Our True Measure – What We Are In Prayer

“A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more.” – John Owen

This quote by the great Puritan scholar and author John Owen is so convicting and relevant! Our culture tempts us to view success by the very things mentioned by Owen – how many people are part of our ministry and how much ‘buzz’ we generate in the culture. But Owen is certainly right – God is not looking at these things, but what is done in secret in our ‘prayer closet’. The true measure of any church or ministry is not outward numbers but the prayer of the people in the ministry.

We need to remind ourselves of this regularly. We have had several recent spectacular examples of ministries that grew big and then collapsed. The siren call of the culture is to measure our congregation by all the wrong measures. But God is calling us to prayer. What I am in prayer before my Father is what I truly am. Regardless of what others may think, no matter the outward success, God is looking at the heart as it is expressed in prayer before Him. A prayerless heart is evidence of a soul in danger, no matter the current outward success. And a heart of prayer is in a healthy place, regardless of outward circumstances.

I hope this encourages you to be faithful in prayer this week.

In Christ,

Bret