Is there nothing so intrinsically innocent and good that we sinners cannot spoil it? Apparently not. Not even when it comes to prayer. Jesus used the pompous self-serving prayer of a Pharisee to highlight, among other things, the vulnerability of prayer to pernicious use. “Thank you God that I am not like his Publican!” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus knows he must teach his disciples what to pray. Otherwise they might stupidly lapse into the vain repetitions of the pagans.

Have you escaped the nastiness prayer can inject into an otherwise mutually supportive gathering of believers? Count yourself blessed. Consider this effort at edification by a local church Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) president lo not so many years ago: “Thank you God that brother George has stopped living in sin with that woman and thank you that some of the young families have finally started tithing.” Can anything compare with the sweet encouragement of a sister in Christ?!

Once I became alert to the kind of mischief an open prayer service exposes believers to, I started giving periodic instruction regarding the purpose of prayer and pointing out how easily what should involve the exercise of a precious privilege and responsibility of the people of God has power to harm as well as help. I encourage you to do the same. (Open microphone confessionals of the type that were so popular a few years ago can be a similar Pandora’s Box of unhelpful public hurtfulness).

As a pastor I try to stay alert to the need to draw aside for a little private instruction those who, wittingly or not, tend to lapse into the use of prayer time to gossip, correct others, criticized the staff, or to advance any number of agendas that have little to do with petitioning God for his help.

Have you experienced how haywire a hijacked prayer meeting can get? Any pointers on how to protect prayer meetings from such unhealthy usurpation?