If you have a weekly/regular prayer meeting and it has dwindled down to the “faithful few,” it’s time to take stock. If you are the organizer(s) of the prayer meetings, it can get discouraging if people are not participating in arguably the most important spiritual act designed by God and so prolifically practiced in the Book of Acts and the rest of Scripture.

First, let’s look at the main reasons why people have either stopped coming or have never come to your prayer meeting:

1. They are afraid. Most people feel very inadequate about their prayer lives. The last thing they want to do is to be in a situation where they might be asked to pray out loud, or in a group with others. Many of these people would rather focus only on their own prayer closet and devotions rather than step into corporate prayer experiences.

2. They are intimidated. When people come to the prayer meeting and feel that there are some people who pray with an authority or eloquence they don’t have, they are less likely to feel comfortable praying in such an environment. Because prayer is so natural to the seasoned intercessors who (often or usually) plan the meetings, they expect the rest of the church to be like them. Clearly this isn’t the case, as many believers haven’t been trained to pray in the home or by the church.

3. They are bored. Many people feel that prayer meetings are always predictable and have a mind-numbing sameness to them. Unfortunately, the default mode of prayer for most churches is to pray the “sick” list. Many of the people on “the list” aren’t even known to most of the people who are praying for them – they are friends, relatives or acquaintances of people in the church. It is important to pray for those with health issues; however, when that is all we ever pray about, people rapidly disengage. If people don’t have a sense of God’s presence, and that Heaven is engaged with their prayers, they aren’t motivated or excited about coming to a meeting where “nothing happens” and with a belief that their prayers don’t matter.

4. They are frustrated. These people know they want something different…something more than the litany of illnesses and personal prayer requests. They feel that prayer should be more than what they have experienced but have no idea what to do to make it better. There are also those who DO know what could be done but don’t have a voice in the planning or preparation.

 5. They are ambivalent. Because many people are not being trained in prayer in their homes or at church, most don’t see the point and view prayer as a religious exercise for the super-spiritual. Prayer has never been an important part of their Christian experience, or they perceive that it really has never “worked” for them. They have not yet learned to pay attention to the One who is on the other end of every prayer – the Sovereign One who sits on the throne!

6. They don’t see church leadership actively involved. The engagement of church leadership is also a critical component of the prayer meetings. If your pastor(s) and church leaders are not proponents and participants at some level in your process of planning and engaging others in the practice of a regular corporate prayer rhythm, it will be difficult to get more of the congregation to come to prayer meetings. If leadership is not very involved, begin praying at once for them! Don’t whine, gripe or grumble – pray! Ask God to make your leaders people of prayer who will teach and encourage prayer so that the congregation will follow their lead.

Drawing People to the Prayer Meeting

God created prayer for the purpose of accomplishing His will on this planet through the prayers of His people. It’s a divine mystery, but a compelling truth. Let’s look at some ways to help people grow their passion for the Father and His plans and purposes for prayer that will translate to more people having greater participation in corporate prayer experiences:

1. Help people to encounter God. Incorporate worship into your prayer meetings, helping people focus on the One Who sits on the throne in Heaven as the object of your love and devotion. It is important for God’s people to realize that prayer is intimacy with Him and for His glory! Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name!” People’s attention should always be directed towards God before coming to Him with a prayer list or agenda. Help people to move to a “Not my will but Yours be done” mindset. This will help them to remember that ultimately, His will is more important than our own wants, needs and desires. God still wants to hear us express these, because He loves us…but His purposes are so much bigger! Praying in agreement with God through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is ultimately to step into the throneroom of Heaven whenever we pray.

2. Be welcoming and give people permission to pray at their own level of comfort – whether out loud or quietly. Don’t put anyone on the spot and don’t have the unrealistic expectation that people are comfortable praying in groups, etc. It’s important that people don’t feel intimidated, but invited!

3. Plan well! There should be clear leadership and each person walking in should have a good experience with God in community with others. Consider inviting people to a Prayer “Experience” rather than a Prayer “Meeting.” If no one takes the time to develop a focused prayer time but instead just asks what prayer requests people may have, the prayer meeting is doomed to stay small.

• Start and end on time! If those attending are never sure when the meeting will end, and feel uncomfortable leaving when the stated ending time comes, they won’t put this commitment on their calendar. If you feel the Spirit is keeping you longer than the hour or two you have stated, give those who need to leave permission to do so without guilt! For example, say, “Tonight we are sensing that God may want us to spend more time praying about…. Those who need to leave, please feel free to do so. If anyone wants to stay longer, you are invited to.”
• When people leave a prayer meeting or experience, they should feel confident that God is already on the move responding to the prayers of His people. Knowing that our prayers are heard and that Heaven is stirred with activity by our kingdom-focused praying is important.

4. Be intentional about training people in prayer. People will not give themselves to something they feel inadequate or uncertain about. Consider offering some training in prayer that will enhance your congregation’s growth in communicating and communing with God so that those who feel deficient or poorly equipped to be a part of a corporate experience in prayer can begin to grow in their confidence. Sometimes training can be incorporated into your prayer meetings. A concept of prayer can be taught and then the group can practice the concept in real time.

5. Talk to God, not one another. Talking about prayer isn’t prayer. Sometimes our prayer meetings involve a lot of offering of requests and very little actual prayer time. Unless some teaching/training is part of your prayer meetings or experiences, keep talking to one another at a minimum.

6. Be sure to give brief, clear instructions when necessary. It’s very important that people always understand what they are supposed to do. For example, if you are breaking people into groups of 3 or 4 at some point during the prayer meeting, make sure they are clear about when and how that will take place. If you are using prayer stations, the instructions can be written down and placed at each station. If people come in late, make sure someone is there to welcome them and quickly fill them in so they don’t feel left out when everyone else is moving around or getting into groups. Feeling uncomfortable is a recipe for not returning.

7. Pray kingdom-focused prayers: Try to move away from the “sick/hospital” list default model as your only focus and embrace what God is doing!

• Take stock of what is happening around you…in the culture.
• Pray what Scripture shows you is on the heart of God…things like unity in the Body of Christ, that we would love one another, praying for workers to be raised up to spread the Gospel, for our leaders and nation, etc.
• NOTE: It is still very important to pray for those who are sick! We need to get better at it than we are. However, prayer meetings are a good way to start training people to pray for those who are sick…and add a kingdom component to their praye

8. Mix it up! Don’t do the same thing continually! If what you are doing isn’t working, try something new!

• Change your theme/topic each meeting because people are passionate about different things.
• Variety and creativity engages everyone as God has wired us all differently to meet with Him. Use different postures, different modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.).
• Prayer stations are a very good way to engage people in prayer and is a great way to incorporate the variety and creativity mentioned above.
• Pray Scripture! People need to learn to pray what is on the heart of God. When we pray God’s word we are always in His will!
• Get out of the church building! Prayerwalk or prayer-drive around schools, businesses, other churches, neighborhoods, etc. Set up a Drive-Through prayer booth in your church parking lot or another place in town where people can drive through and be prayed for!
• Embrace Youth and Children! From time to time it is important to bring the younger generations into your times of prayer to learn from and grow with one another in prayer. Make space for the kids and you will be blessed. Plan some prayer meetings that are welcoming for all ages. Prayer stations and prayerwalking are good ways to do this.

9. Listening and obeying – spend time allowing God to speak to your hearts and DO what He is leading you to do. People need to learn that prayer isn’t all one-sided. We often rush in with our requests and never spend time hearing from God through His Spirit. Perhaps a good way to spend time listening would be to ask at least one question of the Lord. Here are two examples:

• Lord, thank You for hearing our prayers. Is there anything You want to say to me/us? Perhaps you will hear God telling you how much He loves you and is pleased with the time you have spent in His throneroom. Maybe He will give you a word of encouragement for the whole group, or a picture of what He might be already doing in response to the prayers you have prayed as a community. Of course, you may not sense God saying anything at all…and that is perfectly okay. Taking time to listen ensures that you will not miss something He does want to tell you.
• Father, would You help us to be the answer to the prayers we just prayed? Then spend a few minutes listening together as a group. Before closing, the leader may ask, “Has anyone heard the Lord expressing anything to your heart?” Perhaps God will direct you to meet a need for those you have specifically been praying for. This could be directed to you individually or as a community. If you have a sense this is from the Lord, obey!

One last suggestion – don’t be concerned about the number of people at the prayer meeting. If you worry about who isn’t there, you won’t be focused on those who are. The prayer movement will grow one person at a time until more start hearing what God is doing. When answers come and as people have good experiences with the Father in prayer and tell others, you will see growth.

As you pray through and incorporate some of these ideas, we fervently pray that your congregation will begin to be more receptive to giving the prayer meeting/prayer experience another try, and that others will be drawn to be a part of what God is up to through the prayers of His people.

Suggested Resource: Here is a powerful resource handbook by David and Kim Butts to take you step by step into the nuts and bolts of becoming a house of prayer for all nations! It is for leaders and lay people alike!

PRAYER MINISTRY VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK  

“Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving…” (Psalm 95:2).

In the Old Testament, thank offerings were given in gratitude for deliverance from sickness, trouble or death, or for a blessing received. Often, these thank offerings were accompanied by an animal sacrifice, prayer and an expression of praise: “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:17).

Today, as New Testament believers, our thank offerings have taken a different form:
• We are called to a continuous lifestyle of thanksgiving: “…always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

• By the example of Christ, and in His name, our lives are to be a reflection of Him: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

• It is God’s will that the life of the Christian should always be lived in the context of continuous praise and thanksgiving regardless of circumstance: “I will give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is Your will for me in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

• Instead of an accompanying animal sacrifice, as was appropriate in Old Testament times, we are instead to: “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, hold and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

Scriptural Prayers of Thanksgiving:

God’s Word gives us so many reasons to give thanks that it should never be difficult to honor the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. May you be encouraged to begin or maintain a continuous lifestyle of thanksgiving.
Take some time to meditate on these Scriptures and give thanks to God:

• I give thanks to You for turning my mourning into dancing! (Psalm 30:11-12)

• I thank You because You answered my prayers, and because You have become my salvation. (Psalm 118:21)

• Because of Your righteous laws, I am thankful. (Psalm 119:62)

• Father, I will five thanks to You because You are good! (Psalm 16:34)

• Lord, I give thanks to You because Your love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:41)

• I give thanks to You because of Your righteousness. (Psalm 7:17)

• I thank You because You have delivered me from death and kept my feet from stumbling that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Psalm 56:12-13)

• I thank You because Your Name is near. (Psalm 75:1)

• I give You thanks because Your faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)

• I thank You for Your unfailing love and Your wonderful deeds for men. (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31)

• Thank You because You satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things. (Psalm 107:9)

• I give thanks to You who alone does great wonders. By Your understanding You made the heavens, spread out the earth upon the waters and made the great lights – sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night. (Psalm 136:4-9)

• I thank You because it is You who gives the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:57)

• I thank you because You always lead me in triumphal procession in Christ and through me You spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (2 Corinthians 2:4)

• Thank You for Your Indescribable Gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)

• I give thanks for everything in your name, Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

• I give thanks to You, Father, because you have qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. You have rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14)

• I give thanks to the Holy One who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever. (Revelation 4:9)

• I give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, because You are the One who is and who was, and You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Revelation 11:17)

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Sharing Your Thanksgiving

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make known among the nations what He has done” (Psalm 105:1)!

Sharing the reasons for your thankful heart in all of the circumstances of your life can often be the most powerful and effective witness you could ever give. When others are curious about your response to certain situations, whether blessings or difficulties, TELL THEM and SHOW THEM. Thanksgiving is powerful evangelism.

10 Ways to Live Out Thankfulness to God in Practical Ways

1. Whenever you are feeling thankful, give all of the honor, glory and praise to God. Worship Him and lift up His holy name!

2. Whenever you are thankful for answered prayer, share the answered prayer with others.

3. Whenever you are thankful for how you have been blessed, tell others how God has blessed you.

4. Because you are thankful that He has saved you, pray for the boldness and opportunity to share your testimony/story.

5. To thank God for financial blessings, pray for guidance and direction about how to bless others with your finances.

6. Because you are thankful to be alive in Christ, ask God to show you how to offer joyful service to others.

7. When you are thankful for God’s faithfulness when you go through trials, ask God to put people in your path who are going through similar trials so that you might be an encouragement to them.

8. Because you are thankful for your family, be diligent about thanking God for them daily and praying for them!

9. Because you are thankful for victory over sin, pray that God will give you strength to overcome the temptation to sin in the future.

10. Because you are thankful for the spiritual leaders God has brought into your life, continuously bring them before the Lord in prayer and find ways to show them how much they are appreciated.

“Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 19:13).

© Kim Butts, Harvest Prayer Ministries 2021

Before launching into intercession for others, corporate prayer, or even personal prayer, here are some powerful questions to utilize as a way to examine the condition of your heart so that God will hear and respond! Spend some time meditating on these scriptures as you answer the questions.

Have I confessed all known sin? Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God: your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:10).

Are all my relationships with others made right? “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Are you seeking His will in all things? “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that is we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Are you seeking to glorify God above all things? “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

Are you depending on the Holy Spirit’s guidance? “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27).

Are you trusting God in spite of what seems to be? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Will you praise God no matter what? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

By Dave Butts

This resource will give you 7 specific ways to pray before, during and after election day! If you have already voted, use this guide to pray for others as they vote!

Pray before you vote:

1.  Ask God to give you a desire to get out and vote even if you don’t feel like it. “The good influence of godly citizens causes a city to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill” (Proverbs 11:11 TLB). We often have the mentality, especially in local elections, that voting isn’t really very important or that our vote is just one of many and couldn’t possibly make a difference; however, it is especially important for Christians to express the heart and life of Jesus Christ through their votes! Don’t think that it doesn’t matter, because it does! There may be a critical issue that your city or county is voting on that will change the moral culture of your community! The people running for mayor, city council, etc. will affect you and your family through their lives, their beliefs and their authority. You want godly people to be in places of influence. Be sure your voice is heard – don’t stay home!

Pray as you vote:

2.  Ask God to open your eyes. Sometimes we can get in a hurry and/or be distracted during the voting process. It is important to stay focused and to stay aligned with what God is showing you to do: “Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute…” (1 Corinthians 16:13 MSG).

3.  Ask God to help you be Christlike to anyone you come into contact with no matter their political party or preference. “…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…” (Philippians 2:13-15 NASB).

4.  Demonstrate the life of Jesus as you wait in line, perhaps running the gauntlet of those trying to convince you to vote for a certain person or for a particular side in a referendum, etc. When you speak to the election officials be sure to thank them for their selfless service – they work long hours. Take time to pray for them to have endurance, patience and kindness…perhaps as you wait in line. As you enter or exit the polling place, if someone is unkind or rude to you, don’t allow the Devil to tempt you to sin with your response. Instead, shine the light of Jesus and pray for that person.

5.  Ask God for the strength to pray for those who are running for office that you don’t agree with. Ask Him to help you not to criticize and judge, but to love, and to replace anger with kindness. ^“Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God’s law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it. Only he who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others” (James 4:11-12 TLB)? God loves every person passionately. Even those who disobey Him or who do not follow His commands. You can ruin a good opportunity to be a living testimony for Jesus if you speak badly about others. Instead, pray for those whom you disagree with and who disagree with you, and for those who persecute you or think poorly of you because of your beliefs. “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NASB).

Pray after you vote:

6.  Commit to pray for those who have won different offices, even if your candidate didn’t win. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV).

Pray that those elected to public office will carry out their duties with honor, honesty, moral uprightness and truthfulness. Pray that those who don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord will come to know Him in all His fullness! Pray also for their families!

7.  Thank the Lord for freedom and for the opportunity to live in a nation where you have a voice in electing officials and voting on issues that affect our lives and our culture. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 NASB). We should never take this privilege and responsibility lightly, but continually give thanks for our freedom to have a say in our government.

Here is a great resource to help you pray for an election:

Is positive change truly possible in our nation? Yes! Through prayer. As we pray–even as one solitary person–we team up with the Creator of the universe to change situations. This non-partisan prayer guide helps the user to pray, with hope and faith, God’s purposes over our election and nation.

Features

• This non-partisan, Scripture-based, prayer guide provides several key topic areas for prayer, plus some  current interest flash points to pray over, and a prayer journal with space to write down specific things the Lord gives you to pray over national, state and local elections. Written by David Butts, the chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee and president of Harvest Prayer Ministries.

Get the prayer guide by clicking the button below.