When people visit your church do they notice a greater presence of prayers throughout the worship service? Do they comment that the pastoral prayer is longer than they'd previously encountered?
Newer attendees often remark that the prayers are longer and more detailed than they’re used to. Many express appreciation for the content, while also admitting it’s sometimes hard to follow or stay engaged. Among the many adjustments people make when settling into a new church, the manner and frequency of prayer is an important one to consider.
So notes Erik Raymond, a former instructor at our Simeon Trust Preaching Workshop. He receklntly shared an excellent blog post on Learning to Listen: Engaging with Longer Prayers in Worship. Not only does Erik give a good overview of the types of prayers we should have in our services, but he also comments -- contra cultural trends -- about the value of longer prayers.
Longer prayers also slow us down. They resist the tyranny of the urgent and invite us to dwell in the presence of God. In our fast-paced culture—especially in a place like Boston—this is a needed counter-rhythm.
Longer prayers, assuming biblical content, lead us to focus longer on biblical truth. And that’s good for our souls.
I encourage you to take a look (and perhaps subscirge to Erik's posts on his site). Let me know what you find.
PDB