In many places the church prayer meeting has become the poor relation among church activities.
But the prayer meeting is vital in the life of the local church.
We can see this in a number of different ways.
Historically
Every great revival has been preceded with prayer. Someone has said: ‘When God’s about to do a great work, he sets his people praying’. Preceding the 18th-century revival in Scotland there was a significant increase in the number of Societies for Prayer. The Ulster Revival of 1859 started in the prayer meeting. Similarly in Wales in 1904. Evan John Roberts, one of the leaders, attributed his calling and empowering to the prayer meeting. He wrote after the Revival: ‘When a few more had prayed, I felt a living power pervading my bosom… This living power became stronger… I felt ablaze with a desire to go through the length and breadth of Wales to tell of the Saviour’.
