Something I've asked again and again

John Armstrong, through the comment of a friend, posts today about something that has bothered me for years: Why are we so hesitant to really pray in our meetings? Why do we relegate prayer to 60 seconds to start the meeting and 30 seconds to close? Here is the post from Brother Armstrong's blog:

August 18, 2006
Why Do We Find Prayer So Unimportant to Our Meetings?
A friend wrote me today and shared the following account in his letter. His comments, and the question that he poses, are worth both worth consideration by anyone who professes love for Christ and his kingdom. Here is what my friend wrote:

"The other evening I opened our board meeting with a heartfelt prayer, something that I haven’t done in a while in a board meeting context. I have shared with the other board members the passion that God has been giving me for more prayer, and that we need to set aside as much time as we can and as often as we can to pray, so as to see the hand of God move in our lives, and in the lives of those we serve. Anyhow, as our evening ended (and on time) one of the executive staff members leaned over to our director as he was about to close in prayer and stated “Hey, just make sure you don’t pull one of those ‘preacher prayers’ like our friend over here, because it’s been a long night and I am ready to go.” He smiled as he looked over at me, and one other gentleman laughed, but I did not.
Why do I share this John? I am in so many Christian gatherings and board meetings and it seems that without fail we almost always tolerate real praying. Praying, in so many settings, seems like a bookend to a meeting or seminar, period."

Are we so dull spiritually that prayer, earnest and serious prayer, is something we can dispense with or leave to professional ministers? I fear the truth of an honest answer might well reveal the paucity of our true spirituality in far too many ministry settings. Next time your group meets ask the question: "What does prayer reveal about our trust in God alone?"
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Recently I was very blessed to hear the testimony of a church in the iron range of Minnesota regarding their prayer life. I have had the privilege to have a small part in encouraging prayer there. The pastor reported that one evidence of renewed commitment to prayer is that when groups meet, they spend a great deal of time in prayer. This was sweet music to my ears.

Ben Patterson, who wrote the wonderful book Deepening Your Conversation with God, tells of introducing an hour of prayer into the Elder meetings of his church. These meetings tended to go long, into the night. His Elders were shocked -- our meetings are already too long, and you want to add an hour of worship and prayer? But, Patterson says, as soon as they began to open their meetings with an hour of worship and prayer, the meetings got SHORTER. Why? Time with God brings so many things into focus! Our priorities are not the same.

After all, whose wisdom will most greatly impact your next committee meeting? Yours, or God's?