WHAT HAPPENED TO PRAYER MEETINGS?
By W. G. Guy
I remember many years ago we used to go to Wednesday night prayer meetings in our churches. This was a special mid-week service specifically for prayer time. We would intercede for those in need in the church as well as other Christian endeavors and for local and national concerns. It was also a time for giving personal testimonies of what tthe LORD has done in the lives of church members which bolsters the faith of other believers.
I have observed that, with the passage of time, that the prayer time was moved to second place as the primary reason for the mid-week gathering and another opportunity for the pastor to preach another message; then a brief time of prayer followed. Decades later I noticed that many churches no longer had a mid-week prayer meeting as it is just another church service; that is, if they even have a mid-week service at all, as so many churches no longer have any mid-week service.
Too many churches seem to have lost the importance and significance of the gathering for prayer and intercession unlike the early church. It appears that much of the church today is like the church of Laodicea – LUKEWARM! Notice what Jesus had to say about such a church:
Revelation 3:14-17 – And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
A church that has need of nothing has no cause to pray. Why does much of the church today not recognize the need for a vibrant and powerful prayer meeting? It is probably because we are lukewarm in our level of Christianity; like those of Laodicea. We are at peace, prosperous and have need of nothing. Therefore the need for an intense time of prayer is not seen as being necessary: there is no major cause or concern to pray about as a result.
A case in point: I have a close friend who is an evangelist and asked a local pastor if he could start a prayer meeting in his church. The pastor agreed, obviously understanding the need for such. However, weeks went by and no one attended the prayer meeting, even though it was held in the church. My friend was disappointed in the lack of interest of the people of the church for prayer. One day, at the time of the prayer meeting, members of the church came, but for a dinner party in another building, nobody came for prayer. After several weeks he gave up seeing there was no interest, and he could still pray, but at home and not have to drive to the church.
What would cause the church to come together for an intense time of prayer? A period of persecution of believers, as is happening in other parts of the world, would bring people together for intense and powerful prayer. This has already happened throughout history, and is about to increase in these last days. Consider what occurred in the early church and how earnestly they prayed.
Acts 4:31 – And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Have you ever seen such a gathering praying so fervently that the place where they were praying was shaken? I have seen this almost to such a shaking; and there was a reason for prayer like this, which I will explain.
In 1979 I spent a couple weeks preaching and teaching in South Korea. Upon arriving in Seoul, South Korea, that night I was a guest speaker at a large Methodist Church. I noticed that there was a counter top type bell with the plunger on top sitting on the pulpit, and wondered what that was used for. It didn’t take long to find out.
After few worship songs the pastor said it was time to pray. I never heard anything like it in any church I ever attended. Everyone in the sanctuary began praying, very loudly, with great intensity; they were about to “raise the roof” it was so intense. When it was time to stop praying the pastor hit that little bell real hard and everyone quieted down. These people obviously had a cause to pray with great fervor. Then as I traveled to other cities and towns, I saw that same kind of counter top bell was on the pulpits of other churches: Presbyterian, Baptist, and Four Square. The South Korean knew how to really pray. Why?
I spent most of my time in the city of Teajon, about fifty mile south of Seoul, where I was lodging at a hotel. At 4 AM every morning I heard church bells ringing. I asked my host, Lee Yung Kil, who was the Director of Youth For Christ there, “Why do church bells ring at 4 AM every morning”? His answer was very profound, and this explained why the South Korean people know how to pray so earnestly.
Back in the late 1930’s Japan was conquering parts of Asia, in particular China and Korea. The Japanese at that time were very brutal to those they conquered. They were also very anti-Christian; and, as such they forbid Christians to attend church services. After a period of time, the Japanese military ruler over Korea was approached by a group of pastors asking permission to resume church services or to assemble for prayer. He gave them approval to assemble for prayer, but they were instructed that no Japanese soldier was to see them do so, or they would be shot. Since the Japanese soldiers got up at 5 AM, the pastors decided to have their people get up at 4 AM to gather for prayer and be back home by 5 AM. Thus the bells would ring calling them for prayer at 4 AM.
This became a tradition in South Korea ever since WWII and continued up to that time. Thus the Korean people had a real earnest cause to gather for prayer. Could such a condition in America cause the churches to assemble for earnest and fervent prayer? Could conditions be so severe as to create such a need for prayer?
This knowledge encouraged me to look deeper in Korean church history, and here is a story I uncovered. This goes back to when Korea was under Japanese control. As stated, the Japs did not like Christianity as it was an affront to their traditional belief system. One Jap Captain had his men gather up the members of one particular church and had them line up in a single file. He then took an artist rendering from the church, a portrait of Jesus, and held in front of each person to look at. He then ordered each person to spit on the face of Jesus or be shot in the head.
One by one, each person did as they were told, until an eighteen year old girl came up in line. Instead of spiting on the picture of Jesus, she used her hair to wipe the spit off the face of Jesus, and then kissed him. She was immediately shot in the head. This is the brutality that the Korean people faced back them. This is why they have maintained the tradition of praying fervently, even though most of them had no personal experience of those days during WWII. They carried on what they learned from their parents.
Today, we in America, do not have the kind of knowledge or experience that motivates us to earnest and fervent prayer as did the Korean people. However, as we read in scripture the kind of warfare that lies ahead, we will likely have that opportunity. Why wait until then; should we not begin now and prepare for such a time? All indications show that we may indeed have an earnest need for intense prayer gatherings as what the Bible says is in instore for the very last days before Jesus returns. Prayer gatherings will indeed become important again!
Prayer is a vital part of spiritual warfare, the battle against Satan and his subversive forces that so many people are ignorant of.
Ephesians 6:12-18 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Prayer gatherings are a key means of defeating the works of Satan and his evil in this world. Too many Christians are not engaged; thus the enemy seems to have free range. Will you engage in prayer with others who are in accord? We need powerful prayer meetings! There is a lot to pray about!
