Matt.18:19,20 – Again, I give you an eternal truth: If two of you agree to ask God for something in a symphony of prayer, my heavenly Father will do it for you. For wherever two or three come together in honor of my name, I am right there with them!
Several months ago we started gathering before our Sunday services for pre-service prayer. It started spontaneously and has continued on all this time. Apparently the Lord is calling His church to pray. In today’s passage we see two amazing promises for those who practice corporate prayer. The first promise has to do with agreement (the greek word sumphoneo). Of course this reminds us of symphonies and musical harmony. What is the spiritual message? People who pray in harmony together affect their world. The second promise is that Jesus gathers with us when we gather in His name. I can’t imagine a greater promise, the Lord Himself gathers with us in our corporate prayer times. Here is how Murray describes this passage.
“We will have more to learn of the need and the power of the name of Jesus in prayer; here our Lord teaches us that the name must be the center of union to which believers gather, the bond of union that makes them one, just as a home contains and unites all who are in it. The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous shall run into it, and be raised up. That name is such a reality to those who understand and believe it that to meet within it is to have Him present. The love and unity of His disciples have infinite attraction to Jesus: Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. The living presence of Jesus in the fellowship of His loving, praying disciples gives united prayer its power.”
So…..let’s continue to gather in His Name. If I am reading this passage correctly our prayer meetings are having a huge impact on our region, it really can’t be otherwise. The powers of darkness are being weakened as we pray, people’s hearts are being softened, and ultimately the harvest of this region will be released. So I encourage each of us to make a two-fold commitment. First, commit to a daily private time with the Lord. Second, pray regularly with a group of other Christians that you can walk in harmony with. If we do these two things our region will be effected.
