In the Christian life, the greatest weapon is prayer. In the Church, prayer plays an important role. Prayer is necessary for the life and
growth of the Church. There is no short cut for the Church to grow. The Church must immerse itself in fervent, faithful prayer. The Church is at its weakest when it is slack most in prayer. We need to recognise that prayer is powerful and life-transforming. When one engages in prayer, one is encouraged to engage it with another person or with a few people. In a Discipleship Group (DG), we are encouraged to pray for one another. We need to uphold one another in prayer by looking into the interests of others, apart from our own. By praying for one another, we are actually looking into the interests of others, apart from our own.
Why do we need to pray for one another? We need to pray for one another because we are faced with many challenges in life. Besides, we are also confronted with many issues in life. By praying for one another, we are actually carrying each other’s burdens. The Apostle Paul did mention this in Galatians 6: 2 that we should bear one another’s burdens. Prayer enables us to do so, that is, bearing one another’s burdens.
How do we go about praying for one another? There are many ways and means by which we can pray for one another. We can set up a grouped What’sApp entitled: “Share A Prayer”. In this group, those with prayer needs can share them in this grouped What’sApp. Others in this group will be able to see the prayer items and then pray them wherever they are. We can also come early for Sunday service, asking God to direct or lead us to someone whom He wants us to interact with and then pray with as the Spirit of God shows us. After the service, we can also look out for someone to have fellowship with and then pray with. When we open up ourselves to others, others will then open up themselves to us. Praying for one another also strengthens our fellowship in the Church. We need to exercise discernments whenever we reach out to others for fellowship and friendship. In our respective DGs, we can also incorporate a time where we can share our needs and then pray for one another. During the service, we have a time of Intercessory Prayers where we pray for the global needs, the local needs, the church needs and the individual needs. So, praying for one another is also taken place during the service.
The Apostle Paul did request others to pray for him (see Ephesians 6:19). In 1 Thessalonians 5:25, he requested: “Brothers, pray for us.” In the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul instructed them to put on the full armour of God. One part of the armour is prayer. “Making supplications for all the saints” is more crucial than never before. We need to persevere in our prayers for one another. We need to place our complete trust in the One who hears and answers prayers.
In the epistle of James chapter 5, praying for one another is accompanied by confessing your sins to one another. This is done because unconfessed sins block prayer from being answered. Healing and restoration occur when confession and prayer are carried out. Hence, transparency is also needed when we go about praying for one another. The community of believers is built up when we truly engage in praying for one another.
Let us not neglect this discipline of prayer in our community here at True Way but all the more eager to pray for one another, looking out and reaching out for the sake of Christ our King and our Lord. Amen.
