Prayer is a critical part of worship. When we’re alone, one of the most important ways we can worship the Lord is to spend uninterrupted, devoted time with him in loving, surrendered prayer. Yet when it comes to church, many services fail to incorporate prayer much, if at all. The pastor might say a prayer or ask for prayer requests to be sent to them during the week, or there might be the standard recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, but other than that, the service does little to emphasize or promote personal or group prayer.
Yet the healthiest, strongest churches are typically those that are committed to prayer. They infuse prayer throughout the service, with ample time for silent prayer. The pastor might pray aloud before beginning the sermon, asking for wisdom or clarity, and after the message, the body might be invited to pray about the lesson discussed. People are urged to pray throughout the week.
Churches that skip or gloss over the importance of prayer are not only doing their members a disservice by robbing them of a beautiful opportunity together, but they are failing to honor the Lord in a manner he repeatedly urges us to practice.
God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7). Christ urged us to pray and modeled this himself. As Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” At its core, prayer is worship, for during prayer, we are in communion and connection with God.
If you notice these things happening in your church, consider what’s going on and why. Does God want you to talk with your church staff about this? Is God asking you to step up and help in this area? The church must put God first.
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