While doing my weekly perusal of Facebook, I landed on a post from a woman who pleaded with all of us to pray for her dying nephew. The young boy was struggling with leukemia and had very little time to live. Below the post was a picture of the sweetest little guy: chubby cheeks, bright green eyes, and crewcut brown hair. Adorable.
Automatically, your heart pines for the precious child who may meet His Creator sooner than we expect of someone his age. Although I felt for him, I couldn’t help but read his story and the years of suffering that he had undergone in his life.
His aunt went on about the need for money to pay his medical bills, prayers for his parents, and, of course, God’s mercy for healing. Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing.
Even so, the last line of the post pleaded with all the group members to share the information on their Facebook pages and ask others to share the post on their accounts. “Let’s see if we can get a thousand people to pray!”
A thousand people? Why? Does God require a thousand people to pray for a request?
Don’t get me wrong, corporate prayer is lovely. I imagine our great Lord savoring the voices that rise to Him as a sweet aroma to His nostrils. Group prayer is also a beautiful way to increase faith and see camaraderie’s value in the body of Christ. Philippians 2:2-4 says, “Fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (LSB) To me, this is the core of corporate prayer. There’s no more excellent value in multiple petitioners than to have the feeling of support, love, and family.
Yet, how many people does it take to move the hand of God? I believe the answer is one. Anyone extra is icing on the cake.
A few years ago, I suffered from an illness that took my breath away with pain. Although I shared my prayer request with a few people, I didn’t feel led to share it with anyone else.
My pleas reminded me of Hannah, going to the temple every year and pleading to God for a child. The passage does not say that her husband joined her in prayer, neither does it say that she asked the priest, Eli, to pray for her. She sat alone, passionately poured her heart to God, and waited years for an answer. God responded in His time and loving providence, and Hannah delivered a baby boy.
In Genesis 32, Jacob is about to meet his brother, whom he betrayed years earlier. The night before, he sends his wives, children, and everything that belonged to him away, leaving him alone. Jacob spends the entire night wrestling with God for a blessing. At dawn, Jacob prevails, and God blesses him.
If God answered the prayers of Hannah and Jacob, who wrestled with God in their ways, then why would He not respond to our prayers when we are alone and lifting our hearts to Him?
So why is there a call for many people to pray? Could it be a misinterpretation of Matthew 18:19-20, which says, “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.” (LSB)
If we read those verses in context, we see that the proceeding passage deals with a brother in the church who is unrepentant of his sin. The last act of church discipline results from two or more people gathering in prayer and putting the person out of the church. God’s presence in the prayer of many shows divine support for the discipline of an unruly person.
Context is critical when applying verses to our situation. To quote passages that do not relate to your concerns is like putting words in God’s mouth. He didn’t mean it that way.
Therefore, whether one person is praying or twenty, God is faithful to hear our petitions and will answer according to His will. So, next time you have a personal request, and before you post it on Facebook, pray alone and see what God will do. Wrestling with God one-on-one may bring you a surprising sense of intimacy.
A Tree Firmly Planted 