The first of which is the Prayerless Pew. The spiritual pulse of a church or nation can be taken by looking at its practice of prayer. Some of the great reflections of my heart go back to prayer meetings in poverty stricken countries where God was mightily at work.

I recall the first time I entered the nation of Romania in 1980. A singing group and I were set to minister at the Second Baptist Church of Oradea, Romania. We arrived at the church about an hour early in order to put up the sound equipment and I was amazed at what we saw. Hundreds of people had already begun to gather in the auditorium. They were scattered throughout the building, on their knees, in the pews praying and seeking the face of God. That scene was etched into my memory never to be forgotten.

However, when I returned to my own country I found prayerless pews. Our churches often look and sound like social clubs rather than houses of prayer. Jesus once said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." Too often our churches have become useful for everything except prayer.

E.M. Bounds once wrote, "God wants consecrated men because He wants praying men." Consecration and prayer meet in the same man. Prayer is the tool with which the consecrated man works. Consecrated men are agents through whom prayer works. When we find prayer in the pews we'll find consecration in the heart. The prayerless pews are a signpost that we desperately need revival in this hour.

By the way, how's your prayer life? Is it a signpost to point you to your need for revival?