Read Acts 11 – 12
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Acts 12:5 KJV
Acts 12:1-19 contains the story of Peter being let out of prison by an angel in answer to the prayer of God’s people. Group prayer is a big part of this story; it should have a big part in every Christian’s life. (1) It provides mutual encouragement and support. There will be times in the ministry of a local church when only a few are suffering, but all should be praying. We need each others prayers. (2) Not everyone in the church must be gathered at the same place for the whole church to be praying. Here, only one group of the Jerusalem church is mentioned, but there were other groups throughout the city. (3) They also prayed without ceasing. This does not mean they did not do anything else, like us, they too had busy lives. To pray without ceasing is to keep coming back to God in prayer. (4) Group prayer unites the people of God and sees Him working in answer to it.
Lord, group prayer helped make the church in Jerusalem a powerful local church in ministry to its members and its outreach. Churches today seem to have lost sight of this. Help me give it the right priority in my own life and the church I am part of.
A question to ponder: How can I improve my participation in a group prayer ministry and encourage others to do the same?
