these requests when they are made to Him (1 John 5:14-15). Take Him seriously in these things and do it His way, and watch how serious He is responds to you, in turn (James 4:8).

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Daily Bible Reading: Acts 26