I was on an Intercessory prayer team at a large Christian conference. At this conference, intercessory prayer teams prayed around the clock. I was new to this sort of prayer and had questions, the most embarrassing of which was, “How can we pray for three hours in a row? Won’t it be boring?” I found that this was quite the opposite, and part of why it was so exciting was because I learned to pray in agreement with my team. Intercessory prayer is a team sport. One of the ways that we can play as a team is to pray in agreement.
Jesus and Paul both talk about unity or agreement. Jesus says that if any of us agree about anything on earth, and we ask him for it – it will be done by the father in heaven. He told us that he is with us when we come together in his name. Paul continued this theme, beseeching his communities to agree with one another. They both knew how hard it was to agree.
This sort of unity or agreement in prayer comes from listening to the Holy Spirit. When everyone praying hears from the Spirit, we begin to agree with one another because it is the ideas and thoughts of the Spirit that we agree with, and not our own.
In prayer, I call this double listening. We listen to the Spirit in our souls and through the voices of those with whom we pray. Resonance is what we call that thrill you feel when you hear something from the Spirit and then hear someone you are praying with pray the same thing. When there is resonance, what you are praying is probably what Jesus is praying. When there is resonance, pay attention and press more deeply into that prayer theme. Stay in the sweet spot until the topic is prayed out and you are released from this prayer assignment.
Here are a few guidelines that can help your team pray in agreement:
- Pray topic by topic. Listen for themes that are coming up as your team prays about the issue at hand. Take time to listen and continue in prayer on that subject for a while.
- Follow the leader. Let the person leading the prayer time move the group on to another topic for prayer. They might introduce another topic by praying it in the group, or they might do this by breaking from prayer to debrief what the Spirit was saying through prayer.
- Pause for discernment. Take a few moments after each topic to discern what God was doing. Ask if there is anything else to be prayed for on this topic, and if you sensed something in your Spirit but didn’t pray it out, share it now. Write down any themes so your group can remember what God was doing during your prayer time.
- If your team finds it difficult to come to resonance, you might stop and ask the Lord to show you what is happening. Check your own heart for any unforgiveness or lack of openness. Take more time to listen to the Lord.
Praying in agreement makes prayer time fun and dynamic – but it doesn’t happen without a bit of work. Wait on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Seek him. Listen to him. Listen to each other. Like all team sports, you must practice together to find resonance. Don’t worry if it takes a bit of time for you and your team to find your rhythm. Enjoy the process of finding your sweet spot as a team, knowing that all our prayers are treasured by Jesus.
What makes a prayer time fun and dynamic for you?
Which of the above guidelines would you like to practice?
Resource:
The Power of Group Prayer, Carolyn Carney, InterVarsity Press, 2022