Rethinking Prayer #5: The Sufficiency of the Lord’s Day

One of the subtle lies many modern Christians believe is that Sunday worship isn’t quite enough. That if we really want to experience the presence of God—if we want to be a “praying church”—we need something more. More meetings. More intensity. More emotion. More late-night prayer vigils. While these things may have their place, they often reveal that we’ve lost confidence in the ordinary means of grace.

The reality is this: the Lord’s Day gathering is already a prayer meeting. When the church gathers on Sunday—around the Word, the Lord’s Table, singing, and intercession—we are seeking the Lord together. We confess our sins, lift up our praises, offer our petitions, and receive His mercy. That is not a warm-up for deeper spirituality. It is the heart of Christian spirituality.

We may not need more meetings. What we may actually need is to give the right attention, emphasis, and preparation to the one meeting God has commanded—the Sunday gathering. Instead of chasing spiritual highs elsewhere, we should come to the Lord’s Day with expectation, reverence, and readiness. It’s not just another routine; it’s the covenantal assembly of God’s people before His throne.

When we believe we need to add something extra to “really pray,” we risk undermining the sufficiency of what God has already given. We begin to think His ordinary means are too ordinary, and we look elsewhere for power and presence.

But the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). That’s a Sunday service. That’s a praying church.

You don’t need to chase more. You need to arrive ready. The Lord’s Day is not the warm-up. It is the main event.

Nino Marques