How do you pray during the congregational prayer?

[QueenEsther]

How do you pray when other people are praying? Like in church during the congregational prayer or at a Bible study when someone is praying out loud. What do you do?

Part of the time I find myself saying yes and just agreeing with them. Then sometimes I'll go off and start my own prayer while they're praying. Other times I notice that I've gone off to lala land and forgotten about the prayer.

 

[MrMerlin777]

I try to focus on what's being said by the one praying, and concentrate on agreeing with them before Christ in personal prayer. That said I believe that we all drift off to lala land occasionally. The flesh is indeed weak.

 

[Timothy William]

I find group prayer quite difficult, for similar reasons to those QueenEsther mentioned. When others are praying, I find myself either thinking about whether or not I agree, or wondering what I will pray, or my mind just wandering. When I pray, I feel I am not actually praying, but rather saying what I would like others to pray. Not sure if I am doing something wrong, but I find it near impossible to speakk to God and others at the same time. Overall I don't tend to do much praying in prayer meetings.

Some months back, someoen linked to or posted a very good Reformed critique of prayer meetings. I can't remember who, may have been R Scott Clark, or what thread it was on, but it really spelt out many of the issues that have disquieted me about the practice for years.

 

[Philip A]

Some months back, someoen linked to or posted a very good Reformed critique of prayer meetings. I can't remember who, may have been R Scott Clark, or what thread it was on, but it really spelt out many of the issues that have disquieted me about the practice for years.

http://www.puritanboard.com/showthread.php?t=17131

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

In public worship, the congregation should be united in spirit with the minister who alone is verbally uttering the prayer. The one who is leading the prayer has a particularly important duty to pray in such a manner that others are not hindered from communion with God but rather encouraged to draw near to Him; likewise, those who are silently joining in the prayer have a (second commandment) duty to be engaged in what the minister is saying, with delight, and to avoid distractions.

"...that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction." (1 Cor. 7.35)

Richard Steele has a helpful book on how to overcome distractions: A Remedy for Wandering Thoughts in the Worship of God. One help is to pray privately beforehand against distraction. Samuel Miller's Thoughts on Public Prayer is geared more towards the person leading the prayer but is useful for all. John Newton's treatise on Public Prayer is a good read. The Westminster Directory for Public Worship has sections on Public Prayers that are worth reading. Matthew Henry, Thomas Boston and many others have written on how to pray from the heart in all settings, and they are always worth reading.

"Our weakness and inabilities break not the bond of our duties." -- The New England Primer

 

[QueenEsther]

Thank you for your responses

I have in the past done the "Yes, I agree" type follow along prayer and found myself having to retract my prayer ("Oh, wait, no, void that last one..") because I didn't agree with what they were praying.