Community Prayer
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather
in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather
in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20
Prayer is our way of directly communicating with God. Its power is evident throughout Scripture. There are prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, healing, deliverance, and confession. Prayer can change hearts, forgive sins, restore relationships, change circumstances, heal bodies, and, if necessary, move mountains. The Old Testament details many answered prayers: Hannah’s prayer for a child, David’s prayer for deliverance, Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, Elijah’s prayer for rain, Hezekiah’s prayer for healing, and Daniel’s prayer for understanding.
Jesus even teaches us how to pray. The full Lord's Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. His instruction is couched in the collective. It’s not singular, but communal.
Christians pray alone in the quiet of their homes, but community prayer is usually absent. As followers of Christ, we know how important prayer is, but group prayer is declining, if not nonexistent, in most churches. The Lord’s prayer is spoken out loud in the church service, and there is a public prayer before a group meal. However, prayer meetings are attended by only a small fraction of the total church congregation. Christians are uncomfortable praying out loud in a community meeting.
When we lived in CT, a friend invited me to a men’s prayer group that met on Saturday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. I wasn’t a morning person, so I told God, “If you wake me up, I’ll go.” Unfortunately, I woke up at 5:30 am, so I honored my promise to God and went. There were 10 to 15 guys who met from four different church congregations. When it was finished, I told myself these guys were nuts to do this on a Saturday morning. That was sacred sleeping time. However, the Holy Spirit nudged me, and I was compelled to return the following week. For the next few years until we moved, I regularly prayed for two hours with men who became friends and prayer partners on Saturday mornings. That time became the highlight of my week. It became a sacred moment.
Interestingly, Jesus didn’t offer to teach us how to preach, but He did teach us how to pray. His life was saturated in prayer, as ours should be. In the mornings, my wife and I get up, have coffee, play Wordle, and talk about our schedules for the day. Many times, we pray together, but not always. When there is an immediate concern, we both pray out loud, and it is a tribute to our relationship and that we both desire God’s intervention.
Communal (corporate) prayer is a necessity for a church to grow. Measuring the church’s success based on the number of people attending prayer meetings would be a better barometer of its health than Sunday morning attendance.
There are three types of necessary prayer times. My personal prayer time is when I pray quietly and seek Godly wisdom. This happens all the time. The second essential prayer time is with my wife or a close friend. This happens frequently. The hardest prayer time is corporate prayer. I haven’t found a group in GA. I’m still looking and praying to get involved with a group of men.
Pray alone and with others. It will improve your spiritual health and that of the church.
“Our (corporate) prayer time is the high point of the day…We pray boldly and expectantly, not just because that’s what resurrection people do but because we’ve seen God work in so many amazing ways. Prayer fuels prayer.” Paul Miller – A Praying Church
Jesus even teaches us how to pray. The full Lord's Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. His instruction is couched in the collective. It’s not singular, but communal.
- OUR Father who is in heaven…
- Give US this day OUR daily bread…
- Forgive US our debts as WE forgive OUR debtors.
- Lead US not into temptation, but deliver US from evil.
Christians pray alone in the quiet of their homes, but community prayer is usually absent. As followers of Christ, we know how important prayer is, but group prayer is declining, if not nonexistent, in most churches. The Lord’s prayer is spoken out loud in the church service, and there is a public prayer before a group meal. However, prayer meetings are attended by only a small fraction of the total church congregation. Christians are uncomfortable praying out loud in a community meeting.
When we lived in CT, a friend invited me to a men’s prayer group that met on Saturday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. I wasn’t a morning person, so I told God, “If you wake me up, I’ll go.” Unfortunately, I woke up at 5:30 am, so I honored my promise to God and went. There were 10 to 15 guys who met from four different church congregations. When it was finished, I told myself these guys were nuts to do this on a Saturday morning. That was sacred sleeping time. However, the Holy Spirit nudged me, and I was compelled to return the following week. For the next few years until we moved, I regularly prayed for two hours with men who became friends and prayer partners on Saturday mornings. That time became the highlight of my week. It became a sacred moment.
Interestingly, Jesus didn’t offer to teach us how to preach, but He did teach us how to pray. His life was saturated in prayer, as ours should be. In the mornings, my wife and I get up, have coffee, play Wordle, and talk about our schedules for the day. Many times, we pray together, but not always. When there is an immediate concern, we both pray out loud, and it is a tribute to our relationship and that we both desire God’s intervention.
Communal (corporate) prayer is a necessity for a church to grow. Measuring the church’s success based on the number of people attending prayer meetings would be a better barometer of its health than Sunday morning attendance.
There are three types of necessary prayer times. My personal prayer time is when I pray quietly and seek Godly wisdom. This happens all the time. The second essential prayer time is with my wife or a close friend. This happens frequently. The hardest prayer time is corporate prayer. I haven’t found a group in GA. I’m still looking and praying to get involved with a group of men.
Pray alone and with others. It will improve your spiritual health and that of the church.
“Our (corporate) prayer time is the high point of the day…We pray boldly and expectantly, not just because that’s what resurrection people do but because we’ve seen God work in so many amazing ways. Prayer fuels prayer.” Paul Miller – A Praying Church
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