Agreeing in Prayer
Week 3 – Pray in Community
Learning to Pray Together
Prayer Practice: Agreeing Prayer
Day 15, Sunday, January 18
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
—Matthew 18:19
Consider Acts 4:23-31. We’re told that the believers raised their voices together in prayer to God. What follows, however, reads more like a monologue than a group recitation. This wasn’t a crowd praying pre-scripted lines in unison. More likely, one person was leading in prayer while the rest of the church was actively agreeing.
Ready to get a little geeky?
Justin Martyr, writing in the second century, gives us one of the earliest descriptions of Christian worship. He writes:
“When the reader has stopped, the presider in an address admonishes and invites us to the imitation of these good things. Then we all stand up together and send prayers to God. And as we said before, when we have stopped praying, bread and wine and water are brought, and the presider sends up prayers and thanksgivings in similar fashion, to the best of his ability, and the people give their assent, saying, ‘amen.’”
That last detail matters. Amen is a Hebrew word that means “let it be so.” Someone may be leading the prayer, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only one praying.
In agreeing prayer, we actively affirm what’s being prayed. We follow along. We consent. Sometimes that looks like a quiet, personal “amen.” Sometimes it’s a nod of agreement, a softly spoken “yes, Lord,” or even branching off for a moment—quietly lifting related prayers to God as the prayer continues.
Agreement turns listening into participation.
How to Practice
Today’s practice is especially fitting for a Sunday.
During moments of prayer in worship—whether led from the platform or offered aloud—resist the urge to disengage or drift.
Instead:
Enter into an attitude of prayer
Let the words become your own
Internally agree with what is being asked
Offer a sincere “amen” as an act of trust
You may repeat parts of the prayer silently or lift the same request before God in your own words.
Agreement turns listening into participation.
Gentle Reminder
Praying with others doesn’t always mean speaking. Sometimes it means lending your heart to a prayer already being offered. When we agree together in prayer, we’re reminded that we belong to one another—and that God delights in the unified prayers of His people.
