Why is corporate prayer a secondary priority so often?

"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company." (Romans 15:30-32 NASB) Sometimes when I read these scriptures like this, I wonder if my/our priorities are right according to scripture. I wonder if we have lost the absolute command to pray in our daily lives. At least in my circle of friends, I find devote Jesus loving people who have a heart for the goodness of God, but when I place us against the images of scripture like Acts 2 "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." or above where Paul calls for corporate prayer on behalf of His ministry....I wonder what is missing? Is it simply we are to busy and allow things of less eternal importance to take priority over those things in Acts 2? Is it that maybe we just don't know how or wonder if it really works? My hearts mourns for a people that places prayer as a secondary activity in the same lines as playing a video game, watching a TV show, or playing a sport. Yet, I find myself doing nothing to facilitate that in my community. I desire what is right but allow fear, negative thoughts, and uncertainty to define my outlook on life..... As I think about this right now, I wonder if we don't pray because we have no way to measure or find results in the active? As Americans we so often need the instant gratification that prayer sometimes doesn't offer. We need to know we are apart of a definable cause that will produce a definable effect. We have become so sterile through our scientific methodologies when it comes to God. My friend Corban would say something like, "God is always the cause alone. We are simply and beautifully only the effect of God moving." Simply put.....when we begin to look for the effects of what we have done, we are attempting to take the place of God as the only cause that creates effects. Would we pray more if we came to the activity of prayer knowing only one thing.

As we listen for God to speak something into us trusting he is the cause, we then in effect pray it out-not looking for the effect to measure, but instead that the prayer we pray is the effect itself.

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12, 13 NASB) Although it seems that we are at work this scripture brings us back into alignment with the truth. Everything we do for the Lord is in reality an effect of what He has already done in us. My thoughts today..... Lord work a work of Faith in me that I would pray your will recognizing you are the cause of all things and I am simply and beautifully only an effect of that great work you are doing in this world.