Jesus invites us to come and pray corporately, but what is the difference between the power of personal prayer and corporate prayer?
Many of us have heard that the power of corporate prayer is similar to a see-saw. We think, ‘if I can just get enough people together on this end of the seesaw we can move God,” but that’s not the case. Pastor and author Bryan Chapell explains the power of corporately calling on Jesus name.
“Your prayer in Jesus’ name has as much power as the whole rest of the universe combined. So if we are praying in accord with God’s will, and by that I mean we are seeking His face in humility, in righteousness, then all that is needed is there.”
But what happens when we pray corporately? First and foremost, we may find that our personal prayers get corrected.
“We may not have thought of things, or weighed things, or considered things. As corporate prayer in the body of Christ, we do that aspect … where two or three are gathered in His name, there is He in the midst of them by power yes, but also by wisdom by hearts being united.”
We don’t just correct one another, there is a great deal of encouragement with corporate prayer.
“We sometimes are encouraged in the fight for the gospel when we recognize that we are not alone. On a distant hill, we see there’s another warrior there fighting with us. And sometimes when we see lots of warriors on lots of hills we know there are others that God has called.”
We unite our hearts because we are united in Christ. We correct one another, encourage one another, and in all of this we are standing before the world united in Christ’s name.
“So we’re not just trying to gather up the numbers so that we are voting for God to work; that’s not the point.”
“The point is that we, by testimony, by mutual support, and if necessary even by mutual correction, are tuning our hearts to God’s purposes and there is great cooperate advantage in that for witnessing God, even in the kingdoms of man.”
Private, personal prayer is wonderful and an important practice to have, but our hearts are also strengthened by joining in corporate prayer.
“Not necessarily the strengthening of our leverage against God; that’s not the right concept, but the strengthening of our own hearts… strengthening of our resolve, of our endeavor, of our statement of our loyalty to Christ.”
So when we pray together our prayers can be strengthened, not because we have more people on our side of the see-saw, but because our hearts and minds are made stronger by those who make up the body of Christ with us.
