“The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful” (James 5:16b).
Diana DavisA church without prayer is like a Porsche without gas. It may look great, but there’s not much power. Looking for a unique prayer opportunity for your church?
Make a prayer labyrinth for a special day of church prayer. It may be designed around a specific need, such as a land purchase or upcoming revival. The atmosphere is reverent, and members are challenged to stop by the prayer labyrinth to pray individually on a specific day for at least one hour (Matthew 26:40-41). A church leader is scheduled to be present each hour, but individuals come and go at their own pace.
Stage it at your church in a room, hallway or several adjacent rooms. One church used their sanctuary. A prayer labyrinth was effectively set around some conference tables at Indiana’s Women’s Evangelism Retreat.
Carefully planned prayer stations are creatively designed using worshipful music, lighting, props, walls and unique backdrops. Possibilities are vast. The multiple venues for prayer might include:
? A Bible on a stand. Mark a scripture about prayer; readers write their response in an open notebook.
? A kneeling bench in a corner.
? A desk with a church directory and pencil to check off names as they pray for them.
? A praise wall. Praises to God are written on sticky notes and attached.
? A wall of scriptures about prayer, with a bench for meditating on them.
? Art supplies and a paper-covered wall for artistic prayer expression. If the room is darkened, use a black light and glow-in-the-dark paint.
? A “throne” with a crown, and a pillow on the floor in front of it.
? A rolodex of prayer requests.
? A missionary list and world map.
? A collage-style display wall to write names of God.
? A stool by an exterior window. Use a dry-erase marker to write: “Meditate on God’s creation.”
? A mega-sized thank-you note to God, where each person adds a sentence.
? A “pray for the lost” whiteboard with instructions to write initials of lost friends.
Be creative! Could you use audiovisuals, a phone book, prayer postcards, a city map, rocking chair, or a list of community leaders? Create enthusiasm by involving a variety of people in preparation. Youth in one church spent several days preparing an expansive prayer labyrinth for a teen prayer day. It was so effective the pastor asked them to leave it set up, and invited the entire church to participate the next week.
What a beautiful sight – individual church members approaching the throne of God in prayer for an hour. Yes, gas fuels a Porsche. And prayer fuels a church. Fill ‘er up!