Prayer Partnerships
Do you have one or more people who pray with you on a regular basis? A preacher once told me he believed that interceding in agreement with a prayer partner or a group of believers strengthens the effectiveness of the prayer.
Jesus said, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I Am in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19 AMPC)
The word “agree” derives from a Greek root word from which we get our English word symphony, meaning “to be in harmony or accord concerning a manner.” 1
A symphony consists of different types of instruments, yet all the musicians follow the same composition, in the same musical key, under the direction of a conductor. This is a picture of praying in agreement with a prayer partner. We may have different styles of praying but our prayers are based on God’s Word and we pray under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer journey began in earnest the day I made a phone call to my friend Lib. She had four children near the same age as my three. We were born the same week, in the same year and attended the same church so we sometimes called ourselves “sisters in the Lord.”
“Lib, we need to pray for our children, I blurted out. “We’ve got to become praying moms, especially now that our husbands are working such crazy shifts and aren’t always available to pray with us.” My youngest was still in the playpen stage the day I called her.
We decided that at eight every weekday morning would pray over the phone five or six minutes just for our children. We would ask for God’s protection and direction for them for that day, praying Scriptures and practical prayers.
For 17 incredible years, Lib and I kept our prayer commitment by praying over the phone, until the day my family moved away. But by then most of our children were in college. As we grew in our faith over those years, our prayer styles and strategies changed. Not all our requests were granted, but as we developed a closer intimacy with the Lord through prayer, we grew to love and trust Him more.
When we moved, I kept praying for a new prayer partner. One day in church I finally asked Fran whom I’d met there if she would pray with me on a regular basis. I really desired to pray with this woman who had been led to the Lord by the Dutch evangelist/holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom, some years earlier. In fact, over a 16-year period Corrie had spent some time between her speaking engagements at the home of Fran and Mike writing books. Fran said she would pray about becoming my prayer partner.
She finally said “yes” but added that she’d like to invite four other women friends from the church to join us. We could meet at her house from 5:30 to 6:30 on Monday mornings. Which is what we did—for the next three years. We prayed primarily for our individual families. Afterwards when the other women left, Fran and I spent another hour together, talking, praying for our city and nation, and sometimes even eating breakfast together. She and I developed a friendship that lasted many years.
Once Fran phoned members of our praying group from an Atlanta hospital where an oncology doctor had told them that their son was not expected to live through the night. We women walked the floor the rest of the night—crying out to God on behalf of Mark. It was touch and go for some days. But he not only survived, but he also became the father of two sons, another miracle from God. Today he is still alive—thanks to the healing power of our Lord.
My family moved a few more times and I always made sure I got a female prayer partner to pray with me on a regular basis. During the last 25 years of his life my husband and I prayed together daily for our family. Over the years I also joined my voice with others in various national prayer ministries to specifically pray for our country whether in person or over the phone.
It is helpful if prayer partnerships are made up of those who can pray with shared concerns, similar goals, and focus. If you are praying one-on-one, be sure to choose someone of the same sex unless it is your spouse. When praying with others here are some things you can consider:
- Have a specific time to pray and make a commitment.
- Set a time limit.
- Don’t hog all the prayer time; give others a chance.
- Maintain transparency, confidentiality, humility, and forgiveness.
- Guard against judgment and unforgiveness.
- Establish your purpose for prayer and keep it focused (are you praying for family, city, nation, global issues?)
- Find prayer partners who know the Word and are willing to hear the Holy Spirit’s direction.
- Choose prayer partners who like your family.
- Speak the truth to each other without fear of rejection.2
If you don’t have prayer partners, ask God for them. Even Jesus had an inner circle of close friends—Peter, James, and John—who went apart with Him on occasion.
Whether we pray with one friend or several, we need to remember that we are partnering with the Lord when we pray.
Prayer: Father, thank You for my prayer partners who were so faithful over the years, especially in times when we were going through spiritual battles. Be with those who are seeking a prayer support team. Give them wisdom and discernment to choose the right ones and not be deceived into choosing the wrong ones. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
1.Strongs Exhaustive Concordance #4856.
2. Quin Sherrer, A Mother’s Guide to Praying For Your Children, (Minneapolis, Minn., Chosen Books) 35-37. Available on Amazon.
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