What is the value of a prayer meeting?

Question: "What is the value of a prayer meeting?"

Answer: The value of prayer meetings can be numerous and profound. The chief reason for this is found in the words of Jesus Himself: “For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). The value of prayer meetings is further amplified in that to pray is to believe that there is someone listening who wants to hear your prayers.

Prayer is only for those who believe that God is personal and who want a personal relationship with Him. Christians know prayer works because they have encountered a God who declares, “Talk to me and I will listen.” The apostle John confirms this: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Through our prayers, especially with one another, we are demonstrating and validating the presence of Jesus among us. Andrew Murray, the great Christian minister and prolific writer, said, “Prayer depends chiefly, almost entirely, on who we think we are praying to.” It is through this discipline of prayer with one another that we not only develop a growing spiritual intimacy with God, but we also create a spiritual bond with one another. This, in essence, is one of the significant aspects of prayer meetings and praying with one another.

The spiritual bond of prayer meetings enables us to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25), promoting strong support modules as followers of Christ. Furthermore, through our praying with one another we are following in the very footsteps of Christ and His disciples, as well as those of the first-century believers (Luke 9:28; Acts 1:14, 2:42). Another valuable benefit of prayer meetings is the confession of our sins to one another so as not to allow sins to drag us down into a despair of spiritual defeat. James tells us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Here James does not necessarily speak of physical healing, but rather of spiritual restoration (Hebrews 12:12-13). He also refers to the forgiveness by God, enabling the believer to become spiritually whole again. James knew that the one who becomes separated from the flock is most susceptible to the dangers of sin. God wants His people to encourage and support one another in loving fellowship, mutual honesty and confession in our praying for and with each other. Such relationships provide the spiritual strength to experience victory over sin.

Another great value of prayer meetings is that believers encourage one another to endure when obstacles seem insurmountable. By sharing and praying together as Christians, we often help others avoid “bottoming out” in their spiritual lives. The value of corporate prayer lies in its power to unify hearts. Praying before God on behalf of our brothers and sisters is unrivaled in its ability to link one another spiritually. For where there is prayer, there is unity, and it is that unity that Jesus prayed so fervently for His followers to have (John 17:23).

But more than anything else praying with one another brings about change. It is where a remarkable transformation can occur. Praying with one another with Jesus in our midst is where believers can witness God produce miracles and changed hearts, and therein lies its real power, its real value—the deep intimacy, the quiet communion with God at His throne. It is a time and place where fellow believers gather together in the presence of the Lord. It is a time and place where God manifests His never-ending love and desire to communicate with those who love Him.

Recommended Resource: Prayer, The Great Adventure by David Jeremiah.