Printer-Friendly Version

SUGGESTIONS FOR LEADING IN
PRAYER PUBLICLY
By Harold S. Martin

In the assembly of other believers we frequently pray jointly. Only one should speak at a time in public prayer, and our minds should follow the words, so that the prayers may be ours and not only the prayer of the individual who is verbalizing the prayer audibly.

1. Guard against Extremities of Voice

There is the "still small voice" approach and the "loud booming voice" approach. Some speak so softly that even in the hushed atmosphere of a worship service, the voice is scarcely heard. The one who leads in prayer should easily be heard.

Then there is the voice of one who prays so loudly that it seems like the one who is leading in prayer is trying to holler all the way to heaven. in a meeting where a man was praying with great volume, a little boy whispered to his mother; he said, "Mother, if he were closer to God, he wouldn't have to talk so loud, would he?"

2. Remember to be Specific In Prayer

Because of limited attention spans, public prayers should be short. Long prayers belong in the secret closet. There is no need to pray around the world, and for government leaders-several times each Sunday. In order to make the best use of time, be careful not to pray in mere generalities.

To pray for "the leaders of our nation" and for missionaries who labor on foreign fields" and for God to "forgive our many sins"--tends to be too general. We ought to be specific in our prayers. It is not enough to confess "our many sins." We should name the sins of which we are guilty. Speak to the point and avoid restating lots of generalities.

3. Avoid Vain Repetition In Prayer

Often there is a monotonous use of the same word. For example, "Lord, just bless us today, and just be with us as we worship you; and we just pray that you will anoint the one who speaks the Word..." And then there is the "Father, Father prayer." "We come to you Father, and thank you Father, for the privilege of worshiping you, Father." Sometimes the word Lord is used: "Lord, we thank you, Lord, for this day, Lord..." We would never hold a conversation with a friend in that manner: "Joe, I want you to know, Joe, that you, Joe, are one of my best friends, Joe..."

All of us approve public prayers, but we should work hard at guarding the extremities of voice, remembering to be specific in our praying, and attempting to weed out meaningless phrases in prayer.