Concerts of Prayer

CONCERTS OF PRAYER

Our youngest came home excited to share the depths of his first grade knowledge.  “Did you know that in George Washington’s day they only had black and white TVs?”  He might as well have said, “In Washington’s day they had prayer meeting.”

For many people prayer meeting has gone the way of the Edsel and the silent movie. Midweek prayer meetings have vanished like the ghost of Christmas past. Other good church programs occupy the time slots formerly designated for corporate supplication and petition. Family altars have entered the realm of myth and mystery.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Reviving the prayer meeting can be accomplished through spiritual resuscitation. Concerted corporate devotions, or Concerts of Prayer can once again become the furnace which provides passion and heat for your congregation.  Here are some ideas for implementing such events.

1.       Plan a service of prayer for elected officials.  Read together I Timothy 2:1-4. Prepare a list of names of those elected officials which represent your area beginning with the local school board.  Include the names of the mayor, city council members and police chief.  Next list the names of county commissioners and other county officials.  The next part of the list would name state officials: governor, legislators, and other state officers.  Finally compile a list of state Senators and Representatives as well as the President, Vice-President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Have someone prepared to pray for each of these various groups by name, and send the completed list home with each family so they can pray for elected officials on a regular basis.

2.      Pray the Scriptures.  Have someone prepare in advance to read each of the following scriptures and then ask God for a specific request based on the verse they read. 

Read Isaiah 43:10-13 and pray that all nations would recognize that God alone is God the Almighty.

Read Psalm 95:1-6 and pray that men would worship God by seeing Him as the Creator.

Read Psalm 90:1-12 and pray for an understanding heart to accept what God brings into our lives.

Read John 14:27-29 and pray that the promises of God would bring peace to troubled hearts.

Read Matthew 18:21-35 and pray that each believer would learn what it means to be forgiving.

3.      Prepare a short biographical sketch of each missionary supported by your church.  Include information about the country where they serve and the specific requests they have shared in their latest prayer letter.  Distribute these materials ahead of time so that individuals have a chance to read through them and prepare to read them aloud to the rest of the congregation.  After reading the sketch, each individual should then lead in a prayer specifically on behalf of that missionary or missionary family.

4.      Plan a service of prayer for church leaders.  Prepare a list of individuals who serve in the church beginning with the nursery and including all teachers, worship team members, youth leaders and technicians.  Add to that list the names of all those who serve in leadership positions, whether deacons, trustees, other board members, elders or pastors.  Make the list as complete as possible, trying not to leave out anyone.  Then, as the list is read, invite one member of the congregation to volunteer to pray for that person.  The body could also spend time in silent prayer, giving each member the opportunity to bring that specific individual before the throne of God.  Another option would be to invite the group to divide into groups or two or three and pray aloud with each other the prayer on their heart for those leaders.

5.      Plan an evening of thanksgiving and prayer.  Make arrangements in advance with those who would be willing to lead the congregation in corporate praise and prayer in the following areas.

·         Give thanks for the missionary outreach of the church, remembering specific missionaries by name and then praying for them.

·         Give thanks for our nation, listing blessings which we experience because of the freedoms we enjoy and then praying for our nation as well.

·         Give thanks for the world in which we live, rejoicing in the Creator and praying for wisdom to care for the natural world entrusted to the human race.

·         Give thanks for our church, naming specific blessings from recent messages and worship experiences and praying for both the leaders and the people.

6.      Plan a twenty-four-hour united prayer experience.  Prepare a room in the church with a kneeling bench and an open Bible as well as a list of suggestions for a prayer time.  Start well in advance of the designated time and encourage people to sign up for an hour of prayer.  (The time could also be broken down into half hour slots, but that will require more volunteers, of course).  Start after work hours, sometime around 6:00 p.m. on a Friday and go until 6:00 p.m. the following day.  Make arrangements for those who would not be able to come to the church building for prayer during the night to have the list of suggestions with them at home.  Use the following suggestions for the prayer times, and feel free to add to the list as well.

·         Begin by praying scripture.  Read verses on prayer and use God’s own words to speak back to Him with adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

·         Provide a list of specific requests from the missionaries supported by the church.

·         Recall the words of a hymn or praise song and sing your praises to God.

·         Think about the attributes of God and concentrate on Him and all that He has done in our life.

·         Leave a sheet of paper on the kneeling bench so that those who pray can add specific requests for which they want others to pray as well.

·         Include the list of church leaders you prepared for #4 and encourage prayer for them by name.

·         Encourage prayer for those in the community who need salvation.

·         Ask for prayer for the nation and its leaders.

·         Pray for those from the community who serve in the military.  Include a list of names and their branches of service.

After all, as my Uncle Zeke used to say, “A church without prayer is like a Super Bowl without a football.”