I just received the May newsletter from Faith Church in Findlay, OH.  The lead article, by Pastor Michael Martin, talks about the importance of prayer and I’ve copied it here, straight from the Pastor’s Desk.

Every once in a while I sit down and evaluate my spiritual progress. During that time I often find there is something I need to correct. It is usually something important, but I have let it slip. I found one of those areas for myself this week, and I wanted to write about it because I think it can apply to the church’s ministry too: Prayer. I know, we all pray individually. We also read prayers together in worship. I suspect though, if we are honest, very few of us would confess to feeling we are good at prayer and pray enough.

Jesus covered every need and reason to pray in the words recorded in Matthew 7:7; Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. If there is a need in life we need but ask. He assures us that when we do, it is given. Sometimes there is something we don’t understand. In such a case we are invited to seek. For some reason, the necessity of seeking becomes part of the answer. I have been told before that we shouldn’t ask God why? It seems to me though that in the invitation to seek there is also the invitation to ask why. Sometimes, we don’t necessarily need anything and we don’t have any questions, but we feel the need to be in the presence of our Savior. We want to feel his warm embrace and hear his encouraging words. In these times Jesus bids us to knock. When we knock the door is opened and we are welcomed in.

I do need to increase the duration and the quality of my prayers. I feel the Lord is asking us as a church to increase our prayer life together. As he cleared the temple Jesus quoted God’s words from the Old Testament, My house will be called a house of prayer. We pray, but are we a house of prayer?

I am going to concentrate on this subject in my articles this summer. It will be the focus of a few sermons as well. I also plan to put it into action. I would like to start by having a designated time we could come together and pray for the church and each other. When our worship time changes to 9:30 in June, I plan to go into the sanctuary or a side room at 9:00 to pray. My goal is to pray for 15 minutes and then go out to fellowship before we worship. You are welcome to join me. Do you have a suggestion for a better time, one that would work better for you? Let me know. I will already be praying for you, but I would love to pray with you.

If you cannot join in one of the times of corporate prayer, I ask that you pray on your own. Pray for me. Pray for the church. Pray for your needs. Pray for your friends, your family and your enemies. Spend time with the Lord. Send him a knee mail. Just pray.

FAITH WALK, a message from Michael Martin

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1