January 28
Genesis 49-50
Psalm 17:6-9
Proverbs 3:21-23
Matthew 18
Together in Prayer
“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20 LSB
There is power in prayer. We know that God listens to the prayer of His children. We are told repeatedly throughout the Bible that God hears us and He responds to our prayers. He doesn’t always give us what we ask for because He knows what is best and sometimes what we are asking for is not what is best for us or for others, but He always listens and answers. This passage tells us that there is even more power when we come together with other believers in prayer. Any time that believers join together in prayer, Jesus assures us that He is in their midst. He is not only present, but He is leading them in how to pray and what to pray for. Prayer is not only the opportunity for us to tell God what we want, but it is also the time for God to shape our hearts and desires to align with His will. Coming together with other believers in prayer gives us the advantage of wisdom and accountability. Sometimes we are too close to the situation and it is difficult for us to be objective and open to His plans if they are different from ours. Having other believers that we trust and respect spiritually to come alongside us and pray with us can provide perspective and insight that we don’t have on our own.
There are lots of people in your life who will tell you what you want to hear, but we all need people who love us enough to tell us what we need to hear. If you don’t have people in your life who will hold you accountable and say the hard things to you when you mess up, find some. It takes work and time, but it is necessary. God blessed my life with a group of ladies more than 20 years ago who are my people. They are always there when I need them. We meet regularly to share what is going on in our lives, our prayers, our concerns, our fears and our joys. We do life together. We have been through just about everything together, parenting kids, teenagers and adults, illnesses and deaths of family members, children’s graduations, weddings, births of grandchildren, illnesses, heartaches, etc. We got together when our kids were in elementary school to pray for them once a week and we just stayed together. It takes effort to set aside time to get together. One of the ladies has even moved an hour away, but we value our relationship so much that we make it work. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 LSB God designed us for community. He provides people to help us on our journey, but we have to put in the time and energy to take full advantage of the wisdom and encouragement they provide to us and to ensure that we are providing the same support to them. It is well worth the effort.
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