Following up on last week’s theme (here), these articles on corporate prayer provide good challenges for us in our age which prizes prayer so individualistically. One conviction that is growing in me is that we as Christians (myself included!) need to spend dedicated time and attention to our Lord in prayer, both personally and corporately. Read, be challenged, be encouraged, and grow!
- We begin with a helpful post by Tim Challies about how to lead a prayer meeting. While this might seem aimed only at pastors or those like them, I’ll suggest instead that each of the points he makes are every bit as helpful for those attending a prayer meeting. Often, we come with preconceived ideas and agendas and, therefore, find such meetings boring or irrelevant. Tim gives wise advice to cure those temptations…
- Geoffrey Kirkland offers a challenge that makes Tim’s article even more relevant: it’s hard to hold a good prayer meeting if nobody shows up! But why would you come? Why would you carve out even more time in a busy week? Geoffrey offers a number of explanations, but one of the more potent is this one: “…in the Bible prayer almost always precedes the blessings of God upon the church…”
- Lastly, John Piper explains a quick method he uses (which is aimed at personal prayer, but would apply to praying together also) to pray for joy in Christ. And which of us doesn’t need to grow in our joy and to share it with others?
