Prayer meetings represent the least attended church gatherings in Western Christianity today. This spiritual deficiency stems from four primary causes that afflict the modern church. As Nicholas Batzig observes, Western churches struggle “at coming to the throne of grace in order to receive the grace and mercy needed on a daily and weekly basis” (Hebrews 4:16).

First, the Western church suffers from excessive wealth. Material abundance often creates spiritual complacency, diminishing our perceived need for divine intervention. Second, ambition crowds out prayer life. As Batzig explains, “Prayer is, in one very real sense, a pulling away from the busyness of life and bowing before God the Father and at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the cessation of work and the entering into the presence of the living and true God in order to call on Him to ‘work for us’” (Isaiah 64:4).

Third, the frenetic pace of modern life leaves little room for contemplation. “Arguably, we live in the most active time in human history,” notes Batzig. “The prayer meeting is a glorious corrective to the frenetic culture around us. The prayer meeting helps quiet our minds as we direct our thoughts and prayers up to the God of heaven. After all, He has promised to keep at perfect peace those who keep their minds on Him” (Isaiah 26:3).

Finally, Western Christians demonstrate excessive earthly-mindedness. “The allure of the frenetic culture is often driven by the fact that the members of the church in the Western world are often far too earthly-minded,” Batzig writes. “There is a serious lack of heavenly-mindedness in our lives. Those who are heavenly-minded long to be with the people of God as they gather to be in the presence of God.”

Source: https://www.feedingonchrist.com/blog/post/the-least-attended

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