The National Day of Prayer provides us with a great opportunity to come together, as one heart and one voice, to pray for our nation. David Bryant reminds us of the significance of praying in unity.
“What I came to realize is about 90% of what the Bible teaches on prayer is about corporate prayer, not private prayer or individual prayer.”
“A person might challenge me and say, ‘Well, yes, but look at all of the Psalms, they are all in first person; the Psalmist is praying out about issues in his own life.’ Yes that’s true, but the Psalms were written to be used in corporate worship, so they really become a corporate prayer. Even if it’s expressed in an individual way, it’s ultimately shared by the whole nation as they worshiped in the temple.”
David reflects on the National Day of Prayer 2017, and encourages us to embrace our call as Christians to practice unified prayer.
“On the National Day of Prayer, any of us as individuals need to have that sense that we are linked with millions of believers across this land.”
“I am going to be participating up on Capitol Hill in a prayer meeting, in what’s called Statuary Hall, which is right at the center of the Capitol building where all those statues of the great Americans, great presidents reside. That’s where we’ll actually be meeting to intercede for our nation.”
Even if we are praying by ourselves, we can still see ourselves as a part of this united cry to the Lord. David expands on this truth by pointing us towards the book of Daniel.
“The theme for this National Day of Prayer, “Crying out for God to make His name Great,” comes out of Daniel 9, where Daniel is praying on behalf of the whole nation. Even though he’s doing it by himself at that moment, he uses the “we” language all the way through to prayer,
‘We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.’ –Daniel 9:5
“He had a sense of solidarity with the people of God, even while he’s praying that prayer alone for God to make His name great again.”
All of us can be a part of this movement to glorify God’s name by coming together and praying in unity.
“There’s something in the heart of God that responds to the united voice of His people that is a different kind of response than He may respond to an individual, not that individual prayers aren’t essential or that He doesn’t care, but it seems like in the Scriptures when God really breaks through. He does it when people have come together and cried out as one heart and one voice.”
David Bryant provides leadership to PROCLAIM HOPE! whose mission is to “foster and serve a nationwide Christ-awakening movement”. Over the past 40 years, David has been defined by many as a messenger of hope and a Christ-proclaimer to the Church throughout the world.
Praying in unity
