It is said that there are two types of Christians: Those who are natural prayer warriors, and those who are not.

There are some who can spend three, four hours a day in their prayer closet. They are the special ops forces of every church’s intercessory or inner healing ministry.

But they are in the minority. For the large majority of us, prayer does not come easy.

I can say with a sad certainty that your church prayer meeting is likely the least attended event on your church calendar.

We are happy to worship and attend cell group. We are happy to serve. But gather to pray? No thank you.

I understand. I try to avoid it too. I wish I was a natural-born prayer warrior … but I’m not. I struggle just like many of you.

But just because we struggle doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.

In fact, for this past season, God has laid it very strongly on my heart that now, more than ever, in a world so filled with darkness, the church – every church – must rediscover the passion for prayer, and rebuild a culture of prayer.

Don’t take my word for it. Take God’s Word.

From Scripture, here are 7 reasons why we must make church prayer meetings our top priority.

#1: Every church is called to be a house of prayer.

God first said this in Isaiah 56:7, and then Jesus Himself repeated it in Matthew 21:13, at the temple in Jerusalem: “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

If your church is the house of God, it must be a house of prayer.

#2: Every church was told to pray.

Paul said it to the Colossians (Colossians 4:2). The Ephesians (Ephesians 6:18). The Philippians (Philippians 4:6). The Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:15).

To virtually every church he started or mentored, he reminded them: Devote yourself to prayer. Be vigilant in prayer. Pray without ceasing. Pray always, with all kinds of prayer in the Spirit.

Every church was told to pray. Your church is no exception.

#3: Without prayer, your church is just another Godless building.

Solomon had just finished building a beautiful, majestic temple unto God. When finished, they prayed to consecrate the Temple.

Then God responded: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices …” (2 Chronicles 7:12).

God made it His temple not because of the grand building, or the fact that it had been built by a king. God filled that place with His presence because He had heard their prayers.

Without prayer, your church is just another godless building.

#4: Failing to pray for others is a sin.

All the people of Israel looked to Prophet Samuel for guidance. Before he passed away, he revealed the key to his leadership.

He told the people: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23)

Failing to pray for others is a sin! This is echoed in Ephesians 6:18 – “Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Keep on praying for one another! Don’t fall into the sin of failing to pray for one another!

#5: Our prayers are especially important in the end-times.

Twice in the book of Revelation, in chapters 5 and 8, it talks about a bowl or a censer full of incense. These “Golden bowls full of incense … are the prayers of God’s people”. (Revelation 5:8, 8:3)

These are dark, terrible times. Many of us even feel we are in the end-times. We can’t predict exactly when Jesus comes again. But we know from the prophecy of the book of Revelation that our role in the end-times is to fill these bowls with the prayers of God’s people.

That’s me. That’s you. Now is the time to add your prayer to these heavenly vessels.

#6: When Jesus comes again, He wants to find us praying.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow, which is a parable to show the disciples “that they should always pray and not give up” – that we should learn how to “cry out to God day and night”.

He closes the parable by saying: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Read in context, it is very clear: The faith He refers to is faith that prays, that cries out to God day and night.

When Jesus comes again, will he find us praying here on earth?

#7: God wants everyone – “multitudes” of believers – to gather to pray to Him.

King Hezekiah had decided to honour God by celebrating the Passover. However, 2 Chronicles 30 tells us that they had to postpone the festival by a month. Why?

“They could not keep the Passover at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem … the multitude of people did not do as it was written.”

Only when they finally did so did “their prayer reach heaven, his holy dwelling place”. Only when they gathered in the multitudes did God choose to hear them. (2 Chronicles 30:27)

Today, under the New Covenant, we understand that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Yes, we celebrate Him individually and personally. But we are also called to celebrate Him as a collective – as the church. We are the Body of Christ.

What we learn here is God wants everyone to gather to pray – in numbers, multitudes of people. It pleases God’s heart to see us set aside our differences, overcome our inconvenience and personal preferences, and unite in prayer.

There you have it. Seven reasons why I believe every Christian must make prayer – and in particular, church prayer meetings – your top priority in this season.

We all want revival in our churches. Revival is when the dead come back to life. If we want to see revival in our churches, we must resurrect our prayer life. God says start there – truly establish every church as a house of prayer – and He will make that building His temple.

When Jesus comes again, He wants to find the multitudes praying. This doesn’t begin with everyone and anyone else. No, it begins with YOU. God is calling for every believer to become a prayer warrior.

I started by saying there are two types of Christians. One, are the natural prayer warriors. But for the rest of us, if we can’t be natural prayer warriors, then we will have to become intentional prayer warriors.

Will you join me and repent of our prayerlessness, or our lethargic prayer life? Will you restart your personal and family prayer altar?

And this is important. This month, will you join your church prayer meeting, maybe even for the very first time?

As we approach the 40.Day season of prayer from July 1 to August 9, there will be many churches organising prayer meetings. Find out when – and be there.

On August 8, there will be many regional prayer centres hosting the annual Day of His Power national prayer gathering.

So shake off the cobwebs, reject every excuse, clear your schedule, find a buddy if it helps.

Be one of the multitudes filling up the bowls of prayer incense.

Make your church a house of prayer.

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