Have you ever been to an old fashioned prayer meeting? Man, I love it! You can sense electricity in the atmosphere and the overwhelming feeling of love is tangible. Knowing that you’re not alone, that you have friends to fight with and for is such a comfort. It’s exciting, encouraging and powerful!
There’s something special about believers coming together to call on the Name above them all-Jesus. The word tells us in Matthew 18 that when two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them.(vs 20) No wonder we feel His presence so strongly when we pray together! And no wonder the devil wants to keep us from doing it.
Corporate prayer meetings can be hard to come by though and we need the power that’s birthed in prayers of unity on a regular basis. The world needs it too.
In verse 19 Jesus said, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven”.
Are you seeing the importance of praying in unity yet?
A Prayer Partner is a Gift that Brings Power to your Prayer Life
About 7 years ago the Lord brought me my prayer partner, her name is Julie. Having a prayer partner was a long time desire of my heart and hers too. We both loved praying solo, but wanted someone to pray with.
Do you have a prayer partner? If not, I suggest you start praying that God will send you one. The things we’ve seen accomplished through the power of praying in unity has been nothing short of amazing.
We’ve seen lost loved ones come to Jesus, broken relationships restored, sickness disappear, strongholds be broken and babies brought to mama’s that thought they’d never be able to conceive- just to name a few.
I believe that some things need a joint anointing and or joint faith to accomplish. If that wasn’t the case, the Bible wouldn’t have mentioned it at all. Sometimes when we pray, I try to imagine the battle happening in the spiritual realm on our behalf. You can bank on it, when you pray in unity, things are moving, atmospheres are shifting and chains are breaking! Hallelujah!
In addition to answered prayers for others, God shines a light on things He wants to correct in our own hearts, too. And healing, my goodness the healing that’s taken place in both of us. There’s no way I can cover the magnitude of blessing that’s come from our times of prayer but trust me, it would take your breath away.
Take it to Another Level with Communion and Fasting
Communion before prayer sets the stage for miracles. Setting aside a few extra minutes for repentance and asking Jesus to wash you clean will prepare your heart and remove anything that could potentially block you from hearing what He has to say.
Taking the time to acknowledge the fact that God loved us so much he sacrificed His Son and what Jesus accomplished by dying on the cross and rising from the dead will instantly align your heart with heaven. Then faith will rise up inside you-the kind of faith that truly moves mountains!
As for fasting…remember when the disciples in Matthew 17 asked Jesus why they couldn’t drive the demon out of the boy? Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have the faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Obviously, the disciples couldn’t fast on the spot before praying for the boy so I believe Jesus was telling them and us that we need to be fasted when we pray to break demonic strongholds. Since we never know when that kind of prayer will be required and to make sure we’re ready when it is, fasting should be a part of our lifestyle.
When we push away the plate and deny our flesh to draw near to the Lord, it opens a spiritual pathway for breakthrough. Breakthrough both for us and for the people we pray for. And breakthrough brings glory to God. It puts His love and mercy on display.
*If you’re wondering when or how much, that’s between you and God but one idea would be to fast the meal before your set prayer time.
Accountability Fosters Consistency and Endurance
Being committed to a partnership where praying in unity has a reoccurring spot on the calendar will foster consistency which will guarantee fruitfulness. And having the accountability of a partner to fast with will give you strength to endure to the end.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But woe to anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
I hope that if you don’t have a prayer partner that you’ll prioritize it now. If you’re you’re ready, here are a few tips to get you started.
Things to Look for in a Prayer Partner but that Apply to You as Well
*She should be trustworthy. Someone that you can trust with your heart. Someone that will keep things private. You can’t share intimate parts of your life or the needs of others with just anyone.
*She should be committed. Let me tell you from experience-the enemy hates it when people pray together so he will pull out all the stops and do anything he can to put a stop to it. So you both need to be ready for opposition before it comes but also be relentless in showing up.
*She should live to bring honor to the Lord and have her heart set on pleasing Him. It’s critical for prayers to flow from a pure stream.
Guidelines for the actual prayer “meetings”
Set up a day and time that works for both of you. Julie and I pray together every other week on Wednesdays over the phone. Whatever works best for y’all, just schedule it! If you can do it in person, even better. The fact that I live in Louisiana and Julie lives in Texas creates a bit of a problem in that department for us though, lol!
Unless you both have unlimited time to visit and pray, let prayer be the focus first. You don’t want to get carried away talking and squander the time that was set aside to seek the Lord for breakthrough.
Get prepared a few minutes before the set time. Silence all the distractions you can and let your people know how long you’ll be out of pocket. Take a little time to settle your spirit. Pray for a minute on your own and spend some time in praise and worship if you can. And repent for anything that you need to. This will ensure a tender heart and ears tuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Before you start, go over whatever prayer requests you have. (We keep a shared note on our phones with a running list of what needs to be covered.) Once you’ve covered those things, sit reverent and quiet for a little bit. Pray in the spirit, and wait for the Lord to show you anything He’d like you to pray for or about. This is when it gets exciting!
When you have an intimate relationship with God and you put yourself at His service to pray for others, He’ll reveal His heart. Many times people or things that we had no intention to pray about will pop into our heads. It’s humbling knowing that he trusts us and is a sweet reminder that when we’re in need, he’ll be faithful to put us on the hearts of prayer warriors, too. Psalm 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
The bottom line is that prayer is essential and powerful but praying with someone else compounds the effect. When we give our time to seek the Lord for the needs of others, it gives us peace and an assurance that God will move. And when we see God answer our prayers it builds trust and boosts our faith.
On the occasion that what we think should happen as a result of our prayers doesn’t, we have someone to grieve with and process what we see at the time as a disappointment. In those times we must remember that God sees the whole picture and knows what’s best for everyone involved.
We don’t have to see it to know that He’s moving, we just have to believe it. In times like this, it’s a comfort to remember the truth of this scripture.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Regardless of the outcome, praying plants seeds that will cause a continual harvest of fruit. And the intimacy that comes from it will bless you to your core.
Let’s pray.
Father we thank you today for your Word. For the clear instruction that leads us and for the promises that give us hope. Thank you, Jesus for modeling a lifestyle of prayer and for teaching us the significance of it. It’s an honor to join with you in prayer for the needs of others. Open our ears to hear what you have to say and help us to commit to prayer, letting nothing get in the way. I ask that you show us who we should partner with and then seal the covenant with your Spirit as a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Give us hearts that long to serve and a boldness to stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters. Protect us, Father as we pray and let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
I’ve always loved this picture, enjoy!
We have to realize sometimes God doesn’t answer the way we want Him to. This recently happened….several friends were praying and praying for a miracle to save a life of someone, and I felt the spirit’s presence. I thought for sure he was going to be fine. Well, he wasn’t, at least on this side, our earthly side. I cried and asked God why??? Why the heartache?? He said…’o yea,of little faith’. So I was confused, I had the faith of a mustard seed. I still don’t understand, but I do know, through this, GOD knows what He’s doing. He has it all in control, regardless, of what I want. He knows and sees the bigger picture that we can’t see. That young man’s organs were donated, so other lives are being saved; and who knows what their outcome might be….maybe a preacher of the Word. Rest in Him! He knows our hearts. ❤️
This was soooo good, Polly. Beautifully and clearly written, thought provoking, and I love the picture. I agree prayer -especially in agreement with others - moves mountains. It would have been great to hear more (or a couple of examples) about the magnitude of blessings that would take our breath away. Excellent job!