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Effective Power of Praying in Agreement
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August 29, 2010 |
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 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Matthew 18:19-20)
When people become united and gather with their hearts joined together, they can accomplish much more and more easily and bear greater fruits. Children of God can individually pray to God meditating on His Word, and also attend the prayer meeting in which many members pray in agreement.
'To pray in agreement' means that many believers gather together and pray in unity. Lord Jesus promises "If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them." And He also promises, "Where two of three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Thus, God is pleased when we gather together in the name of the Lord and pray in agreement.
1. Spiritual Meaning of Praying in Agreement
Matthew 18:19 reads, "If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask." 'Two of you' here doesn't refer only to two humans who pray. But it also has spiritual meaning. It means each of us has to pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20).
The Holy Spirit is one of the Triune God, and has the same heart with God, the same will and the same power of God the Father. The Holy Spirit has an individual human nature like God the Father. He rejoices when we walk in the truth and He grieves when we commit sins. The Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of the children of God. In order that two prayers may pray in agreement, the two hearts of the two persons must be in agreement. When our heart is in agreement with the heart of the Holy Spirit who intercedes in our heart, the two hearts are in agreement and we can pray in agreement.
When we pray in agreement with the heart of the Holy Spirit, the Lord can be with us in our prayer. Then, God answers us quickly. In order to pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit, we have to understand heart of the Holy Spirit and pray in accordance with His guidance. For this we have to cultivate our heart into the spirit.
To the same extent that we become spiritual by casting away sins and untruths, we can be led and supervised by the Holy Spirit and hear His voice more clearly. And when we obey the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can be filled with the Holy Spirit and inspired and influenced by Him. Then, we can say that our heart is in agreement with the heart of the Holy Spirit.
When we pray in the Holy Spirit, we are not involved in any fleshly thoughts and we don't ask according to our desires. But we can ask in accordance with the desires God gives in our heart and we can pray according to the truth so that God can accomplish His will in His ways. This is how we spiritually pray in agreement and we experience how effective and powerful it is to pray in agreement.
2. How to Pray in Agreement
Why is God delighted when we pray in agreement and then answers us quickly and works greatly? It is because we pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit. What is important in receiving answer to the prayer in agreement is not the number of those who have gathered and prayed, but it depends on whether or not the hearts of those who have gathered and prayed are in agreement with that of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, those who gather together and pray should be filled with and inspired by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). The Holy Spirit understands even the depths of God because He has the heart of God (1 Corinthians 2:10), and intercedes for the believers according to the will of God (Romans 8:27). That's why if we pray in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit God gives us answers and blessings.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, "where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." When the children of God who have received the Holy Spirit gather together and pray, the Lord moves the heart of each of them, leads them to become united, and helps them offer the prayer that is pleasing to God. This is how many believers are able to gather together, have the same heart and will, and pray in unity and with love.
Likewise, when we become united in the Holy Spirit and pray in agreement, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, rejoice with the joy that comes upon our hearts and become assured that we will receive answers from God. If we become filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in Him, we never feel tired, drowsiness and idle thoughts cannot come upon us, and we can pray with faith and joy. This prayer is the kind of prayer in which the Lord is with us and God is pleased.
3. Effective Power of Praying in Agreement
In Acts 12 is a scene where believers of the early church gathered together and earnestly prayed in agreement for the apostle Peter who had been imprisoned. God responded by sending an angel to loosen the chains from the apostle and opened the doors to the jail.
No matter what kind of situation we meet, if we gather our hearts and pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit, God is delighted and answers joyfully. The enlargement of the kingdom of God requires the pastor, many workers and members of the church to gather together and pray in agreement. Of course, the gathering of a number of believers in prayer alone doesn't make the joint prayer a prayer that is in agreement.
The believers who have gathered together to pray should be under the supervision of the Holy Spirit, become united with the same purpose, and pray fervently. If those who have gathered to pray use meaningless petition and repetition, become involved in idle thoughts, and become drowsy and doze off during the prayer meeting, God cannot be delighted with such prayer. Praying in agreement requires those who pray to gather their hearts. The source to gather their hearts is the Holy Spirit and when all of them must pray in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is these things that make it a prayer in agreement in a real sense.
Thus, when we become united with each other in heart and pray in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we can experience God's great works. We can receive the strength to live by the Word of God and expand His kingdom in full measure.
For additional information or to read the message's text in its entirety, please visit Manmin Central Church on the web at www.manmin.org, select the "English" menu, and click on "Words of Life."
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