The Voice of Prayer

Three Pastors were deep in a discussion of the best positions for praying. “Kneeling is definitely the best,” claimed the first one.
“No,” another contended. “I get the best results standing with my arms outstretched towards heaven.”
“You’re both wrong,” the third argued. “The most effective prayer position is laying on the floor facedown.”
“Excuse me,” interjected a telephone repairman, “I’ve been listening to your conversation and I have to tell you, the best praying I ever did was hanging upside down from a telephone pole.”
Prayer is possibly the single most important duty a Christian can do. Everything done by a Christian must begin with prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool. Yet, it is something that is lacking in today’s church.
A recent study, conducted by the Pew Research Center, had highlighted this lack of prayer in the church. 58% of churchgoers say they pray at least once a day, a little over half of the church. Of those that pray, 73% say they pray less than fifteen minutes. The numbers really drop when it comes to having a ‘prayer meeting”, a meeting specifically set aside just for prayer. On the average, when a church holds a “prayer meeting”, less than 3% of the congregation will show up. It is no wonder why the nonbeliever does not believe in prayer when the believer does not utilize it.
Praying is a tough duty. Recognizing the struggles of the flesh, especially with prayer, we are exhorted to pray diligently and fervently, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18 NASB) Note the ALLS: "with ALL prayer," "at ALL times," "in ALL perseverance," "for ALL the saints." When we stop to weigh the meaning of these words, and then note the connection in which they are found, the believer is driven to say, "I must pray, pray, pray. I must put all my energy and all my heart into prayer. Whatever else I do, I must pray."
The history of the church has always been a history of grave difficulties to overcome. The devil hates the church and seeks in every way to block its progress; now by false doctrine, again by division, again by inward corruption of life. But by prayer, a clear way can be made through everything. Prayer will root out heresy, allay misunderstanding, sweep away jealousies and animosities, obliterate immoralities, and bring in the full tide of God's reviving grace. History abundantly proves this. In the hour of darkest portent, when the case of the church, local or universal, has seemed beyond hope, believing men and believing women have met together and cried to God and the answer has come.
It was so in the early days of our colonization with Bradford and Edwards. It was so in the days of our nations founding with Wesley and Witherspoon. And so it is with today. It is now a dark day, BUT― now it is time for God to work, “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14,15 NASB) And He is getting ready to work, and now He is listening for the voice of prayer. Will He hear it? Will He hear it from you? Will He hear it from the church as a body?