Monday, July 29, 2013

Where is prayer?


When Americans are asked about their spiritual practices, prayer comes out on top. While American church attendance continues to decline, people still say they pray. When I visit churches I am amazed how little praying actually goes on. Traditionally, there was a part of the worship service something called the Pastoral Prayer. The point of the prayer was for the pastor to lead the congregation in praying for various concerns of the congregants. Many churches no longer include this prayer in their liturgy. I think the prophet Isaiah would be disappointed. He noted that this is what God thought about this:

“…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)

Many churches call themselves houses of worship not houses of prayer. I wonder what would happen if we became houses of prayer. What do you think?  - Ron Friesen

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