We’ve started a corporate prayer time for key leaders in our church every Monday night. Last night was our second night together, and I just want to report that it was awesome! Prayer is awesome! Our format is structured to promote individual experience for the sake of corporate edification.
Allow me to describe our time together. All of the pray’ers sit together in a circle, last night there were 10 of us; we prefer sitting together, rather than each person in the group doing their own thing, to encourage unity during prayer, that way we can feed off each other. For us, this really seems to capture the concept of corporate prayer.
This closeness in prayer causes our spirits to rise together very intensely. Sometimes we’ll pick up on what someone in the group is praying out, and we can all rally together around that particular unction. It creates a powerful flow.
We also require each pray’er to bring a notebook and pen to the prayer time. Throughout our time together, everyone is encouraged to record things which the Holy Spirit reveals. We believe that this is vitally important because prayer should be a two-way conversation; we come expecting that, and when God speaks we write.
When we sense a ‘release’ in the Spirit, and things quiet down, we usually sit quietly in His presence for a while; just soaking in the Glory of God – it’s lots of fun, the peace of God is amazing!
At last, we all report on what came to our spirits during the time of prayer. It’s amazing to see how many details coincide throughout the group. I take the reports of each of our leaders very seriously, I take notes on what they say, because I believe that many of those things need to be acted upon and definitely held up in prayer more.
This type of corporate prayer is great for leadership groups, teams, or any church prayer group, so long as there is a strong leader who can monitor the flow. It’s good for the leader to provide some basic direction for the focus of the prayer time, and also to make sure God’s Word is being honored when individuals are reporting.
This sounds like a really good time, its funny some people may think prayer is boring or a type of chore but when you truly open your heart and let the spirit flow and communicate what God is speaking, the peace of God fills the atmoshpere and theres nothing more enjoyable and pleasent than that. The presence of God is what the world has been seeking since the fall of man, to soak in it is the most vital part of prayer. I thrive for it in my daily life always.
I Love it !