{Shannon with her 3 sons}
Praying out loud with others has not always come easily to me. In fact, once in college, I was “dumped” by a Christian boyfriend because I wasn’t comfortable praying out loud with him. (In his defense, he later apologized, realizing he had misjudged what this meant about my walk with the Lord). The truth is, I loved Jesus and regularly enjoyed talking to him, but I was so accustomed to doing this internally that it was a real struggle to start verbalizing my prayers out loud. As a new Christian, it wasn’t something I was used to, and it felt extremely uncomfortable.
Fast forward a few years whenI began regularly attending my first community group. It seemed chosen by God to demonstrate for me the beauty of praying together. My desire to participate in corporate prayer began to grow, but I still had no idea what to say! I doubted I could pray the beautiful, faithful prayers I heard others praying, but I knew God was calling me to step out in faith. And so I prayed that he would give me the words to say, and gradually I began to pray more and more in group settings. I can’t remember any of those early prayers, but I do know that the more I prayed, the more I wanted to pray.
Few believers would deny the critical importance of private prayer. It is an amazing and crucial privilege to pray alone with our precious Lord and Savior and one that should never be neglected. And yet if this is the only, or mostly only, time we pray, I propose that we are missing out on something more God has for us.
So, why pray together?
- It’s biblical. Throughout Scripture, our triune God is both deeply personal and intensely communal. Take note that the Lord’s Prayer itself is given in plural form, using plural pronouns like “Our Father” and “Give us this day” (Matthew 6:9-10). He loves when his children gather together. Praying together is especially evident throughout the book of Acts (Acts 1:16, 4:31, 12:5, 16:25, 20:36).
- We may obtain answers we otherwise would not. Charles Spurgeon said, “There are many special mercies that can only be brought to us by the fleets of united prayer. Many are the good things that God will give to his lonely Elijahs and Daniels, but if two of you agree as touching anything you ask, there is no limit to God’s bountiful answers (Matthew 18:19). Peter might never have been brought out of prison had it not been that prayer was made without ceasing by all the church for him (Acts 12:5).”
- It builds our faith and promotes Christian unity. Praying together both strengthens our hearts and unites us with one another (Acts 1:14).
- God receives more praise. The more people who are praying, the more praise he gets when the blessing comes (2 Cor 1:11).
- We get to know Jesus better! With our limited vision, there will always be aspects of Christ we do not see as well as others see them. Together, we can see him more clearly. In his book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Tim Keller puts it this way: “By praying with friends, you will be able to hear and see facets of Christ you have not yet perceived.”
These are just a few of the many benefits of praying with other believers. Pastor Steven Lee sums it up well in his article entitled “The Power of Praying Together”: “No Christian runs well alone. No believer stands alone. No child of God fights alone and lives. So devote yourselves to prayer. Get on your knees together, and pursue a supernatural unity and like-mindedness. Let Jesus knit your heart together with others through adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Praying together fans the flames of joy. So, what might God do in your church if you committed to praying more together?”
Join Shannon Orr and others each month at Moms of Prayer. This group meets after church in the Community Room on fourth Sundays to lift their children and grandchildren in prayer. All are welcome! Their next meeting date is this coming Sunday, Nov. 24th.
