Praying Together

How do you feel about praying out loud in front of other people? Praying with other people can be daunting. I've been there. I grew up in the church and I remember while I was in youth, at the end of every small group time when we were supposed to pray together, I never wanted to pray aloud. I would feel so worried about saying the wrong thing or running out of things to say or starting to pray just as someone else was about to pray.

Having now prayed countless times with and for other people, I can tell you I have done all of those things. In fact, I do these things all the time but I've learned that it's actually far less awkward than I had feared. Praying together isn't about saying the most powerful things and it certainly isn't about being able to go on and on. Praying together is about focusing on God, as a group, and seeing Him move among you.

James knew how to keep it simple. "Are any of you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord."

What he's saying is that when we gather together we should speak from our hearts before God. We don't have to be happy-clappy all the time. If we're going through challenges, we bring those before God. If we're celebrating, we celebrate with God. If we're sick, we pray for healing.

But then the scary part comes after this, James tells us that part of praying in community is confessing our sins to one another. Why? "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective". This statement doesn't mean that better people have stronger prayers. James isn't saying the righteous person is someone without sin (otherwise no one would have powerful prayers). He is saying that the righteous person is someone who confesses their sins to others; they are open about their sin and don't try to cover it up.

The biggest issue we all have in our lives is sin. Before we seek to have anything else in our lives made right, we need to be made right with God. This isn't about being better; it's about simply returning to Him and laying our sins down before Him once again.

Thought Point

Is praying with and for other people a regular part of your life? When you pray with or for other people are you worried about what they think of you, or are you focusing on what God is doing among you?

Prayer Point

Confess and repent of any sins you have not confessed to God before. Ask God to put people around you who will help you have the courage to be open about your sin with other people.