Brothers, I feel compelled to share a couple of things about our mid-week prayer meeting that I hope will benefit any who read our blog. First, I wanted to explain the format of prayer meeting so people can get a sense of what we do on Wednesdays. We pick up a congregational prayer sheet as we come in and begin by singing for about 15 minutes. We then move through the prayer sheet which includes praises, petitions for the sick and injured, and various kinds of special requests, sharing new items and asking for updates as we go along. We then break into men/women and get assigned several requests from the sheet and from there split into groups of 2 or 3. In our smallest groups we share additional personal needs and requests as well as how we are doing spiritually. It is a wonderful time of small group and one on one admonishment and encouragement. I feel that it’s one of the best times our church has to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” (Heb 10:24)

On the first Wednesday of the month we pray through either the Lord’s Prayer or the gospel. Before we begin we split into groups of 2-3 by gender. Then we go through each of about 7 points by singing a song pertinent to that aspect of the prayer and then praying through the point in our small groups all at once. We keep working like that through the entire Lord’s Prayer or gospel outline. If anyone is interested I could pass along the sheets that include guidelines for what to pray.

Second, I want to recognize that the practice of the mid-week prayer meeting has fallen under hard times. Many churches change this meeting into more of a bible study, bypassing much of the relationship building time that can happen with small group interaction and extended prayer. Many believers who are caught up in the suburban model of filling their lives with long work hours and endless activities simply can’t or won’t fit prayer meeting into their busy schedules. And many churches haven’t established the priority and commitment of church membership so that they even have a platform to instruct members in the necessity of coming to prayer meeting (for their own good as well as the good of the rest of the body). So let me challenge all of us to be faithful to “not forsake our own assembling together” (Heb 10:25) and make every opportunity to gather together with your brothers and sisters in Christ for fellowship and encouragement. If you don’t have a prayer meeting, consider starting one up whether it’s church-wide or just a men’s or women’s group.

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