Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great English pastor of the 18th century, is commonly honored as the “Prince of Preachers.”But, Mr. Spurgeon was among the first to give credit where credit was due . . . he considered the faithful, praying members to be “the powerhouse of this church.” The “engine room” of the London Metropolitan Tabernacle, as he called it, was the basement where people gathered on their knees asking the Lord for His blessing. According to Spurgeon, the prayer meeting was the spiritual thermometer of the church as “souls stormed the celestial city with the might of their intercession.”

Is it time for the church, and for Christians everywhere, to take stock of its priority for prayer? Could it be we live powerless lives, and attend powerless churches, because we’ve given up the vibrant prayer meeting in favor of a church wide supper or extra Bible class? What could be gained if we once again stoked the fires of the prayer engine room in churches and homes across America? In one word, change.

The change that’s so desperately needed in our world today simply will not happen by casting a vote, rearranging our financial portfolios, or shouting out on social media. Only God’s divine power can bring deep-rooted change.

It’s been noted from the original Greek language, that when Jesus taught on prayer, he referred to corporate prayer nearly ten times more than he addressed personal, private praying. Jesus clearly expected the early church to gather together for prayer—and to anticipate powerful results (Acts 4:31; 12:5-17; 13:1–3; 16:25–26). Likewise, the apostle Paul advised the young pastor Timothy to make prayer the top priority of the church. 

So when you hear the latest headline news, after retreating to your prayer closet, will you be a woman of courage who gathers people to join with you in crying out to the God of heaven for His Kingdom purposes to prevail? Let’s extend beyond praying for our immediate needs to forcibly impact the world, nation, community, church, and all of God’s family. 

The idea of initiating a prayer group may sound overwhelming, but let me ease your mind. 

God is looking for sincere, humble hearts, not the perfectly worded prayers (Jer 29:12-13, Rom. 8:26). 

We’re overly concerned about whether we’re getting it wrong or whether we’re getting it right. There’s no magic formula but understanding the basic principles for personal and corporate prayer boosts our confidence:

Once we begin to turn up the heat on our commitment to prayer, over time you’ll notice that a transformation is taking place. Not only will there be evidence of change around you, change will occur inside you—and it will be undeniably glorious!

Leslie Bennett leads the Women’s Ministries Initiatives for Revive Our Hearts. She is a frequent speaker at True Woman conferences and local churches. Leslie shares her heart to equip and inspire women’s leaders through the Leader Connection blog at ReviveOurHearts.com. Spend a few moments with Leslie, and you’ll catch her passion for the Word, prayer, womanhood and revival. 

When the weekend rolls around, you’ll find Leslie, and her husband Mac, boating on the lake and watching sunsets with their labradoodle. They have two adult children, Evans and McCauley, and a son-in-law Trent. These days Leslie is dreaming of becoming a grandmother!
LBennett@ReviveOurHearts.com