Having been in this community for more than one year, I come to know what *prayer meeting* is all about. It's more than just clapping, jumping, raising hand, songs, teaching, and praying. Yes, it's correct if you say all that elements are in the prayer meeting, but the whole prayer meeting is more than just that. !http://lh6.ggpht.com/_j9R5kI4Li4Q/SqvvvpRk0PI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/NjlgZ4wNieM/s288/DSCF8531.JPG! For me personally, _prayer meeting is a situation and condition when I can encounter God's presence and listen to His word._ That's the meaning about meeting. Meeting means to see, look, face someone. Then prayer is communication with God. So whom will we meet then? Whom will we communicate with? He is our God, Jesus Christ.

All the other stuffs are meant to help us to encounter His presence and listen to him. Take example *_Praise and Worship (PW) session_*. This session is called the core of the prayer meeting. Yes it's correct. PW session is meant to be the first encounter with God. Hopefully through songs, lyrics, and music we can feel Him in the midst of us. Good worship leader must help all the congregation to focus their mind to God. I know as human we have a lot of problems. As university student we face lecture, tutorial, assessment, assignment, and relationship with fellow students. In this time we tell Lord all of our burden, problem, and trouble. This is the time when we give complains, praises, thanks, and anything to Lord. Hopefully after PW session we can prepare our self to hear the answer from our Lord. In silent moment, when there is prophecy, Lord answers our prayer. He replies our complains, worries, praises, thanks, burdens, etc.

After PW session we continue with *_teaching session_*. This is also important part in prayer meeting. Teaching or sharing good news is the way God communicating to us. Through the speaker God wants to answer our question, problem, or burden. That's why speaker is very important task. He/she must really asked God to bless him/her so that whatever words come out is God's word. _Have you wondered sometimes the teaching was really about you?_ That is God's work. He knows everything.

We proceed to *_sharing session_*. This is actually our respond to Lord answer. Sometimes the question asking: _"How do you feel about ....?"_ or _"How do you respond to the teaching?"._ This is the time you answer back to Lord's answer. That's why you should use this time to really share about the problem you're facing. Lord can use anyone in your group to be His messenger. Do not be afraid to open your heart. Lord respects our mind. He also wants to hear your opinion.

After all sessions we close prayer meeting with *_closing prayer_* and *_intercessory prayer_*. This session in to conclude all our activities that we have done before. Closing prayer is actually concluding prayer. It contains what we feel, what we get, what are still not clear, what have happened, and etc. We summarize the whole prayer meeting into closing prayer. We ask Lord to bless us so that whatever we got will still remain even after we leave. And as human who has weaknesses we ask Lord to strengthen us. We ask Lord to grant our needs and petitions.

Prayer meeting is _God's oriented_. We can say prayer meeting is also fellowship session, but it's not meant to be for that. Fellowship is just one part of prayer meeting. The main thing is encountering God. Fellowship is meant to encounter God from our brothers and sisters. We can see Him from their eyes, bodies, hands, words, and attitudes. As image of God we must be God for one another.So when you come to prayer meeting, it's not time for gossip, work discussion, study discussion, or chit chat. Yes we still can have that but we already had time for all of that. We already have 22 hours for our personal time. _Why can't we give this 2 hours for God?_

So next time we come to prayer meeting how about we train to change our mind to God's oriented. So prayer meeting is like meeting old friend. We come to tell Him our stories whatever they may be. No matter it's a happy or sad story. Long or short one. It's like date with our special one. If we prepare well for dating with our friend, we can do the same for our God. We should communicate more with Him during prayer meeting. By doing this, hopefully when leaving we got something remain in our heart, the feeling of peace, happy, relax, free, and joy. When we step out from the room after prayer meeting, we will bring back the smile. *_The smile for you, me, and other people_*.