Increase of Prayer in the Church

This week, in my home country there was a horrific event.   Seventeen people were slaughtered in a High School in Florida.  Many others were injured.   That began the usual back and forth:   Prayers and thoughts for the victims…Then the response from unbelievers.  Prayers are not enough or prayers don’t do anything.

I felt convicted that the responsibility in large part to this tragedy and the tragedies that occurs on a far too regular basis on this Earth rests with God’s people and their relative prayerlessness.

When I first came to the Lord, many churches had dedicated prayer areas and dedicated prayer times.   That really isn’t the case anymore.   Just checking the web sites of many churches – prayer meetings are not listed.  If a church does have a prayer room, it is often the least used corner of the church.

I felt the Lord saying as I was pondering all of this that it’s not that prayer doesn’t work, it is that God’s people are not praying.

In this, we are not talking about private prayer where you are praying for your family or your needs, but are praying for your community, your schools, etc.

Today, we are not asking for God to raise up prayer warriors, but that God puts the emphasis for prayer in the heart of every believer.   We need a praying Church.  Imagine what God can do.   

As usual, we will be sharing verses from the ESV or English Standard Version of the bible as we begin with our Faith builder verse today.

FAITH BUILDER VERSE:  

JOHN 14::13

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

As usual, we like to begin our prayer time with a time of Thanksgiving.   We believe that an attitude of thanksgiving mixed with our faith is how we enter the Throne Room of our heavenly Father.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

PSALM 9:1

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

PRAYER TOPIC:  

As we pray today, please focus on yourself, your church, your community and your nation. 

I know that in some parts of the world, prayer is taken very seriously.  I am thinking of brothers and sisters in Africa, Korea, and China and many other places.   Please if you are in an area where there is much prayer, then please pray for us where prayer is often ignored or minimized.

In the West, God is developing a prayer movement with houses of prayer or in Europe 24/7 prayer.   I believe this is happening because of the general prayerlessness of the local church.   We will certainly pray for these ministries, but we are praying for God to bring prayer back to the local church in a big way.

Will Prayer change things?

The Lord says in 2^nd Chronicles 7:14

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This is a promise from God.  There will be those that will point out that he made this to ancient Israel.   However, scripture makes clear that God is the same.

HEBREWS 13:8:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

MATTHEW 18:19-20

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

If things are going to change, it will be through the church.  It will be the church on its knees, not the church in political power.   We, as believers, must humble ourselves before our Heavenly Father and pray.  

Today we will be praying for:

God to convict the church of the need to pray

For every believer to understand the need for prayer in this hour

For Church leaders to put a focus on a return to corporate prayer

For para church ministries such as houses of prayer and 24/7 prayer to continue to grow

PRAYER FOR THE LOST:

Finland   Population: 5.5 million

Affiliation:   about 75 percent Christian 25 percent non affiliated.

We don’t know how many are actually followers of Jesus Christ.

Contact Us:

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Thank you for praying with us today.  Remember, God hears you and loves you and desires a deeper relationship with you. Until we come together again for prayer be blessed.