The Lord Jesus as Our Example

It’s the explicit will of God that men pray in every place. The Son of God is our great Example in this regard as well: He prayed at the Jordan, in a barren place, in the desert, on the mountain, at the tomb of Lazarus, in the upper room, in Gethsemane and on Calvary. He had no rigid or legal prayer life which was limited to certain places and certain times of day.

His Times of Prayer

We can see this when we think of His prayer times: He prayed early in the morning before sunrise (see Mark 1:35), in the morning (see Luke 23:34), in the afternoon (see Luke 23:46), in the evening (see Mt. 14:23) and during the night (see Luke 6:12).

Men and Public Prayer

God has given men a special responsibility with regard to public prayer. This is especially true of the prayer meetings in the local assembly (church). The Lord Jesus once said with regard to the house of God: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’” (Mt. 21:13). God’s dwelling place should be marked especially by prayer.

• The Greek word ‘ekklesia’—used in the Word of God mostly to indicate the entirety of all born again Christians locally or globally— is best translated as ‘assembly’ although the word ‘church’ is more commonly used in today’s language.
• Since the sisters are to remain silent in the meetings (see 1 Cor. 14:34), it’s the duty of the brothers to pray aloud in the prayer meetings.

The Prayer Meeting

Why is it that the prayer meeting in particular is often the least attended meeting of the local assembly—even though the Lord has promised that He will be present when we gather in His name (see Mt. 18:20)? Why are there often such long pauses between prayers? Dear young brother, let the Lord use you to pray aloud in prayer meetings! He rejoices in this. Surely more believers would again be motivated to come to the prayer meetings if prayer were more lively, more specific, shorter and more expectant. You can be an example to others in this too!

The Sisters’ Silent Prayers

By the way, it should also be completely normal for the sisters to pray when we come together as a local assembly—just not out loud. How valuable and effective are the silent prayers of sisters for spiritual guidance and prophetic words in the meetings! It is said of the prophetess Anna that she “did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:37). This woman’s life revolved entirely around the house of God and His interests. She was aware of the failure of the people. But instead of resigning, she served God with devotion and a humble heart. 

What can you learn from this woman for your life of faith? How can you help to make the ‘prayer meetings’ of local believers more lively and better attended?