Praying alone, in a secret place, is vital. It’s the way Jesus prayed.
Praying together, with believers, is also vital. It’s the way the early church prayed.
We should do both today.
From our article Secret Praying—Getting alone with the Lord in silence and solitude:
Alone is often how Jesus prayed, and this was the first lesson He taught — that when praying, get alone. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6.
So we are to pray privately, but we also pray with others, in one accord (Acts 1:14), and at the house of Mary, many were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:12).
In our article When Two Or Three Gather—Praying in agreement and Dynamics of small group prayer meetings, we learned that Jesus is speaking of his church — those who gather in his name, even just two or three, and praying together. Why are two or three important? Jesus teaches in Matthew 18:16 to take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
In the church we are to assemble to pray
As you can see, it’s not one or the other—alone vs gathered, it both. Each is necessary and vital. One primarily for personal prayer, the other for corporate intercession.
It’s like left foot, right foot. The church of God’s people trying to walk in step with the Spirit needs two feet.
They go together, like ham and eggs, pork and beans, or ketchup and mustard—which are all metaphors for different foods that famously go together. We can’t image one without the other.
Do you pray personally? That’s good!
Does your fellowship also have a specific time for corporate prayer? That’s also good!
It’s not good if you don’t. Not having personal prayer, or having a gathering for prayer is like having a flat tire on a bicycle. So here are some suggestions for prayer groups to help give you some ideas to get started.
But remember, while there are many good reasons for group prayer, it shouldn’t take the place of private praying.
