Prayer is a vital part of the Christian life. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to regularly spend time in prayer – communicating with God, bringing our praise, thanks, requests, and intercessions before Him. Prayer deepens our relationship with God, transforms our hearts and minds, and also releases God’s power to work in our lives and in the world.
While personal prayer is crucial, group prayer also has great significance and value for believers. The Bible shows us many examples of God’s people praying together, and the early church made corporate prayer a central part of their life and ministry. So what is the importance and value of believers coming together to pray?
Unity and Agreement
When Christians join together in prayer, it brings unity and agreement. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). God promises that when we come together in His name, He is present with us. Praying together unifies us in purpose as the body of Christ, as we align our hearts to seek God’s will and not our own. It brings agreement as we jointly submit our desires and requests to the Lord. This unity is powerful, as Jesus prayed that believers “may all be one…so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).
Greater Faith and Boldness
There is greater faith, boldness and confidence when praying together compared to alone. When believers gather to pray, they can encourage each other’s faith as they hear others praying boldly and trusting in God’s ability. Paul asked for prayer that he “may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20), knowing that the prayers of the church could give him confidence in preaching the gospel. As we build one another up in faith through group prayer, we can pray more boldly for God’s purpose to be done in our lives, church and world.
Hearing and Discerning God’s Will
God often leads and guides His people as they pray together. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth (John 16:13). As believers pray together, they can gain clarity and insight into God’s will and direction. We have different perspectives and insights, and so listening to others pray can help us see things we may have missed. Group prayer aligns our focus on God’s Kingdom rather than just our individual desires. Listening to each other also helps us discern if something is truly from God or not.
Greater Spiritual Power and Impact
There is greater spiritual power and impact when believers pray collectively. Jesus said “if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). The early church experienced this after joining together in prayer, “and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). When Christians unite to pray together, God often works through their prayers in greater ways compared to praying individually.
Bearing Each Other’s Burdens
Group prayer enables believers to bear one another’s burdens as Scripture instructs (Galatians 6:2). We can share specific needs, sorrows, and anxieties with each other as we pray together. Other’s can then join in interceding for those needs and burdens we carry. This sharing of hearts in prayer creates deeper community, vulnerability and compassion between believers. We also rejoice and give thanks together for how God answers prayer and moves in our lives.
Learning How to Pray
Praying with other Christians is one of the key ways we learn how to pray. Especially for new believers, hearing the depth, sincerity, faith and scriptural basis of others’ prayers can help teach us to pray. Even more mature believers can grow in prayer by listening to fellow Christians who have different prayer gifts and styles. We can learn new forms of prayer, be inspired by the passion and insight of others’ prayers, and have our assumptions and habits in prayer challenged to move closer to the biblical model.
Exercising Spiritual Gifts
Group prayer allows believers to exercise spiritual gifts for the edification of the church. Some have gifts of healing, prophetic prayer, intercession, faith and discernment which can powerfully minister grace to others during corporate prayer times (1 Corinthians 12:7-10). Others may lead prayer with gifting of wisdom, teaching or encouragement. As each member uses their gifts, the entire body is built up. More gifts can be utilized when believers pray together than during an individual’s private prayer time.
Preparing for Spiritual Warfare
Joint prayer prepares believers for spiritual warfare against the schemes of the enemy. When persecuted, the early church prayed together for boldness and for God to continue working through them (Acts 4:23-30). Their unified prayers strengthened and equipped them to stand firm. Similarly, praying together enables modern believers to be spiritually vigilant and alert together against the Enemy. We can pray for each other for courage, protection and victory over spiritual attack. Corporate prayer prepares us to withstand hardship and opposition as the body of Christ.
Praying for Community and the World
God calls us to pray not just for ourselves, but our communities and world. Group prayer allows believers to jointly intercede for the places they live, neighbors, government leaders, social issues, unreached people groups, and global matters. We can pray with insight and passion when together that may not happen during private prayer. Jesus asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Praying together helps us look outside of ourselves to fulfill this calling from God on His church.
Obedience to Biblical Commands
Praying together is a biblical command and not just an option for believers. The book of Acts describes the early church devoted to praying together regularly and persistently (Acts 1:14, 2:42, 3:1, 4:24, 6:4, 12:12). Paul urged the Colossian church to continue earnestly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). Praying together also enables us to fulfill Jesus’ promise that if believers agree together and ask anything according to God’s will, He will do it (Matthew 18:19).
Dependence on God and His Power
Joint prayer nurtures dependence and reliance on God’s power rather than our own wisdom and human agendas. James pointed out we often do not have because we do not ask God (James 4:2). When believers come together to pray, they can listen more attentively to what the Spirit is saying versus what human thinking dictates. We grow in dependence on the filling of the Spirit rather than fleshly effort. Our motives can also be refined and purified as we align our hearts with God’s will and purpose declared in Scripture.
Modeling Prayer for Other Believers
Praying together provides a model of what biblical prayer looks like for other believers to follow. Newer Christians especially may not be sure how to pray or haven’t seen prayer modeled growing up. When churches give time for group prayer and prayer meetings, it shows the value of prayer. Believers can learn the appropriate attitudes, breadth of issues, use of Scripture, focus on God’s glory, and faith that should mark Christian prayer. We need to be living examples of the prayer life God has called His church to pursue.
In summary, group prayer serves many vital purposes in the life and health of the church. Of course, private personal prayer is still imperative. But there are unique values and benefits that God designed believers to experience specifically when joining together to pray. The unity, agreement, dependence on God and spiritual power flowing from corporate prayer cannot always be experienced praying alone. That is why prayer meetings have historically been so central to revivals and awakenings. As believers, we should make group prayer a foundational practice in our own lives and congregations.