Matthew 18:20 | Romans 8:27 | Hebrews 10:24-25
Where two or more are gathered…
A man bows in his cubicle, quietly asking God to save him from the wrath of his boss. His boss silently pleads for a miracle to save her third quarter earnings. These are what some folks picture when they hear the term ‘corporate prayer’.
But when Christians say, “corporate prayer,” they are not talking about prayer in an office building; they are talking about believers getting together to pray for the same things. And it is a powerful act, according to Jesus himself.
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20 NLT
First, consider the word ‘corporate’. It means that something is formed together into a body. The original Latin word for body was corpus…therefore, the Marine Corps is a body of seaborne soldiers, a drum corps is a body of drummers, etc.
As you may have heard, Christians are the Body of Christ. When we assemble, it’s like one of those huge cartoon mechs coming together to battle Godzilla in Tokyo. Except instead of forming a giant metal Samurai, we form Jesus’ earthly body. On the other hand…that might be a bit of a stretch.
Either way, when we pray together, God unites us as nothing else can–and not only with each other, but with Himself through his Spirit.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 8:27 NLT
The Holy Spirit helps us pray. So really, God is having a conversation with those who pray, and also among himself, with whom he already has perfect unity.
He hears our prayers whether we are together with other believers or not, but when we pray together we can be encouraged by each other. This is one of the reasons Paul told his Jewish believers to keep getting together.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT
When we get together to pray and worship God, we encourage each other and motivate each other to do the good works God prepared for us.
Do you want to change the world? You can’t do it alone. Do you want to change your heart? Same story. You need God’s help. And both kick into overdrive when you pray alongside other believers. So loosen your necktie, come out of your cubicle, and join your Christian brothers and sisters in corporate prayer.
Questions for Group Discussion
- Would you rather pray alone or with other Christians? Why?
- Which do you think is more important, personal prayer or corporate prayer? Is this a trick question?
- If personal prayer helps you know God more intimately, what does corporate prayer do?
Challenge: Corporate Life
Have you ever wanted to found a corporation? Now is your chance!
We hereby challenge you to start a prayer corporation. According to the third paragraph of this devotional, that would be a body of people dedicated to praying together.
Here is what you do:
- Gather together a group of Christians who want to pray together regularly.
- Figure out how often you want to meet. (If you’re not sure, weekly is a good place to start.)
- Determine how long your prayer meeting will be. (Thirty minutes to an hour is good.)
- Have your first meeting. Don’t get caught up in details–just pray!
- Commit to meeting again for a set period of time. (A month is good for starters.)
A word of advice: Don’t get too serious about the ‘corporation’ aspect. Let any rules, etc. be made as they are needed.
