Praying Together

I was struggling.  Some of my friends and I were at a government camp and my emotions were slowly getting out of control.  I knew that the Lord was faithful but my flesh kept whispering its lies.  I knew I needed to fix this.  But my mind was such a jumble of thoughts.  I spent some time before the Lord in prayer one night.  He brought to my mind Scriptures that encouraged me.  My flesh had to get out of the way if I was going to make it through this week.  The words of Christ helped some, and they sustained me through the night and into the next morning.  But by the afternoon and evening, I was needing help again.

My flesh was overwhelming my thoughts.  I couldn’t think straight and although I knew the Scriptures, my mind kept crowding them out.

Finally a friend and I escaped out from the rest of the camp for a few minutes of talking.  As dusk fell, we walked around the college campus where we were staying.

We both began to share and talk with one another about some of the things we were going through.  And then we began to pray.  And pray.  And pray.  We probably spent twenty or thirty minutes in fervent prayer.

And as we walked, the wind quietly blowing through our hair, I felt the Spirit of God fill my heart and overwhelm me.  He gave me a peace that surpassed understanding.  As we asked for His help and guidance, He filled us with Himself.

In the stillness surrounding us, I recalled a verse to which the Lord had opened my eyes once again:

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” ~Matthew 18:19-20

We had come before our Father in heaven in prayer, agreeing in prayer, and He had answered us abundantly above all that we could have asked or imagined.

The rest of the week was much better.  Now truth trumped emotions.  The voice of the Lord rang loud and free in my mind and heart.  Through I still faced temptations, they were much easier to overcome with the truth.  I was completely dependent on Him, and that’s how we (God and I) like it.

I learned an important lesson that week.  Praying with someone else is so valuable!  As we share our different concerns, we each bring different perspectives to the issue at hand.  We each pray for different things.  And the Lord meets with us in our place of need as we are united together under His name.

Praying with another person (or a whole group) is such a unique and beautiful experience.  Not only does the Holy Spirit fill the prayer warriors with His presence and fire, but He also meets their needs in a unique and amazing way.

One final note: For us younger people, praying with an older person can yield so many benefits!  They can share wise council and we have a wonderful chance to learn how to pray from hearing their words.

So this Sunday in church, look around.  Who can you pray with/for?  As you talk with friends, listen for prayer requests and opportunities to turn the conversation to prayer.  If you have a prayer request, come right out and ask for prayer about it.  You and everyone around you will be rewarded beyond your greatest dreams!