It’s been many years since I first experienced the sheer beauty of corporate worship and prayer. While on a mission trip to Honduras, I stood singing songs of praise in English while my Honduran brothers and sisters sang the same song in Spanish. I was illuminated with the thought that this is just like what heaven will be like. People from all around the world praising God in their native tongue. That experience caused me to take a look at the critical importance of corporate prayer, especially the sweetness of believers saying The Lord’s Prayer non-stop throughout the world!
Corporate prayer just means praying together with other people. It could be in small groups or larger gatherings of people. Corporate prayer can be believers praying one at a time with unity in their hearts or as one group praying the same prayer, for instance, The Lord’s Prayer. Corporate prayer is a crucial part of the life of the church. In Acts 2:42 the early church gathered together to pray.
The Beauty Of Corporate Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Imagine with me, the voices of Christians from the far reaches of this world, from every tribe and nation reciting The Lord’s Prayer together. Each in its own language, praising God. Picture in your mind, listen with your ears, the voices of believers reverberating in Heaven at the throne of God.
Jesus taught us this prayer and these very words come straight from the Bible, it’s a tool to learn the faith, and the church has historically used The Lord’s Prayer in worship services. That said, it is quite rare to hear this united corporate prayer in some segments of the Christian faith. For the record, it is in no way restrictive, legalistic, or unbiblical.
Ultimately, God’s people have been praying together since the book of Genesis and will continue to pray together for eternity. Corporate prayer will not stop when we get to Heaven, it will continue in a natural continual flow. When we pray in the Spirit and the truth we are engaging in corporate prayer, Christians never really pray alone. Believers praying in one voice help us to learn how to pray, look for answers together, and get the help we need.
Corporate prayer brings God glory…
YOUR TURN…
How do you feel about corporate prayer? Do you pray The Lord’s Prayer at your church?
Blessings,
