Praying out loud

Growing up in NC I often attended revival meetings and preacher's fellowships with my Father who was a pastor. In rural independent, fundamental, Baptist churches this type of group prayer was common...even typical. Before the service, all of the men would gather in a room, one guy would be asked to lead in prayer. He would start and everyone else would, out loud, join in prayer. I'm sure the practice started in the culture some years ago and has been maintained. I have no problem with it. I have never heard anybody do such a thing in PA. People in Philly are much to quiet and reserved to pray all at one time...yeah, right!

 

I, too, grew up in NC, and I was saved at the age of 17 in such a church. The men did gather in a room before each service, and I believe they actually prayed down the power of God on those services. The men of my church today meet one Saturday evening a month for a prayer meeting at the church; however, it is not concert prayer, but individually as one feels led. The power of God is present in those meetings, too. The biggest blessing is when you hear a new Christian man pouring out his heart to God for the first time, maybe after a year of attending the prayer meetings. It is not a competition considering that I believe all of us enjoy hearing the others praying. I know I am tremendously blessed when I hear them pray, and I hope that I am also a blessing to them.

 

One of the interesting things about that scripture is it shows the early Church not engaged in extemporaneous prayer but actually praying a Psalm they had modified for it continues Acts 4:25-28
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

" 'Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
[26] The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.'

[27] Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. [28] They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

It appears to be evidence of the early Church praying set prayers rather than extemporaneous prayer which is not unusual since Psalms was both a prayer and a hymn book for the Jews. What is interesting is the early Church had modified Psalms 2 in explaining it's Messianic meaning. Baptists today don't like the idea of praying a set prayer though in Scripture one finds evidence of both extemporaneous and set prayers being prayed.