Looking back over the past year, I am amazed at how our church has grown as a community. Not only have we gained new people, but we are also making progress in building community. A healthy church community not only accepts everyone for who they are but also prays for one another. As prayer plays an essential role in building and maintaining church community. This holds true at all levels of the church as Jesus calls us to love and care for one another.
A simple example is the Elders’ group text as a convenient way of ongoing communication among us. This includes being a place to support one another and share prayer requests, and joys or God sightings. As simple as it may sound, I am still amazed at how my phone blows up with text messages after someone posts about a need. It is even more powerful when you are the one receiving love, support, and prayers after sharing a need. This is a beautiful picture of Christian love in action in the church community.
When we pray as a church community, we can expect God to show up. This is not to say that God will always answer every prayer in the way we expect; but that every prayer matters to God. What matters is that we continue to pray for one another and allow others to pray for our needs. It is okay to share your struggles and prayer requests with as few or many people as you are comfortable with.
When it comes to God and prayer, size does not matter. There is a time and a place for large groups of people to come together in prayer. There is also a time and a place for more secret prayer concerns shared with only one other person. Both can end up being beautiful and powerful in their own way. Last summer I exchanged prayer concerns with a friend. We then both experienced powerful answers to one another’s prayers before sharing with anyone else. This served as an encouraging reminder to us of how much our prayers matter to God. Prayer is also important in the church community because prayer is relational. It is through our prayers to God that we grow in our faith as we draw closer to God.
In prayer we encounter the comfort of God’s love and transformation. At the same time, our prayers on behalf of others result in us growing closer to those whom we pray for. I find that it is impossible to pray for someone without my love and genuine concern for them increasing. This in turn makes it easier for me to continue to pray for others as time goes on. This is how praying for one another builds up our loving church community as time goes on. So, if you feel tension toward somebody or find yourself starting to look down upon anyone, pray for them as it will do both of you much good.