What is the value of a prayer meeting?

Answer

From the very beginning of the church, Christians have gathered to pray (Acts 4:24; Acts 12:5; Acts 21:5). Prayer meetings are valuable for the church as a whole and for the individuals who participate.

Prayer is only for those who believe that God is personal and who want a personal relationship with Him. Christians know prayer works because they have encountered a God who declares, “Talk to me and I will listen.” The apostle John confirms this: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Through our prayers, especially with one another, we are demonstrating and validating the faith we have in Jesus. Andrew Murray, the great Christian minister and prolific writer, said, “Prayer depends chiefly, almost entirely, on who we think we are praying to.” It is through the discipline of prayer with one another that we develop a growing intimacy with God and create a spiritual bond with one another. This is one of the most valuable aspects of praying together.

Another valuable benefit of prayer meetings is the confession of our sins to one another. Prayer meetings give us the opportunity to obey the command to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” «Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. », (James 5:16). Here, James does not necessarily speak of physical healing, but rather of spiritual restoration (Hebrews 12:12-13). He also mentions the forgiveness of God, which allows the believer to regain spiritual wholeness. James understood that those who stray from the community are more vulnerable to the perils of sin. God desires His people to uplift and assist one another through affectionate fellowship, mutual sincerity, and confession while praying for and with each other. This close bond provides the spiritual fortitude needed to triumph over sin.

Another significant benefit of prayer gatherings is the mutual encouragement to persevere. We all encounter challenges, but by sharing and praying together as Christians, we often prevent others from reaching a spiritual low point. The strength of collective prayer lies in its ability to unite hearts. Interceding before God on behalf of our siblings spiritually connects us. By “bearing one another’s burdens,” we “fulfill the law of Christ” «Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. », (Galatians 6:2). Prayer fosters unity, a concept Jesus fervently prayed for His disciples to embrace «I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. », (John 17:23).

Above all, prayer gatherings instigate change. Through communal prayer, believers witness God performing miracles and transforming hearts.

A prayer meeting holds immense value as believers seek profound intimacy and silent communion with God at His throne. It is a moment of harmony with fellow believers in the presence of the Lord. It is an opportunity to support those around us by sharing their burdens. It is a time when God reveals His eternal love and longing to commune.

Associate with those who love Him.