The witness of both Old & New testaments is the same: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near Isa 55 v 6. O thou that hearest prayer; unto thee shall all flesh come Ps 65v2. Jesus began the parable of the unjust judge with the exhortation: Men ought always to pray and not to faint. Luke 18v1

The Scriptures describe prayer as:

1. Calling - indicating a desire to gain the attention of the LORD. Interestingly, the first reference to prayer in the Scripture states: Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. Gen 4v26
2. Crying - implying a sense of need or distress. Samuel for example, distressed at Saul's disobedience and rejection as king: Cried all night unto the LORD. 1 Sam 15v11. Similarly, Jeremiah said: I cry and shout. Lam 3v8. This expression, of course, appears many times in the Psalms
3. Lifting up of the soul - Reminding us that prayer is a spiritual exercise. In Psalm 143v10 David prays: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soul unto thee. (&Ps25v1)
4. Requesting - In the context of prayer Paul says: Let your requests be made known unto God Phil 4v6
5. Asking, seeking and knocking. Matt 7v7, which comes with the promise that those who ask shall receive; those who seek shall find; and to those who knock it shall be opened. This is reinforced by the illustration of a son asking for bread or fish or an egg: because of the father's love will not be given a stone, a snake or a scorpion. Luke 11
6. Supplication - to humbly beg, conveys sense of urgency. This word appears twice in one verse. Eph 6v18. Praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. J.C. Philpot illustrated this by describing the regular activity of prayer as a flowing stream, whereas supplication is like the same stream as a rushing torrent after torrential rain.

The Scriptures remind us that when we pray we need:

1. Faith - Jesus said: And all things, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matt 21v22. James tells us to: ask in faith nothing wavering 1v6 In his 5th chapter he tells us that it is: the prayer of faith that will save the sick, in contrast to the anointing oil v15. Thomas Watson says: 'faith is to prayer what the feather is to the arrow' & ' faith is the golden bucket that brings up the water of life.'
2. Patience - there is much in the Scriptures about waiting patiently for the Lord e.g. Blessed are all they that wait for him Isa 30v18 and They shall not be ashamed that wait for me Isa 49v23
3. Perseverance - Elijah's example illustrates the point. Though he humbly prostrated himself with his face to the ground as he prayed yet his servant had to go 7 seven times before the least sign was given that his earnest pleading was heard. On the same point Paul says: continue in prayer and watch in the same Col 4v2.
4. Fervency - Elijah, though a man subject to like passions as we are, prayed earnestly that it might not rain and God shut up the heavens. James uses this as an example, saying of him: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 5v16. The marginal rendering is he prayed in his prayer. It wasn't a prayerless prayer. It was fervent and from the heart.
5. Submission to the will of God - A.W. Pink on the words: ask and ye shall receive reminds us that they are not to be viewed as an 'open cheque' but are qualified by the will of God. The Saviour Himself has taught us to pray: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Feeling the weight of sin and in agony of soul in Gethsemane, Jesus Himself prayed: not my will but thine be done. 'Every true prayer is a variation on the theme 'Thy will be done'. (John Stott) And again 'Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to His' (John Stott). If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. 1 John 5v14.

Also we need to remind ourselves of:

1. The Saviour's example - In His holy humanity as a man he depended upon prayer and communion with His heavenly Father, sometimes spending all night in prayer. Heb 5v7 tells of the Saviour's tears when He prayed: Who in the days of his flesh...offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. Luke, in his Gospel, presenting to us Jesus the Son of Man makes particular mention of Jesus praying before events of special importance and at times of special significance. e.g. At His baptism when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, 3v21-22; before the 12 disciples were chosen 6v12; the occasion of Peter's confession of Christ as the Messiah and Son of God, 9v18; and the transfiguration 9v29. No wonder the disciples, witnessing these things, came to Christ with the request: Lord, teach us to pray. 11v1
2. We are promised the help of the Holy Spirit - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what to pray for as we ought: The word translated helpeth means to heave together. As Matthew Henry beautifully illustrates the sense of the original. One man tries to lift a heavy stone but is unable. Another person comes to help and they heave together. So the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities and makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered, interpreting our hearts desires and sending them heavenward to Christ who is exalted as our Mediator to make intercession for all who come unto God by Him. To quote Augustus H Strong: 'The impulse to prayer, within our hearts, is evidence that Christ is urging our claims in heaven'

To summarize:
' Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to His word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God' John Bunyan 'Prayer'

An objection to prayer

'If God is sovereign and has predestinated and decreed all things, what is the use of me praying? My poor prayers will not change the unchangeable God!'
This will of course be recognised as fatalism. In contrast we find that the Bible saints saw that the prayer of faith was part of God's purpose. e.g. Elijah knew it was God's will that there would soon be an abundance of rain, yet he did not sit back on mount Carmel just waiting for it to come but as we have seen already he prayed fervently and perseveringly.
Daniel, whilst in captivity discovered Jeremiah's prophesies that the captivity would last 70 yrs. Realising the end was in sight he did not simply wait for the exiles to return to Judah, rather, he made confession for his own and the nation's sin, pleading with the Lord on the basis of His covenant faithfulness. Dan 9
The prayer of faith is part of God's purposes. What an incentive to pray!
From this brief overview of the Doctrine, Experience and Practice of prayer I will consider the subject of:

Prayer in relation to the church

1. As the people of God we are exhorted to meet regularly: Zech 8v21 Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the Lord of hosts. Ps 95v6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. Heb 10v25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.
2. Many encouragements to pray apply as much to the church meeting as a body as they do to the individual believer. E.g. Prov 15v8 The prayer of the upright is his delight. Ps 34v15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ear is open unto their cry.

One thing we all doubtless have discovered is that:prayer meetings can easily degenerate.

Suggested reasons:

1. Wrong attitude - Many may be happy to come and join in regular worship services but in regard to meeting for prayer the thought may be 'it's only a prayer meeting' in many churches the prayer meeting is left to the 'faithful few'. Bill Hughes, one time Pastor in Glasgow had a rule that if a member did not attend the prayer meeting they were not permitted to come to the business meeting of the church. If they were not prepared to pray with the church why should they have the privilege of participating in it's decisions? When things are at a low ebb in a church the P.M. is often first to be dropped. The story is told of a certain chapel where many years ago the people having lost heart in public prayer meetings decided to give them up. But one old lady strongly disagreed. So on the usual prayer meeting night, dressed in her weatherproofs, she braved the storm, unlocked the chapel and taking her usual place, sat down to pray. On the way home she decided to call at one of the members homes. "Where have you been on a night like this?" was the inquiry. "I've been to the prayer meeting." "O, I thought they had been discontinued; were any others there?" Yes", said the faithful old lady "there were four of us - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and me, and it was a special time." Through the old sister's perseverance the church was shamed into gathering again at the time of prayer.
2. Excessive length of each prayer - This is an old, old problem. The spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. Long prayers often become a weariness to the flesh, making it hard for those listening to spiritually participate and keep up concentration especially if it is an evening meeting. This problem often has to be addressed and Pastors down the years have had their own ways of dealing with persistent 'offenders'. It is reported of the late Henry Popham of Eastbourne that he would sometimes say before calling any of the brethren to the front. 'If you're too long in prayer, I will pull your coat tails!' Alternatively, he would deliberately drop a hymnbook if any brother was too long to remind him to come to a close! Short prayers help to retain freshness. Besides, most prayers in the Scriptures are brief and to the point. 'Some pray me into the spirit and others pray me out of it by undue length' Spurgeon complained. It has been said: 'short prayers sink deep'. It is strength, not length' said Spurgeon. 'The worth of a prayer is not gauged by its dimensions' M'Cheyne. Thomas Boston said: 'Lay no weight on the quantity of your prayers; that is to say how long or how many they are. These things avail nothing with God, by whom prayers are not measured, but weighed.' To quote Spurgeon again: 'It is necessary to draw near unto God, but it is not required of you to prolong your speech till everyone is longing to hear the word "amen". The only exception I believe is if a spirit of prayer and supplication is poured out upon one member in a special way.They will know, and every spiritually minded person will know and will loose sight of the time. J.C. Philpot's advise was that on such occasions we should make the most of it and spread the sails, as it were, to catch those heavenly breezes.
3. Formality - We are creatures of habit and routine. We all tend to have our own phrases and manner of approach to the Lord. It is therefore easy for prayer to become so predictable. Interestingly, this observation John Newton used as an argument in favour of the use of written prayers in public worship. In most extemporaneous prayers, he maintained you recognised the beginning, could discern the middle and you knew when it was coming to an end, so why not use written ones, was his conclusion. The problem of excessive length and formality was dealt with very succinctly by D.L Moody when he said: 'Some people's prayers need to be cut off at both ends and set on fire in the middle'
4. Vagueness or being unspecific - Although prayer involves communion with the Lord and a worshipping frame of mind yet we are to make request. The story is told of a P.M. where one brother seemed to be preaching rather than praying. One sister felt especially troubled by this, so she interrupted by calling out: 'ask for something!'
5. Prayers that are unduly personal - very little prayer or desire may be expressed for the conversion of sinners and the furtherance of the gospel instead the time is spent in an introspective rehearsing of numerous personal doubts and fears. One preacher described it as 'hanging out the dirty washing for all to see'
6. Pride - A desire to be seen and heard. The heart being uplifted at the thought of an opportunity to show others one's 'gift in prayer' This was the downfall of the Pharisees: they wished to be seen of men. To quote the theologian, Robert Reymond: 'when you pray remember whose attention you wish to gain'

In these and other ways prayer meetings can easily degenerate. So what can be done?

1. First and foremost we must recognise our continual need of the gracious influence and utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit. To quote again Rom 8v25 the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. How much we need that help! The Apostle Paul says: What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit and with the understanding also. 1 Cor 14v15. In Eph 6v18 Paul exhorts us to: praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Again and again we need to be anointed with fresh oil.
2. From time to time we must emphasize to our people the importance of meeting together to pray. It may be a rather hackneyed expression but there is truth in it: 'Those who pray together, stay together' Spurgeon called the prayer meeting: 'the powerhouse of the church' If the engine room is out of action then the whole mill will grind to a halt. We cannot expect blessing if we do not ask. It may seem a rather simple diagnosis but it may apply in some cases: Ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4v2
3. The need for unity - After the resurrection we read of the disciples in the upper room: These all continued with one accord in prayer and in supplication, with the women. Acts 1v14 The words of John Newton's hymn is appropriate here: 'The force of their united cries, no power could long withstand, for Jesus helps them from the skies with his almighty hand' Some of the best prayer meetings are those where there is one heart and one desire for the blessing of God to accompany the preaching of the Gospel and for the extension of the kingdom of Christ. It is an abuse of the prayer meeting for a member to deliberately contradict or try to 'correct' another's prayer when they themselves are called on to pray.
4. The need for focus - In Acts 1v14 they were not only united in prayer but their meetings had a focal point - the fulfilment of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. That focus can also be ours. We urgently need the Lord to come again in power to His people in a way of revival and out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 4 the disciples under threat from the authorities gathered to pray, v 23 states that: they lifted up their voice with one accord. And when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together. V31. The focal point being a desire for strength not to buckle under the pressure, but: Grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. V29. Acts 12 records for us that the central purpose of the prayer meeting in the home of Mary at Jerusalem was for the well being and deliverance of Peter. I believe it is far better, if possible, to pray for people by name in their particular circumstances rather than petitions couched in vague and general terms such as: 'we pray for the afflicted', 'we pray for the aged', 'we pray for the missionaries', Who have we actually prayed for? While we need to be sensitive to people's feelings especially relating to personal problems yet, I believe, the more specific we can be the better. On a practical note, a regular church prayer meeting consisting of members only can prove to be a useful opportunity for individuals to share in confidence their concerns enabling those who pray to do so in an intelligent and informed way. This brings the added benefit of mutual understanding, sympathy and support. A very moving account of a prayer meeting at Tyre is given in Acts 21 where after seven days fellowship, men with their wives and children knelt down on the shore and prayed, the central focus being concern for Paul's welfare and safety as he was determined to preach at Jerusalem. The previous chapter records a similarly moving account of Paul praying with the Elders of Ephesus at Miletus, resulting in the people being moved to tears at the thought of his departure. By the way, though emotion should not be deliberately encouraged, yet I do not think tears should be despised or discouraged. Prayer meetings are moving where there is a longing desire and yearning for answers from heaven. So, in all these cases the meetings for prayer had a focal point. To this end it may be helpful to regularly bring to the meeting items of particular concern, which need to be prayed for.
5. Careful thought as to the location- If the prayer meeting attendance is usually small it may be helpful to meet in a vestry or some other suitable room where a sense of 'togetherness' will created, enabling those more hard of hearing to follow, rather than 6 or 7 people dotted about in a chapel designed to seat 150 or more people.
6. Brevity (again!) - If there are few who publicly participate it may be argued that if each prayed for only 3-4 minutes then the prayer meeting would soon be over! To this I would I would reply by suggesting that each are encouraged to be brief and given the opportunity to pray more that once during the meeting. This concept may sound rather foreign to some, but it can work well.
7. Take it home! - Maybe we have all been at fault at times in praying for certain matters publicly and neglecting to do so privately. How good if the members of the church take up the burden of the church, continuing to carry the church affairs to the Lord when alone on their knees. A truly praying church will be made up of members who pray much at home. C. H. Spurgeon claimed that: 'neglect of private prayer is the locust that devours the strength of the church'

By way of conclusion

We have a powerful adversary who would love to exploit all our weaknesses and infirmities in prayer, but we have an almighty and merciful God, who waits to be gracious and has promised for the sake of His Son to hear the cries of His people.

'The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.' (Samuel Chadwick)

Whether as churches or individuals we need to hear again the exhortation of the Apostle that we might be encouraged afresh:
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4v16

Graham Chewter is pastor of PROVIDENCE BAPTIST CHAPEL in Bedford.