The Power of Corporate Prayer

by Olga Hermans

 

The Bible tells us that we are a house of prayer; personally and as a church. I am a member of an awesome church and the reason why I enjoy it so much is because there is a lot of prayer going on. I have learned so much since I am in this church that I like to bring some of that to you; I hope you don’t mind!

Amazing things happen when believers come together and pray and what is even more important is that impossible victories are won. Things that you have a hard time dealing with on your own will be dissolved in no time when praying people come together.
Our own time of prayer can be very precious and as much as we enjoy fellowshipping with the Father on our own, we are living in a time where many people are facing many challenges that can only be met by the corporate prayers. This is not the time to be a lone prayer ranger.

We are living in a time where God is looking for people who are drawing near to Him but also to each other. Proverbs 27:17 says that iron sharpens iron. One of the exciting things that happen when we come together in prayer is that gifting that have been hidden within us are revealed and activated. The anointing on us connects with the anointing on someone else and enables us to step into spiritual positions we could never have engaged by ourselves.

The story of Saul is one of my favorite illustrations for this. Saul was very timid at first, he didn’t look much like a king and he had no experience operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you want to know how God changed him?

He changed him by bringing him in contact with anointed people. Yeah, God used the gifts on these praying people to awaken Saul to his own calling and that changed him into a different man. Being with those people changed him completely.

That is how important divine connections and relationships are; they change us. They also activate spiritual endowments and giftings that are lying dormant on the inside of us. They prepare us for our future and they inspire us to go to higher heights in God.

Have you ever experienced that? It is a great thing when that happens. We can walk around for years with our calling and gifting on the inside of us; they are like seeds on the ground. But then God sends somebody across our path who is anointed to cultivate them, those seeds in us will begin to sprout. The more we are with that person, the bigger those seedlings grow.

That is exactly how I experienced that when I stepped into our church. Our pastors are very sensitive to the callings on people’s lives and they speak into the lives of their members and you see people getting stronger and more confident to what they are called to. I really believe that without meeting certain people in your life, seeds will not be able to sprout.

Your need to discover the life you were born to live is of utmost importance; we all need those divine connections. Nobody else can discern it for you. Nobody else can pursue it for you. Nobody else can complete it for you. You and I need each other; we need these divine connections, but in the end we are responsible for what we do or don’t do.

It is very important to be a member of the household of faith, to be in the right company. You are meant to be in a certain place, in a certain group of people that assemble together and work together in unity and love each other.

We need to assemble corporately; we supplement and complement each other. To complement means to strengthen each other or to add to something that already exists. To supplement means to bring elements together and create something new.

The colors of the rainbow appearing side by side complement each other. When the colors mesh, however, something even more wonderful happens. New colors become visible that are only made possible by the merging. When yellow and blue join together, they make green. Red and yellow make orange. Isn’t that beautiful?

I believe with all of my heart that these are the days when impossible victories will be won. These are the days when we will draw near not only to God but to each other; days when the power of corporate prayer will be released and the forces of the devil will be routed.

God did it for Saul and He can do it for you; He will bring you divine connections, He will bring you into a group of anointed people that will awaken the gifts on the inside of you. Will you be able to discern that divine moment?

As you make time for Him, you are able to both listen to His direction and continually enjoy His presence. As I am writing this I am getting ready for tonight’s corporate prayer in church; one of my most enjoyable moments of the week! I know one thing, it will be good!

I hope you too will enjoy a place where God brings you to worship, fellowship and pray with others in that corporate setting. Now you know how important it is to mix those colors and create something new!

If you desire to know more about prayer, my book on prayer will exhort you to pray in many areas of your prayer-life!

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