There Is Power in Praying Together
Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. — Esther 4:16
Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. — Matthew 18:19
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Praying together has power when we unite in Jesus’ name and make our requests in spiritual agreement. This does not replace private prayer, but some difficulties call for fellow believers to pray with us and encourage us to persevere. We do not have to face life’s battles alone: when we isolate ourselves from the community of believers, we become more vulnerable to discouragement and spiritual attack, as Elijah did. Let us seek out brothers and sisters who share our convictions, share our burdens, and unite in faith to keep going.
In prayer, the more committed people we have in the trenches with us, the more powerful and effective we can be. The Lord Jesus Christ declared: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”
He also said, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 18:19, 20). Through these images of people coming together, the Lord wanted to underscore the power found in unity, in spiritual agreement among believers.
I believe in individual prayer, and I have always made it clear that collective prayer is no substitute for private prayer. But, dear brother, there are situations in which you need to find a friend, a fellow soldier in the trenches, and say, “Look, help me pray, because what lies ahead of me is so difficult and so great that, if I pray alone, all I will accomplish is losing heart.”
When we join ourselves to two or three prayer companions, it gives us the courage to keep going. So pray with other brothers and sisters! Find people of faith so you can face life’s battles together. Live in community with believers who share your convictions. Don’t try to fight the battle alone. Don’t be like Elijah, who, when the diabolical attack came, went into the wilderness alone, fell into a deep depression, and ended up wishing for death. Because when we isolate ourselves and leave the community of faith around us, the devil can deliver the finishing blow much more easily.
Join with people of faith to run the race of faith more effectively. Add your little spark of faith to those of your brothers and sisters, and together build a great bonfire that catches heaven’s attention!