The Value of Praying Together

I have always believed that relationships are defined in moments.  A simple action or a conversation that takes place often chisels a relationship's boundaries without us even noticing.  Over the past few weeks one of these moments has constantly come to my attention.  I was serving a church in Florida and had begun to change the Sunday evening format from nothing to a prayer meeting.  I met with one of the leaders of the church and in the midst of the conversation he looked at me and asked if we were going to just pray on Sunday nights.  When I affirmed that was the plan he made a statement that defined our relationship from that point forward.  He said, "I just don't think I will drive all the way from the house just to come up here and pray.  If you were leading a Bible study then I probably would, but not just to pray."

I fear that attitude has permeated our churches.  For this man prayer was a private thing that he could do at home.  Prayer was not something that he needed to do in the community of faith.  To him, praying together was a waste of time if it was not coupled with something else.  While he would never say such things out loud, his feelings toward prayer meeting clearly illustrated his feelings on the value of praying together.  Though many of us may not be willing to say those same things out loud either, most of us likely have similar feelings.

However, I would contend that the value of praying together is much greater than the worth we often ascribe to it.  When Jesus leads his followers through the Model Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 he assumes the corporate nature of prayer.  The words "Our", "Us", and "We" all indicate the communal nature of prayer.  In other words, when Jesus taught his disciples how they should pray one of the key elements of that instruction was that they should be praying together.

Within the church the value of praying together goes simply beyond the sharing of a prayer request.  A church is a community and through praying together these communities are truly built.  In these times of prayer the congregational heart for missions can be built, the evangelistic fires can be stoked, burdens can be shared, relationships can be forged, and the foundations for lasting fellowship can be laid. 

 When we follow the instructions that Christ laid out for his disciples and begin to pray with one another we will see God move in mighty ways through his people.  In Acts 4:23-41 in the face of oppression the church prayed together for boldness and the Holy Spirit empowered them so strongly that the house shook and the entire congregation spoke the message with power.  In Acts 12:5-19, we find Peter arrested and the church praying.  The result was a miraculous escape.  In Acts 13:1-3, we see the church praying and God calling out Paul and Barnabas to the Gentile mission.  Do you realize that you are most likely sitting here today as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of that time of corporate prayer?  

If we are truly going to reach the world for Christ, if we are truly going to build a Christ-centered community within the church, if we are truly going to make disciples, and if we are truly going to develop fellowship with each other then we are going to have to spend time in prayer together.  At United Baptist Church we have marked this time to pray together on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM.  For our membership this is an essential time for building community around Christ.  If you are a part of United Baptist Church, then I cannot encourage you enough to leave behind the trappings of life, to put aside your flawed thinking on prayer meeting's value, and to follow Christ's instructions to pray together.  If you are a part of another church, then I cannot encourage you enough to invest yourself in a time to gather with other members of your church and pray with one another.  If you are the pastor of another church, then I cannot encourage you enough to mark out time for prayer with your people.  No matter who you are or what you station in ministry may be, the value of praying together cannot be estimated and the wonder of God's response to our faithfulness cannot be described.  Will you not join me in investing in praying together?

God Bless