Prayer Meeting
Waterwheel series
Workbook 8
Distributing resources and empowering the church
Prayer Meeting
Background to prayer
We probably all pray far more than we think we do; prayer is part of being human – our hearts seek the divine, for as St Augustine famously said, ‘Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You’, i.e. in God. Yet the term ‘prayer’ can be difficult to understand – what exactly are we doing when we pray? Prayer covers a vast range of activities and methods; it includes corporate and individual prayer, silent and spoken prayer, movement and stillness etc. It can involve the body as well as the brain. It can be difficult to define prayer, and so at its heart, it can help us to see prayer simply as an ‘offering’, that God will take and use for God’s purposes – ‘your will be done’ is surely at the heart of our prayer.
Yet we can still get anxious when we come to prayer: will it be good enough, will I say the right things, will God hear me? These are all normal and natural anxieties, but there is one very important aspect about prayer that is helpful to remember: when we come to prayer it is not we who are doing the praying, but the Holy Spirit praying in us and through us and among us. So, in the end it is not down to us at all, and this means we can approach prayer with confidence in God. We can trust that God will take our efforts, however inadequate they may seem to us, and use that time of prayer in the way that seems most appropriate to God
We may also wonder why we need to pray at all if God is all powerful and all knowing, and knows our needs before we ask for them. We may also go to the other extreme and consider we have to batter endlessly at God’s door to get anything to happen at all, or believe that we are praying to change God’s mind.
These words from a book by Maggie Ross are surely pertinent. ‘Intercession allows a space for something to be worked out, we know not how. It tears a hole in the imprisoning membrane of our thoughts and fears so the rain of salvation may fall on us. (Isaiah 45:8)’ This intercession may involve words; it may mean offering in silence the pain or the joy that is in our heart (all that, after all, is part of the human condition), and bringing that into God’s love and infinite mercy.
It may involve simply offering who we are, and waiting on God’s loving kindness in silence, in stillness and in adoration, ‘not knowing and not wanting to know for what purposes our life [or time of prayer] might be used, or what consequences, if any, there might be.
(Both quotes from, ‘Writing the Icon of the Heart’ by Maggie Ross, publ. The Bible Reading Fellowship, 2011)
To close, some words by Rt Revd John Pritchard: ‘So maybe it is the living God we need after all. Maybe its the breath-taking alpine beauty of the Creator. Maybe we need to respond to the tug of that slow, steady undertow of longing that we sense sometimes when we slow down enough. Maybe prayer is the hidden wiring of human life that connects us to the world wide web of the Spirit. Maybe prayer is exhilarating and stretching and healing, and open to humour and anger and joy beyond imagining.’
Running a Prayer Meeting – A Helping Hand
Here are some ideas and suggestions for setting up a prayer meeting. Please do not try to do everything on the first occasion. Pick one or two ideas and try them out. They are gleaned from the Spirituality Group's discussion, and are by no means comprehensive. Some ideas may feel a little strange to you – can you adapt them or explain why you want to try them out? One or two examples are shown at the end, just to give a taste of how they may work. These are not blueprints – use them to inform yourself how things might be done, then tailor your own prayer meeting as you feel God is leading you. Consider how this would suit all who are coming. If you have further ideas, we would be glad to receive them and integrate them into this compendium.
Points to consider when organising a Prayer Meeting:
An Appropriate Choice of Location
Even though this could be anywhere, look for a central location for all those coming
Possible Themes of Prayer
A theme may not always be necessary, but here are some suggestions:
Events in the Christian Calendar; What is going on in the worldwide church/our church?
What is going on for local people? What is going on in the world today? A specific topic of interest
Patterns of Prayer
Lectio Divina; Silence; Conversation – Praying out loud; Intercession
Choice of a Room
When choosing a room, try to find out if adjacent rooms are in use (to avoid distractions)
The room temperature should be comfortable
Look at the size of the room (depending on the number of people expected)
Room setting and atmosphere should be quiet and peaceful, with reasonably comfortable seating this is conducive to prayer, and avoids distractions
Room Layout
Consider any limitations (disabilities) of those attending, and numbers expected
Are people expected to pray in one style or different styles?
If different styles of prayer are being offered, you may like to divide the room to allow free movement between areas
You may wish to consider a Labyrinth or Prayer Stations and areas to read, draw and be creative.
Seating: chairs with arms for the less able, also kneelers and mats
Choice of Music
Is this music going to be recorded, or sung and played?
Song to open and close: to express worship and thanksgiving: to focus on God:
as an aid when changing themes: as an aid when moving to different areas within the venue
Possible Aids
Some suggestions:
Pictures: printed on paper, or displayed via a projector or on a screen
Objects: prayer ball (soft and squeezy), night lights, hand held crosses, pebbles, nails, holly? candles, flowers, incense, pen and paper to jot things down, plasticine to mould objects
CD of music to be played, overhead pictures on power point, tables for various arts
Prayer Meeting - Examples
Location
The side chapel in a church, a small public room or a room in someone's house
Theme – Joys and Sorrows
might be suitable for
- New Year
- Advent, Lent or other seasons (when the words might be further adapted)
- A time when a group is particularly focusing on its identity, its past and future
Room Layout
Chairs in a circle round a central table
Music
Music to be played at the beginning and end
Either one piece of music that contains a variety of emotions e.g. a piece of classical music with different movements. A suitably titled piece of music might work e.g. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve.
Or the following Taizé chants which might be sung or played on C.D.
At beginning: Nada te turbe
At end: In the Lord I'll be ever thankful
Resources
- Candle on central table
- Something sweet e.g. honey with sticks of bread to dip into it and taste
- Something bitter e.g. pieces of lemon to dip in salt water
- C.D. player or musicians
- Possibly sheet with hymns and prayers, if applicable, to say corporately
PossibleTimings
Timings will depend on the music chosen and the group involved, but a suggestion would be to have around 5 minutes of music at the beginning and end; to have around 4/5 minutes of reflection after each of the readings, followed by a few minutes of reflection whilst tasting, and then to have around 5 minutes of music at the end. In this way the whole prayer meeting would last around 30 minutes.
Structure
Gathering
- Gathering music (see above)
- Brief explanation that there will be 2 sections each with a reading, followed by a
- period of silent reflection and prayer. 1st on sorrow, 2nd on joy
- Opening words to set tone (an opening bidding might be used)
Section 1 – Sorrows (Bitter)
- Reading – Isaiah 53: 1 – 6
- Group invited to pray on theme of this passage, and on sorrows of the world
- After several moments of silence, people invited to taste something bitter, and then to reflect in silence leading into prayer:
Holy Spirit,
mighty wind of God,
inhabit our darkness
brood over our abyss
and speak to our chaos;
that we may breathe with your life
and share your creation
in the power of Jesus Christ, Amen.[1]
- Piece of music to change the theme
Section 2 – Joys (Sweet)
- Reading- Isaiah 35
- Group invited to pray in silence on theme of this passage and in thanksgiving for the joys in their lives
- After several moments of silence people invited to taste something sweet and then to continue to reflect in silence leading into prayer:
God of all trust,
may we who confess your faith
prove it in our lives,
with abundant joy
outrageous hope
and dependence on nothing
but your word alone,
through Jesus Christ, Amen.[2]
Ending
- Lord's Prayer
- Concluding music
[1]Janet Morley, All Desires Known, (London, Movement for the Ordination of Women, 1988), p. 8
[2]Ibid p. 23