“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” - Acts 12:4
What ever happened to prayer meetings? Old timers fondly remember when prayer meetings were pivotal events at the local church. Historically, the origin of great awakenings are often traced to a simple prayer meeting or a series of prayer meetings. Sadly, these are missing from churches these days.
I know that some churches refer to their Wednesday night service as a prayer meeting, but typically it is more of a Bible study class or a shortened preaching service. Prayer is no longer a vital part of church-life. Sure, we have “prayers” in our services, but, for the most part, prayer meetings are no longer being conducted.
I need to make a blunt statement. Most church members aren't interested in prayer meetings. They aren't excited about prayer. If you have a concert or schedule a revival, many of them will attend. If you schedule a prayer meeting, only a few few core members will show up. That is the sad truth.
In the book of Acts, nearly every revival began with a prayer meeting. The Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost after believers had gathered in the upper room for united prayer. As we saw in last week's message, Acts 4 tells how the church responded to persecution by gathering together to pray. In Acts 12, the church gathered to pray after James was murdered and Peter was arrested. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas gathered near a river for a time of prayer, which led to the beginning of the Philippian church. Yes, the early church had prayer meetings. God moved as a result of these special times of prayer.
Why have prayer meetings vanished from churches? I suspect that one reason is that church members have a consumer mindset. People come to church to receive something rather than contribute. Prayer meetings require participation, which makes people uncomfortable. Secondly, many church members simply aren't on praying grounds. They are not right with God themselves. The private prayer-life of the average church member is more like an ember rather than a raging fire. Praying aloud among others terrifies some. Third, I think that most church members think that dedicating an entire service for prayer is a waste of time. They would rather be home watching television.
Tragically, Jesus is no longer a drawing card for most people. They will come if you have a well-known evangelist or professional quartet visiting the church. But if you intend to have a meeting with Jesus as the centerpiece, most won't find this appealing.
We need prayer meetings today. The only hope for America is for a spiritual awakening to occur. Revival is our only hope. Typically, revival comes as God's people gather together to pray. We need prayer meetings once more!
Let me make a few suggestions. First, get on praying grounds yourself. Get alone with God. You may never preach. You may never sing a solo. But you can pray. Start right now. Let God turn the embers of your devotion into a raging fire!
Secondly, get a prayer partner. Find someone of the same gender that you can pray with. Make a covenant to pray for each other daily. Also, meet with this person regularly. You may meet in person, on the phone or via the private messaging of social media. On a consistent basis, meet with this person. Share your burdens. Pray for each other.
Third, think about hosting a prayer meeting in your home or online. It only takes two or three people to have a prayer meeting. For more than ten years now, I've hosted a prayer meeting on Facebook every Thursday night. We use the private chat / messenger feature of Facebook to meet and pray. Consider doing something similar with a few of your friends.
Finally, if your church has a prayer meeting, support it by attending and participating regularly yourself.
Look around. Our nation is deteriorating. Souls are going to hell. Churches sit empty. Don't you think it is time for God's people to gather for prayer? It is time we quit sitting on our hands and pretending everything is okay. We need God desperately.
It is time to pray!
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