Answer
Group prayer among Christians is important and rewarding. It has been this way from the beginning of the church. In Acts 2, when the disciples by the power of the Spirit were preaching and thousands were being saved, the church had a plan, and they carried it out in community. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42, NASB). Group prayer was important in the early church as something that bound them together as they carried out the Great Commission.
In Acts 4:31 group prayer is noted again, “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” God gave boldness to the whole group in their witness, in response to their prayer. They needed this power, as they were facing persecution.
In Acts 6:3-4, “But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Prayer was one of the highest priorities of the church leadership.
The Holy Spirit is always praying in and through us “through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26), and Jesus taught the importance of personal prayer in secret in the inner room (Matthew 6). But group or corporate prayer has a place as well. Group prayer knits believers together and encourages the burdened. When a group of believers pray together, the result is unity, humility, thanksgiving, confession of sin, intercession, and discovery of God’s will.
