The third point is to be short. We should not be a person with a mouth that does not open or a mouth that does not shut once we begin to pray. Some people seem to have problems with their mouth in the prayer meeting. Either they cannot open their mouth to pray, or when they do open their mouth, they cannot conclude their prayer and close their mouth. Long prayers kill the spirit of the meeting, causing the spirit of the meeting to sink. Therefore, prayers must be short in the prayer meeting.
The fourth point is not to have too many subjects for prayer. In order to have a good prayer meeting, there should not be too many prayer items. The prayer meetings in our localities often commit the mistake of having a long list of prayer items. Many items on this list never change and are unnecessary. Hence, before each prayer meeting the responsible brothers should seriously consider what matters are in need of prayer. It is best to pray for only one item in every prayer meeting. Of course, this is not a rigid principle. However, we should not bring trivial matters to the prayer meeting; instead, we should pray for important matters.
In the prayer meeting we usually pray for the various meetings, the personal problems of the brothers and sisters, gospel preaching, training meetings, and so forth; we cover many items. The brothers and sisters in the prayer meeting have the ability to pray for many items. If each one prays through their list of items, the whole prayer meeting will consist of giving reports. We may pray for every item on the list, yet none of the items will be covered thoroughly.
The Bible does not record examples of prayer meetings with many subjects. In Acts 4:24-31, when the believers gathered together, they specifically prayed for the church in Jerusalem under persecution. Even though all the participants must have prayed, the focus of their prayer was to ask the Lord to strengthen the church and to stretch out His hands. After they prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, proving that God had answered their specific prayer.
In chapter 12, verses 5 and 12, the church gathered together to pray fervently concerning Peter, who had been arrested by Herod, put into prison, and was about to be harmed. Their specific prayer was effective. Peter was rescued by an angel, his chains fell off, and the prison gates were opened.
Our prayer should also be specific. In a prayer meeting the responsible brothers may ask the brothers and sisters to pray specifically regarding the sickness of a certain brother so that the Lord’s will would be made known. Does the Lord want to heal this brother? What does the Lord want to do? If it is the Lord’s will to heal him, we then ask the Lord to stretch out His holy hand. When the whole church beseeches the Lord specifically concerning the sick brother praying for this matter, it is proper and right.
The Chinese have a saying that speaks of biting off more than one can chew, which means to take on more than one can handle. If there are too many items in a prayer meeting, nothing will be accomplished. If there are too many items to pray for in every meeting, eventually everyone will be worn out, feeling as if every item is of equal importance and, consequently, does not have much meaning. As a result, they will not come to the meeting as often, and even if they come, they will seldom pray. In the end, some responsible ones, like those staging a show, will offer a few prayers to quickly conclude the meeting. There will be no burden, not to mention impact. This kind of prayer meeting is merely a meeting, without genuine prayer, and it completely misses the significance of the prayer meeting. I am afraid that this is the condition of the prayer meeting in many places. Even though this is not due to one single matter, having many common subjects for prayer is certainly a factor.
This is the reason it is best to pray for only one item in each meeting. Even if more than one item needs to be prayed for, they should be brought up one by one. We should not bring up a second item before everyone has finished praying for the first. Once the first item is thoroughly covered with prayer, the second item can be presented. This can be compared to accomplishing different tasks. It is important to finish the first task before beginning the second task. There should not be more than three items to pray for in a prayer meeting.
There must be a specific burden for prayer. The purpose of the prayer meeting is for us to come together to pray corporately for items that are too great to be borne by one person. Hence, there must be a specific burden. May the prayer meetings in every locality be adjusted according to these points. The saints must be in one accord, the feelings must be genuine, the utterances must be brief, and the subjects must be specific. We must exercise according to these four points.