What Does It Mean to Pray as One?

I’m sure that we’ve all noticed that our societies have become a lot more insular, isolated, individualistic. It seems that despite the decades of secularisation in the world which has had an effect on faith communities, this has also had an effect on the way people pray. Personal prayers are whispered in silence, almost as if it’s embarrassing for one to pray. But what are we missing out on by keeping prayer to ourselves, what might happen if we prayed together, if we prayed openly for others, with others?

I think there’s something undeniably powerful about community, and for me joining hands, hearts, and voices in communal prayer is even more so, because even though for Christians we are commanded to pray, it actually is a practice deepens our connection with God, but it also weaves us as a community of faith closer to one another. This Sunday, we will launch into a new series on prayer, and so although I will start light, let me invite you to explore a question that I hope will stir your soul, ‘What does God reveal about Himself and His design for us when we pray together as a community?’

In Aotearoa where we find now that over half the population now claims to have no religion, we might be discouraged to think that prayer is a fading practice, especially in public spaces, but even in our own homes. Yet, even in this so-called secular society, there has been a quiet resurgence of spiritual hunger from people, especially in the younger generation who are curious and seeking meaning through prayer.

Actually, all across western societies of the world, the act of prayer is far from extinct or even on a downward trend. I wonder what might happen if open and public prayer was normalised again, and solitary individual prayer practices became more communal in nature? What blessings could we expect were we to prayerfully lift our voices together?

Well, over the next few weeks we will explore this question and many more as they arise. We have covered prayer previously in some way and we won’t be able to cover it extensively, but hopefully there will be enough there to hopefully reshape how we see prayer, community, and our place in God’s story. Let us journey together to uncover the beauty and power of praying together, and let’s be expectant of what God might do as we come before Him with our voices lifted together. I expect that something extraordinary awaits us.

Blessings

Josh