Mark 14:37-38 – Then Jesus returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is week."

I've often wondered what would happen in our churches if we took seriously the responsibility of praying for our churches and the leaders involved in ministry. In C. Peter Wagner's book, "Church Planting for a Greater Harvest," he says that research indicates that the average American pastor spends from 12 to 22 minutes per day in prayer. One in four spends less than 10 minutes. And in Larry Lea's book, "Could You Not Tarry One Hour?", he suggests that all of us need to expand our personal prayer time to one hour per day.

One of my personal favourite books on prayer is Bill Hybels' book called "Too Busy Not To Pray." I think many of us find it difficult to find the time to pray but as Hybels' title suggest, I think it is imperative for us to spend time in prayer. I think that as we begin to pray for every aspect of our church, we will see exciting things begin to happen.

When we think of the resources that God has given to us, I think that prayer is often overlooked. But more and more, as I am involved with the ministry of the Church, I am beginning to realize that prayer is the key. As we pray about the work of the Church, we will become more sensitive to hearing God's voice and become more aware of the opportunities that God is placing before us.

Prayer: Loving God, help us watch and pray. Slow us down, Lord, and teach us to pray. Help us to hear your voice in our prayer and in our living, and help us to see the opportunities that you place before us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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About the author:

Ruth McCowan <rbmccowan@shaw.ca>
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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