The Importance of Praying Together
By Sherry Schumann
Tremendous power is unleashed by God when the Body of Christ gathers to pray. One of my favorite examples of believers praying together or interceding corporately occurs in the twelfth chapter of Acts. The early church is being severely persecuted. James has been martyred, and Peter is imprisoned, bound in chains between two soldiers. As the fisherman sleeps, a group of believers are gathered at Mary’s house, fervently praying for his release.
God answers their prayers with a heart-pounding, jaw-dropping miracle. Sometime during the night, the angel of the Lord awakens Peter. His chains fall off, and he follows the angel past the guards, out of the prison, to the iron-gate leading into the city.
It’s interesting to note that the author of Acts, namely Luke, mentions the group praying—not once but twice. I can’t help but think he repeats himself, because he wants to emphasize the role of the intercessors, and the correlation between their corporate prayers and Peter’s miraculous release from prison.
Honestly, I don’t understand fully the correlation between prayer and the release of God’s power. Then again, I don’t understand how electricity works, but that doesn’t stop me from plugging in my coffee pot each morning.
One thing, I do know. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus was “clear that there is a different level of prayer when the praying moves from one person to the many” ((Power Praying, David Chotka, page 172). If we look back at the Lord’s Prayer, we notice Jesus employs plural pronouns instead of their singular forms. For example, he says, “Give us this day, our daily bread). Not surprisingly, he tells his disciples on another occasion, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20).
What does this information have to do with grandparents in the 21st century? EVERYTHING. Our grandchildren are navigating their way through a world where words like abortion, addiction, bullying, divorce, gender crisis, pornography, peer pressure, social media and teen-age pregnancy have become household words. All the while, they are being deceived into believing there is no God.
We need to heed the lessons the early church taught us by praying together for our grandchildren. We need to pray—not only at church but in each other’s homes, not only on Sunday mornings but at other appointed times, as well.
Will you consider starting a Grandparents @ Prayer group (affectionately known as G@P) in your community? If so, we are here to help. For more information about G@P, please visit…Grandparents@Prayer – Christian Grandparenting Network. You are also welcome to email Sherry Schumann with any questions.
Visit Christian Grandparenting’s Grandparents at Prayer website.
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