Are We Just Kidding?

Recently i have learned of the following: A church in Kenya which regularly has entire nights devoted to prayer, and whole weeks of prayer and fasting. Read a biography of Leonard Ravenhill, the former British preacher and evangelist and his multiple hours of daily prayer for revival. Discovered the secret of the spiritually healthiest Christian church that I know of personally, located in Porto Alegre, Brazil. One of the two co-founders and pastors has risen at 4AM every morning for the past (50) fifty years for hours of prayer. In forty-five years of life in Christ I have participated in exactly 2 whole nights of prayer, and only 4 times have fasted for a week or more, and i suspect that i am unusual in even that much. The church in the US has well educated leaders who construct carefully nuanced sermons to people who in many cases consider going to a building (including homes)on Sunday, singing a few songs, listening to someone preach, and going home the central core of their faith. We are willing to debate doctrine but relatively unwilling to discipline ourselves for sustained prayer, either individually or in groups. I can find people to go to restaurants but not many to intercede. In retrospect the failure of the house church movement with which i was associated in New England ( 20 groups over 15 years) was that we talked too much and prayed too little. Even when churches have prayer vigils or meetings they are normally poorly attended, and people spend far more time describing their needs than praying about them. Jesus prayed all night. ( Luke 6:12) Paul prayed night and day. (1 Thess 3:10) Epaphras struggled in prayer for the Colossians. ( Colossians 4:12) We are told to "continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." ( Colossians 4:2)Although God has caused me to ramp up my prayers in the last several years, I am convicted that there is far more that I could do.