How I started Praying with Others
In the beginning, I dreaded these prayer circles. But it didn’t take long for me to notice how good it felt to be prayed for, so I was willing to endure those uncomfortable moments for the benefits that followed. Eventually, the prayer circles became an important part of my life, and I even began to look forward to them. I planned during the week what I would ask people to pray for me about on Sunday. Once I started seeing answers to those prayers, I was hooked. I realized it was probably the only time anyone on earth was praying for me, and if I had not told the people in my prayer circle about my prayer needs, no one would have known.
My faithful prayer partners. My sister Suzie is on the far right.
On a few very rare occasions when the prayer circles did not happen, I was actually disappointed.
As time went on, I grew more and more attached to the prayer circles. Not only were prayers being answered, but there was also a bonding that was happening between the people. I would see someone in church with whom I had prayed in the previous weeks, and I remembered their names and what their needs were.
“Did you find that job you were looking for, Bill?”
“Are things going smoother for you and your husband, Jenny?”
“Is your daughter doing better in school this week, Katie?”
“Did you get the house you were trying to buy, Frank?”
“Has that depression left like we prayed, Cindy?”
And people I had not known before meeting them in a prayer circle would also come up and ask about me.
“Are you feeling better this week, Stormie?”
“How is your mom? Is there any sign of improvement?”
“Did you get that job we prayed about?”
“Were you able to make your deadline?”
More and more, the faces in the prayer circles became familiar. And it wasn’t just a superficial acquaintance, because we had shared something of our lives, souls, and hearts with one another. There was this personal link, and we had immediate reasons to care about each other. Even if we didn’t remember specifics, we still knew we had spent those few minutes talking and praying, and that was a special thing. We witnessed it knitting us together as a people, and this became more important as the congregation grew larger. It became less and less a congregation of strangers, and more a family of prayer partners.
I began to think, Wouldn’t it be great to have a prayer partner I could call to pray with whenever I needed prayer?
“Who could I pray with on a regular basis, Lord?” I asked.
Immediately a young woman came to mind. Dianne had been my closest friend for years, but we had become distant. We had been into the occult together and were always in unity about spiritual things, so when I received the Lord and stopped all occult practices, she felt that I’d not only lost my mind but had deserted her as well. I had been praying for her to be open to the Lord, and in fact prayed for her often in the prayer circles at church, but she was solidly resistant.
God not only heard my prayers for Diane’s salvation, but also for a prayer partner. After she received the Lord, we started praying together regularly over the phone at least three times a week. Through the next few years, we saw our prayer times become instrumental in each of us finding the healing and wholeness God had for our lives. From that time on, having a prayer partner became an indispensable necessity I could not afford to be without.
At the Billy Graham Crusade where my nephews Derek and Matt received the Lord. My sister Suzy is on the left and my best friend Roz is on the right.
If you never had someone praying with you when you were growing up, you are not alone. I didn’t have that either. If you don’t have someone praying with you regularly now, don’t worry, because you can pray that God will bring one or more prayer partners into your life. Ask God to send you someone with whom you can agree on a regular basis. Someone with whom you can be mutually accountable in prayer. It could be someone you already know, such as a friend, roommate, or family member. Or someone in your neighborhood, in a class you are taking, or at work. It could even be someone new He brings into your life specifically for that purpose. Someone you may have seen but never thought about in that regard. He will show you who it is.
One word of caution. When you approach a person to ask if they want to be your prayer partner for a season, don’t be upset or feel rejected if they turn you down. That just means they are not the right person for you, or the timing isn’t right for them. I asked my husband if he wanted to be my regular prayer partner, but he wasn’t interested in a set schedule. He just wanted to pray when he felt like it, but that wasn’t enough for me. He likes to pray for the big picture; I like to pray for the details. Though we pray together often, I have prayer partners to pray with me regularly. Don’t become discouraged if it takes awhile to find the right person. Give God time.
When you ask a person to pray with you, don’t be afraid to share any fears you have about praying. Tell them if you are afraid you won’t know what to say, or that you won’t have enough faith, or whatever else concerns you. For example, when I first started to pray with other people, I was afraid God would not answer my prayers, as if all answers to prayer depended entirely on me. I also felt reticent to pray in front of others who had a better command of the language or a greater knowledge of how to pray. I finally came to understand that God wasn’t looking for eloquence, just a faithful and pure heart. Once I realized that my job was to pray, and it was God’s job to answer, I felt more at ease. It wasn’t all up to me. It was up to God. All I had to do was have faith that God answers prayer.
When you start praying regularly with a partner, you will see great things happen. That’s because each of you brings the Holy Spirit in you, and that power increases exponentially. Also, your faith will inspire growth in the other person’s faith, and their faith will increase yours. That produces a snowball effect which enables you to believe for bigger and better things. Once you have a prayer partner, you will see God move with power in your life and you will never want to be without one.