Prayer is a dialogue with God that reveals what matters to us the most. You can discover a person's chief ambitions, anxieties and hopes if you can listen in on their prayers. Prayers are a window into the heart. Prayers pull back the curtain and disclose whether one is consumed primarily with immediate personal matters alone or the material and spiritual needs of others as well. Yes, prayer is a window into the heart.

In Philippians 4:6 Paul states, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In saying “everything,” it is very clear that Paul believes we should bring all our burdens and concerns to God – big and small. But the truth is many a Christian goes through seasons of prayer when what fills the horizon of the mind are only the smaller matters that clamor for attention and he or she is at a loss for how to pray for the church in significant ways.

Expanding Your Vision in Prayer

There are a few remedies for this clouded and truncated vision. One, is to read the prayers of the saints in the Bible. Peer into their hearts and hear the corporate concern of David, Solomon, and Daniel. Observe how they identify themselves with the sins, failures and burdens of the people. Read the prayers of Jesus and the apostles. What mattered to them? How did they pray for God’s people? What did they beseech God for? Then seek to emulate them by praying right along with their prayers while adapting them to your own current situation.

Another remedy is to pray with others. Jesus taught and modeled private prayer. He would often separate Himself from the disciples and spend the evening in solitary prayer. On one occasion he rebuked the Pharisees for their public ostentatious displays of prayer (Matthew 6:5) and urged the disciples to pray in the privacy of their “closets.” But the New Testament also makes clear, by both principle and example, that corporate prayer has an important place in the life of the church.

After the Lord’s ascension, the early church gathered in constant prayer as they awaited the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Luke goes on to record that soon after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the disciples devoted themselves to the “apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer” (Acts 2:42). Speaking of the gathered assembly, Paul instructs Timothy saying, he desires “that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:8).

The Benefit of Corporate Prayer

Prayer meetings have a way of broadening our vision by setting matters before us we never considered on our own. Perhaps it was the result of how those leading the meeting carefully prepared or simply the insight others have by serving the Lord in contexts foreign to you. Praying with others can also energize and animate our prayers as we participate in this expression of fellowship with a common corporate vision. We are buoyed by realizing we are not alone in this journey of faith. e zeal of the person praying with such passion next to me can be not so much a rebuke as a motivation to share this very same passion.

Praying Together More Often

We have several smaller venues and opportunities for corporate prayer at GBC. You will nd them listed on our weekly bulletin. But the elders recently concluded that we could excel still more by providing another context open to the entire body.

At the beginning and conclusion of our Fall Prayer Partnership last year we held a Sunday evening prayer meeting for one hour. It was much like the prayer meeting that we held on a weekly basis during the first several years of this church plant. It is our conviction that our congregation could greatly bene t from this spiritual discipline.

We are organizing an evening prayer meeting to be held every last Sunday of the month. e meeting will be held in the worship center from 7:00-8:00 PM and will include a time of praise. For now, the meetings will have structured and directed prayer. Our first meeting will be February 26.

I urge you to make plans to come and join us for this time of prayer for our local body and the ministry of the church at large. We live in turbulent and exciting times and our congregation has ministry opportunities across the globe. ere is much to pray for.

A Final Motivation

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The apostle Paul lifts our sights to the immeasurable capacity and power of our Lord to whom we pray. Commenting on these verses, the late John Stott draws our attention to each point of emphasis:

1. He is able to DO (He acts)
2. He is able to do what WE ASK (He hears)
3. He is able to do what we ask or THINK (He knows our thoughts)
4. He is able to do ALL that we ask or think (He has no limits)
5. He is able to do MORE than all we ask or think (His greater vision)
6. He is able to do ABUNDANTLY more than... (His greater power)
7. He is able to do FAR more abundantly than... (The extent of His greater power)

Tony Sanelli is a Pastor/Teacher at Grace Bible Church