My dear readers,

(Excerpts from Building Firm Foundations, Dr SH Tow)

1. Praying with one accord

The Prayer Meeting has been called the Cinderella of the Church. People will attend Sunday Morning Worship, Gospel Services, Bible Study and 'special meetings’. But most members shy away when it is only a Prayer Meeting. "After all I can pray at home. Doesn 't God also hear?" If that is what keeps you away from the Prayer Meeting, you have missed a vital truth which lies at the heart of every Holy Spirit revival.

In Acts 1:4 the Lord, before He ascended to Heaven, gave specific commandment to the disciples "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait" for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus had ascended, the disciples tarried in Jerusalem and "all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication" (Act 1:14) until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came down in full measure.

Here then is the lesson of united prayer.

Believers are to gather in one place and continue in prayer with one accord. This meanspraying toward one objective, in one spirit and with one mind. Nothing else will unite a body of believers as this sort of united prayer. Nothing else will open the windows of heaven for God's revival blessing to be downpoured on His people. Every revival is preceded and sustained by the united prayer of God's people.

The current Church scene around the world is generally one of spiritual lukewarmness and decline. (We do not regard the charismatic phenomenon as true Holy Spirit revival, although it is gathering in large numbers and reporting impressive results). Many Bible-believing fundamental Churches find it difficult to induce not more than 5-10% of their adult members to attend Prayer Meeting. No pastor who means business should ignore this state of spiritual apathy. Surely he will be concerned enough to look at the problem in depth, seek out its causes and prescribe a cure. It may well be his own spiritual lethargy!

Let every home seriously consider how it can augment the Prayer Meeting and speed the revival of the Church.

My God, Is Any Hour So Sweet

My God, is any hour so sweet,

From blush of morn to evening star,

As that which calls me to thy feet,

The hour of prayer?

- Charlotte Elliott

2. Every parting sealed by prayer

In our home from as long as I can remember every parting is sealed by prayer. For every parting is tinged with sadness and the inevitable heaviness of heart. Grandfather (with whom we lived nine months of the year for our schooling) led the family before God's throne of grace nightly in Family Worship. Nothing was ever permitted to interfere with this most important event of the day.

Grandfather taught us precious lessons in faith, lessons which remain with us to this day. Our Family Worship was a simple and homely affair. There was the singing of Chinese hymns and John Sung choruses, followed by the reading of God's Word. Then came the catechism session. Grandfather used to ask simple questions yet with profound spiritual meaning. Then he would close with prayer before we parted for the night.

Each school day began with prayer. None was allowed to run off to the bus-stop without prayer. If we did not schedule our time early enough, it was our own fault. Grandfather was sure that being late for school was preferable to not having our time with God. He gave us our most precious heritage - believing prayer. So every morning we left home, armed with prayer and peace in our hearts to face the issues of the day.

School vacations were spent with our parents in Malaysia. Revived under Dr. John Sung's ministry, they faithfully led us in daily Family Worship. Some nights the meetings were long and our school-work was not finished. But Father assured us that God would make up by giving us the extra wisdom. Looking back we can say with all our heart: Thank God for Family Worship and the prayers morning and night. By God's grace we have imparted the same to ourchildren.

Back to our text, and the sad parting between the Apostle Paul and the Ephesian elders. There on the seashore at Miletus, the group knelt down and prayed with tears. "And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him" (Acts 20:37). What a warm and loving parting, again sealed with prayer.

"Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer

'Tis the blessed hour of prayer,

When our hearts lowly bend,

And we gather to Jesus,

Our Saviour and Friend;

If we come to Him in faith,

His protection to share,

What a balm for the weary!

O how sweet tobethere!

– Fanny J. Crosby