Wait, you want me to pray with other people?

Wait, you want me to pray with other people? Acts 4.32-37 

“Pray out loud? Seriously? Oh, I could never do that! Of course I pray on my own—but certainly not out loud with other people!” I hear it regularly. Hmmm, is it better to pray in private or with a group of people? Yes. The answer is Yes – both are vital to seeing God’s hand move, to seeing radical prayers get answered. 

When I was a girl, we did not miss Wednesday night prayer meetings—my mother and me; but I will say that I missed the great importance of those meetings. See, the church was born in a prayer meeting.1 Remember? “They went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer…”2 Surely you must see the significance in that? Truly, it was not happenstance that the church was birthed in prayer, as God does not do things without great meaning attached. 

The new believers had just seen the miraculous healing of the crippled man in the name of Jesus, and the contagion of belief that swept through the onlookers, and they wanted more. But wait — they were commanded not to speak any more of Jesus. Undaunted, the devoted asked God for courage, and to show himself, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4, verse 30) 

As they prayed boldly together for these things—courage, healing and the miraculous—they did not have to wonder if God heard them. God gave them a sign he heard their prayer—the room rumbled! Luke describes it, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”3 Prayer→ a shaking (a sign that God heard) → he filled them anew with the Holy Spirit → they had courage to continue to speak God’s Word. 

Yesterday I was speaking to someone about what she believes about God in her own walk of faith. She was unabashedly sure of God and of what Jesus has done for her…but, the Holy Spirit? “I’m not sure about that. I don’t really understand too much,” she said across the small table. She is not alone; for so many of us, we are just not sure who or what the Holy Spirit is or does. 

Friends, once we surrender ourselves to God, recognizing what Jesus did on the cross for us, and we make a choice to follow him ~ as we confess our sins, God cleanses us from sin, and fills us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is who God promised and delivered when Jesus left this earth. 
The Holy Spirit leads, guides, comforts, woos, convicts, empowers, emboldens and also convinces and confirms to us 
that we are children of God. 

And so, when God’s people gather together and pray with fervency, things happen. Folks think less of themselves, and more about the needs of others in their group. God responds as their combined voices cry out to him. Believers grow closer to each other and nearer to God, who promises when we ‘draw near to him, he will draw near to us.’4 

As a result of their time of prayer together, “All the believers were one in heart and mind.” Don’t miss this: praying together builds unity in a community of believers. There is really nothing quite like the passionate harmony of hearts and voices of ‘brothers’ lifted to God. 

Prayer together, filling of the Spirit, boldness with God’s word and unity grew their love for one another—so much so, that they also generously shared with those who had need. [Generosity is an earmark of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.] 

When I hopped a short flight to Northern California for my niece’s wedding the other day, I grabbed something from my desk to read on the plane, and discovered this: 
“I am not myself by myself. Community, 
not the highly vaunted individualism of our culture, 
is the setting for living the Christian life.”6 

Yessirree. Pray by yourself for sure, but take a risk, and pray with others. Feel the power. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1 – Acts 2 
2 - Acts 1.13-14a 
3 – Acts 4.31 
4 – James 4.8a 
5 - Acts 4.32 
6 – Eugene Peterson, CT Pastors