All in Joint Prayer

Last night a message popped up on my phone, and the husband of a couple that Ann and I hold very dear was asking for prayer. He had just taken his wife to the hospital with the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. I read the text message aloud to Ann, and then we began to pray together for her, and them. Have you ever been tested by such events in your life, and how did you react to them? Did your trial cause you to dig deep into your faith, or was your faith and prayer just a side note, or perhaps an afterthought?

One of the great benefits of church is being together before God with those of the same belief, but another powerful attribute is the strength that comes from joint prayer. I am not talking about the recitation of a common prayer, although that is powerful as well, but I am speaking of two of more believers praying in their own thoughts and words for the same thing. If you have ever recited the Lord’s prayer then you have participated in common prayer, but what about joint prayer with another? Have you ever prayed separately, together, for the same cause?

Do you pray alone? It is good to pray alone, and in secret, because that is required for the intimacy of our relationship with God, but are there times when praying together are necessary? The answer to my question is a resounding “Yes!” There is power in joining together in certain prayers, whether we are physically together, or praying in unison apart. A common cause prayed by many carries much weight before the throne of God.