Beloved,
Corporate prayer is a vital element of the church. It was God’s will for His holy temple under the old covenant to be “a house of prayer for all peoples” (Is. 56:7). It is God’s will for His holy temple under the new covenant to be the same which is why directly upon the heels of Pentecost we see the assembled church devoted to “the prayers” (Acts 2:42), followed by a multiplicity of references to corporate prayer throughout this inspired history of the church (e.g. Acts 3:1; 4:24; 6:4; and on-and-on the references go). The prayer life of a congregation is one of the greatest litmus tests of a congregation’s health and vitality. For few things demonstrate our dependence upon and delight in God like seeking His face together in prayer.
I have never met a Christian who is satisfied with his or her prayer life. Every one of us who is self-aware recognizes how deficient and weak we are in this area. And if that is true of each of us on an individual level, then it must likewise be true of us together on a corporate level.
At last night’s session meeting, your elders discussed how we might grow as a congregation in corporate prayer. We are encouraged by the growth we have seen in this area over the years but also recognize we have only just begun. Last night we were particularly considering how to equip and encourage every member, regardless of age or sex, to pray aloud to God. It is wonderful to have many of the men consistently praying in these times (and if that is you, please don’t stop!), but we also want to see the ladies and kids more frequently praying in these times.
We understand it can be intimidating to lift up your voice to pray in a room of 75 other people. Trust me, I used to be absolutely terrified to pray in public. The anxiety I would experience was like invisible hands that would literally choke the breath out of me. The fact that I can now pray in public without carnal fear is a testament of God’s omnipotent grace. And if He can do that work in me, He can do that work in you!
There are, of course, any number of reasons someone might not pray in a corporate prayer meeting, and some of them are legitimate reasons. But as a way of encouragement, I want to briefly address four of the common reasons we don’t pray when, in fact, we ought to.
1. “I don’t know what to say.” Consider ahead of time what you might say in prayer. Is there a particular attribute or work of God you might adore Him for? A particular sin in our congregation or nation you might confess to Him? A particular gift or blessing that you might thank Him for? A particular need that you might petition Him for? When I lead us in congregational prayer, I often have a number of thoughts jotted down in advance to help guide me. You might find it helpful, especially early on, to write out your entire prayer ahead of time on a notecard. It can be as simple as praying word-for-word one of the inspired prayers of Scripture.
2. “I can’t pray like that person.” Others can probably pray longer or more eloquently than you. But corporate prayer is not a competition. We are all on the same team! And God isn’t pleased by a plethora of nice-sounding words anyways (see Jesus’ rebuke of the religious leaders for this in Matthew 6:7). Don’t play the comparison game, allowing the eloquence of others to keep you silent. But that goes the other way too. Don’t play the comparison game, embracing the serpent’s slimy suggestion that no one in the room can pray like you. What matters is not the length of your prayer or the articulateness of your prayer, but the heart that is driving your prayer.
3. “My heart is just not in it tonight.” Why not confess that to Him in corporate prayer and ask Him to change your heart together with all the hearts of His people?
4. “I simply can’t get over the anxious fear.” The reality is you won’t ever get over the anxious fear by catering to it. You must fight it! The reason I no longer get anxious when I pray in public is not because I had some breakthrough moment when God immediately delivered me from all such fear. It was a process of fighting my fears and praying even when it was hard to get words out because I could hardly breathe. Each little victory led to progressive deliverance. Reckon with the fact that the fear of man is a snare (Prov. 29:25) and combat it through the cultivation of a greater fear – the fear of God. You might even find it helpful to write a verse like Isaiah 41:10 and have it before you during prayer meetings: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Friends, can I encourage you, regardless of your age or gender or verboseness, to give yourself to corporate prayer this coming Sunday evening and every prayer meeting thereafter? Along with the prayer list, there will be prayer cards with Bible verses handed out to the kids and available for adults to help in this.
Parents, encourage your kids to pray. Husbands, encourage your wives to pray. Christian, be encouraged to pray and to pray with all your heart.
Oh that God would increasingly make our congregation to be a house of prayer for all nations!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick
