Did you know most pastors and rabbis spend an average of only two hours a week in prayer?
That was a wake-up call when my rabbi shared that during Erev Shabbat a few months ago, during a series of messages on prayer. It’s certainly far less then the efforts of Johnathan Edwards, that sparked a revival in America, prior to delivering his classic sermon, Sinners In the Hands of an Angry G-d. As history tells it, Edwards, no dynamic speaker of any particular note, prayed for weeks leading up to that one sermon, and his prayer was simple: “L-rd, give me New England.”
Several hours a day for several weeks led to a revival. If most pastors and rabbis put in less than two hours a week, is it any wonder that it’s been over 150 years since America has seen a revival like that which Edwards initiated?
Of course, non-clergy are even worse on average; usually, aside from blessing their meals, even most church and synagogue attendees spend less than an hour in deep prayer each week. Many less than that.
In times of tragedy, such as floods, hurricanes or even personal tragedies like finding out you have cancer or mesothelioma, many folks wonder why G-d isn’t listening. I’m suggesting that perhaps it’s the other way around; perhaps it is us who have turned a deaf ear to Adonai.
Tags: churches, deep prayer, mesothelioma, pastors, rabbis, synagogues