Practical Hints on the Prayer Meeting

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 7
Pray for the prayer meeting, and go to it. Go to pray. Don’t wait to begin praying until it is time to close. Withstand apathy and fatigue. Remember the prophet’s lament in Isaiah 64:77And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. (Isaiah 64:7): “There is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast hidden Thy face from us.” Let that not be said about you and me.
If you lead in prayer, pray aloud, don’t whisper, mumble or pray with your face buried in your hands. Such prayer [may raise] the flesh in another straining to hear. Follow righteousness, even when praying, and let all things be done in love.
Pray briefly, considering the young and the weak. It is thoughtless to weary people already wearied from a hard day’s toil by rambling. Dear Mr. Wigram once said to a brother, “You prayed me into a holy frame of mind, and then prayed me out of it again.” The longest audible prayer in the New Testament is the sublime address of the Son to the Father in John 17; it probably occupied about five minutes.
(Ed. Note: In balance, it is good to remember, too, that when our blessed Saviour was in private prayer to His Father, He “continued all night in prayer to God.” But this was private, not public, prayer.)
Eschew theological prayers. Mr. Darby spoke of them as a “real iniquity.” If we pray to show off our knowledge, we do not pray to God. How can I pray thus if I feel that I am speaking to Him?
When praying, avoid ventilating grievances, thoughtlessly grieving someone, or praying at a brother or sister. To pray at people is cowardly and hypocritical, for in doing so we pretend to pray to God, whereas we are in reality preaching at man.
When the prayer meeting is over, as you would refrain from poison, so refrain from gossip, scandal or empty talk. Such conversation robs us of all the good we have gained in the prayer meeting. Let us rather talk about what we have been praying about. Remember that the prayer meeting is the pulse—the lifeblood—of the assembly, and hence be concerned about its state and fluctuations. Attendance at the prayer meeting is an indication of the spiritual health and vitality of the assembly.
“He spake  .  .  .  unto them  .  .  .  that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:11And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Luke 18:1)).
“They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:4242And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)).
“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:55Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (Acts 12:5)).
Adapted from a tract