The Staple

Growing up in the Pentecostal church, Tuesday night prayer meetings were a church-wide staple the whole family attended. We usually gathered in smaller groups at a church member’s house or sometimes we rotated from house to house. Tuesdays were also a day set aside for fasting from food to help focus our prayer time and communion with God. Prayer meetings opened with a few favorite praise and worship songs, followed by a time of prayer where we collectively brought the needs of our church community to God, and offered praise and thanks for answered prayers and provision.

Those prayer meetings I attended in my childhood and early adulthood came back to mind this fall when Pastor Mark started a weekly prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays.  We have the option to zoom in or attend in person at the church.  I try to hop on when I can, and it is always such a welcome spiritual pick-me-up when I do attend.

There is a sense of peace and power in prayer that cannot be felt in any other way, a joy, and a release that comes from resting in our Father’s bosom, and letting him fix it for us, whatever IT may be. There’s a communal bond that grows when we come together to bring the needs of our church community before God. Sitting with others in prayer, sharing the needs of others, and lifting them up to God, brings an awareness of the suffering of others, increases our empathy, and helps us focus on something other than our own needs, even if just for a while.

Our midweek prayer time is truly a time of refreshing. If you, like me, struggle with the discipline of waking early and committing the first part of your day to prayer, try joining the midweek prayer time at church, whether in person or online. I bet you too will find it a welcome oasis in the midst of your busy week, a time to be reminded that He is in control, and we can surrender our needs, our wills, our burdens to Him, confident that our God is able to fix it in the best possible way for our eternal souls and His eternal glory.

Here are some Scriptures that help me with the “HOW?” and WHY?” of prayer:

Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus instructs us on how to pray.

"This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us to pray in every situation:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs us to:

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

James 5:16 emphasizes the power of prayer, especially when combined with confession and mutual support within the Christian community:

"confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."

**Also, check out these two resources on prayer: The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis

An online study guide on Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer  by CS Lewis