Prayers That Strike The MarkSample

The Orchestra of Prayer

I recently had the joy of attending a performance of the Nashville Concerto Orchestra. It was marvelous. I felt I was in an ecstatic atmosphere where the sounds of heaven were being released on earth. The whole sound ebbed and flowed like the tide as the delicate notes of the oboe were followed by the thunderous waves of the drums, all held together by layers of strings. It was seamless, and yet each instrument had its unique and particular part to play in making the music.

In the same way that it takes all kinds of musical sounds to make up an orchestra, it takes all kinds of prayers to respond to our Conductor, Jesus Christ Himself. That is why Ephesians 6:18 uses this particular wording: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication,” (NKJV) or “…all kinds of prayers” (NIV). The score is the written Word of God. The tempo is set and moderated by the Holy Spirit. The instruments are played by you and me—and we get better with intentional practice.

When the instruments play together—in agreement with each other—the sound penetrates beyond the immediate vicinity into heaven itself. And Jesus says that whatever you declare from your position on earth will be matched by a response from heaven. He also says that it only takes two or three people praying in agreement to make a big difference. (See Matthew 18:18–20.)

What does it take to come into agreement? Could it be more than simply clasping hands and saying, “Brother/Sister, let’s agree on this together”? The prayer of agreement happens when the sections of God’s orchestra, well-practiced and with their instruments finely tuned, play together in harmony, without dissonance. Within the body of Christ, this means building strong relationships with one another. Prayer is a natural by-product of believers who are united in Christ.

What unites us? Our faith. John writes, “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4 NASB).

What will overcome the world? Our faith. Not my faith or some good-sounding prayers. Our collective faith. Pulling together in agreement, first with God and then with each other, we gain the victory. The value and priority of developing prayer partnerships and a committed community of prayer cannot be overstated.