Last week’s Prayer
meeting circle expanded again. And the
sharing time was especially warm. I felt
and knew the Presence of the Spirit was with and among us.
This series of
blogs was prompted by a line I read in the writings of Ellen G. White where she
says that “the prayer meetings should
be the most interesting gatherings that are held.” And it made
me wonder “how.” What would it take for
it to be reality? Last week I shared
that the advice she gives is that every person must take a responsibility for
this, and our own prayer life, with which we begin our days is the key, staying
tuned into what God is doing in our lives prepares us for prayer of
thanksgiving and testimony. Interesting people having interesting things
happen make interesting prayer meeting!
Today I like to
bring to bring to you the rest of the statement, where she warns about lack of
concern about prayer meetings and the substitute formality that exists in many
churches. She says that many prayer
meetings are “frequently poorly managed.
Many attend preaching, but neglect the prayer meeting. Here, again, thought
is required. Wisdom should be sought of God, and plans should be laid to
conduct the meetings so that they will be interesting and attractive. The
people hunger for the bread of life. If they find it at the prayer meeting they
will go there to receive it. Long,
prosy talks and prayers are out of place anywhere, and especially in the social
meeting. Those who are forward and ever ready to speak are allowed to crowd out
the testimony of the timid and retiring. Those who are most superficial
generally have the most to say. Their prayers are long and mechanical. They
weary the angels and the people who listen to them. Our prayers should be short and right to the
point. Let the long, tiresome petitions be left for the closet, if any
have such to offer. Let the Spirit
of God into your hearts, and it will sweep away all dry formality.” (Testimonies to the Church, Volume
4. p. 70, 1881)
A few years later
she wrote “the empty seats in our prayer
meetings testify that Christians do not realize the claims of God upon them;
they do not realize their duty to make these meetings interesting and
successful. They go over a monotonous, wearisome round, and return to their
home unrefreshed, unblessed.” (Review & Herald, April 22, 1884)
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It’s simple and
easy to understand.
Letting the Spirit
of God into our lives is the main ingredient to interesting prayer and life.
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