Let Us Pray

Acts of Worship: Pt. 2

Introduction

The second act of worship we will look at is Prayer. It’s just as important in the service as singing because we are speaking directly to God. I’ve already covered the subject of prayer, in general, in previous articles. In this article we’re going to look at the public prayer and those who lead it.

Private Vs. Public Prayer

In Mt. 6 Jesus talks about the way the Pharisees do things and compare it to the way Christians should do those same things. In verses 5-6 he talks about the subject of prayer, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Here we see the Pharisees giving private prayer but in public. As Jesus states it’s that they may be seen by men. Private prayers are between you and God; nobody else. The Pharisees did this act of worship so people can see how religious they are and a way to draw attention to themselves.

Public prayer is done in a controlled environment, such as an assembled congregation or with a family at mealtime. One person, males only, leads the prayer; he’s still addresses God but he’s speaking on behalf of everyone who is present. Names do not have to be given but as a prayer leader you are approaching God’s throne on behalf of those assembled.

Public prayer is done in a more general way and specifics are usually left out. For example, when leading a prayer before a meal, you don’t want to mention anyone’s illness as that will ruin a person’s appetite. The same goes for the assembled congregation; you don’t want to mention that the Millers are going through a divorce because that sounds like you’re “airing dirty laundry” and the entire congregation may not know about it. Rather, say that the Millers are going through some tough times and you ask God to be with them in all of their decisions.

Leading a Public Prayer

In the worship service, usually two prayers are given; one at the beginning of the service and one at the end. It’s the responsibility of the men to lead the prayer according to what Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 14:34, Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And again in 1 Tim. 2:11-12, Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

Again, the prayer leader is speaking on behalf of the entire congregation which can seem intimidating at times. I know that there are some who refuse to lead prayer because they won’t be able to list everything needed to list in a prayer. As stated earlier, if you use general terms in your prayer you can accomplish more in a smaller amount of time and cover most everything without reciting a list. One of the best prayers I’ve heard about was when someone said, “God, you know what we want; give us what we need”

This is not to say that all of your prayers should have this statement or it should only have this statement. But you get the idea of the simplicity of a prayer. Look at the model prayer, Mt. 6:9-13 and the book of Psalms to give you ideas of how and what to pray. DO NOT recite the “Lord’s Prayer” as written because it makes it sound more like a mantra or magic spell than a genuine prayer.

Showboating during Public Prayer

As we stated, the Pharisees utilized their prayers in public to be seen of men. Jesus spoke a parable about a Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18:11-12, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’” Now go back and reread these verses and emphasize “I” each time you come to it.

This is an example of showboating; drawing unnecessary attention to yourself during a prayer. This example is supposed to be a private prayer but obviously the Pharisee made it public. Some men of the congregation utilize a public prayer if they have an “axe to grind”. They will air their disapproval of someone or something to make sure that everyone in the congregation hears it.

Other times it will be used as a “Look at us” petition. Much like the Pharisee’s prayer in Lk. 18, the leader might “gush” about how wonderful his congregation is compared to others in the area.

Still others will use public prayer if they have an agenda against those who won’t stand for the truth. In assemblies of schools or governments, in which prayer is standard, some will purposefully incite a defense against the sins of others who support beliefs that don’t conform to the bible. Names may not be given but specific sins such as those of 1 Cor. 6:9-10 will be intentionally name to make a point. If you have to wait until you lead a prayer to show where you stand, then you are not leading the life of a Christian.

Conclusion

Prayer is a vital part of the worship service and it should not be taken lightly. If you are scheduled to lead a prayer, make sure you give it some thought the night before and, if necessary, write down some things which you want to specifically mention.

There’s no shame in writing out your entire prayer to read, just make sure that it doesn’t sound like you’re just reading words off of a paper. Put some emotion in it to show that you are praying on behalf of those assembled.