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Two or More

God has blessed my husband and I with dear friends who are also in the ministry. We regularly get together to relax, to fellowship, to share funny "preacher stories," but my favorite part of our gathering is when we huddle up and pray for each other. We pray for each others churches, for God's guidance in our homes, and for God to guide and direct our lives and ministries. I believe that the time that we spend intimately praying together has kept our friendship strong.

Last week I shared with you that my heart was burdened with the spiritual discipline of prayer.  I specifically dealt with the matter of intercessory prayer in "How Can I Pray For You?".  I shared how I have felt the prayers of my fellow believers on my behalf, and how I now have the privilege of interceding on behalf of others who are hurting.

As powerful as I feel that my personal prayers are, there is incomparable power in the prayers of multiple believers gathered together in prayer.  Whether you're praying with a friend over the telephone, or lying in bed with your spouse at night, or in a house full of believers, praying with other people is powerful. 

There is nothing new about the importance of corporate prayer.  From the inception of the New Testament church, believers have seen the power of praying with one another.  Following the resurrection of Christ, the disciples gathered together to decide who was going to replace Judas in their group of twelve.  Luke records how they went about that process:

"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."  Acts 1:14

This time of prayer wasn't haphazard nor was it an afterthought.  They knew that spending time in prayer together was tantamount to allowing God to use them for His glory as His church was in its infancy. 

When I read that they "joined together constantly in prayer," I don't think our fast-paced, multi-tasking, Western minds can fathom what that would entail.  I have a feeling that when they weren't eating or sleeping, they were praying together! I picture them hand in hand, on their knees, pouring their hearts out to God.  It was because of this persistence in corporate prayer that God blessed their efforts as they sought to do His will.
  • Have you personally felt the power of corporate prayer? 
  • Have you seen God reveal His specific will for a situation because of the persistence of praying with fellow believers?  
  • Do you have a prayer partner or prayer group that gives you the opportunity to participate regularly in praying for lost souls, for God's guidance for your life or church, or for physical healing for loved ones?
  • Do you allow God to use you to take the lead in initiating prayer with fellow believers?
If you have missed out on the blessing of approaching God's throne while hand in hand with another believer, pray that God will put the opportunity in your path today.  If you have a Christian friend, ask to pray with them.  If you want to take your relationship with your spouse to another level, begin praying with them.  You will feel God's presence in an amazing way because of this promise:

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."  Matt. 18:20 



Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 30, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    There is power in prayer!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 6, 2013 at 7:07 PM

    Yes,,,there most certainly is power in group prayer and we ....need more ...I have found that if the three girls,,,,pray with me,,,,our time together is precious and powerful.

    ReplyDelete

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