Preparation for Prayer-Meeting.
It is a real pity that so many prayer-meetings are spoiled which by a very little thought and effort could be made intensely interesting and helpful. Many times it is the fault of the leader. He seems to have made no preparation whatever for conducting the meeting. He does not know what chapter he wants to read, and he turns over half the Bible before he finds one with which he is satisfied. He has selected no hymns, and, when the time for singing comes, he inflicts long pauses upon the meeting while he searches nervously through the hymn-book for something that will do to announce. Or perhaps it is over-preparation which the leader brings to the meeting,—too much Scripture-reading, too long a prayer, quite too much talking. Which of these blemishes is the most hurtful, it is hard to decide. To conduct a prayer-meeting well, there should always be preparation, and each portion should be brief. The leader should know just what he will read, and should never read many verses; just what he will sing, and should never sing many stanzas; just what he will say, and should never speak many minutes. Preparation, promptness, brevity, vivacity, life, and true devotion, are some of the essential elements needed to make a good prayer-meeting.—Sel.