Prayer meetings usually have the poorest attendance of any meeting on the church schedule. It is the meeting most likely to be crowded out by competition from other activities. Many churches have cancelled prayer meeting for lack of interest. What in this world has happened to our prayer meetings, or rather to our prayer life?
As I looked to God for the answer to this question, I discovered a startling insight. I noticed that my own prayers needed a completely different focus. My major emphasis was on a list of things I wanted God to do. I also noticed that this is what most of us usually do in prayer meetings. What does this reveal about our relationship to the Lord?
Have we actually carried this mentality into our prayer life? Are we coming to God Himself primarily to get Him to do something for us?
Isn’t it easy to get so caught up in the fever of “getting things done” that we do not take time to nurture love, to listen and to mend wounded hearts and broken relationships with God and people?
Paul’s missionary ministry was borne in a prayer meeting devoted not to asking God for anything but to ministering to Him through worship (Acts 13:2). God met them and they really got something done. Their love for God and one another overwhelmed the heathen world and threatened to put the idol industry out of business (Acts 19:24-27).
A revolution of our prayer life needs to begin right here. Instead of rushing into the presence of God with a lot of requests, couldn’t we humbly try to find out if our love relationship with Him is alive and well today?
Shouldn’t the first concern of our prayers be to abide in His love? Jesus taught this in John chapter 15. He told His disciples that we are related to Him in a life of love like branches to a vine. A branch has to abide in the vine to bear fruit. Otherwise, the branch will die (vs. 6). Without Him we can do nothing of eternal value (vs. 5). Our prayers may go on but they will be like talking to a wounded mate who is no longer listening.
Our weak prayer meetings can be revived. As Pastor Ken Rogers of Lewisville Bible Church (Lewisville, Tex.) put it: “Revival is the supernatural stirring of God’s people which turns them back to God in love and devotion.”
© Oliver W. Price, Bible Prayer Fellowship 2023
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