The church was birthed in a ten-day prayer meeting. (See Acts 1:14, 2:1). They coped with crisis and persecution, together on their knees. (See Acts 4:24–31.) As the church grew, the apostles refused to become embroiled in administrative problems because of their resolute desire to model prayer in their leadership team. (See Acts 6:4.) Through united prayer, they trusted God for miraculous divine interventions in times of extreme trouble. (See Acts 12:5–12.) They received ministry direction through intense seasons of worshipful prayer. (See Acts 13:1–2.)
Personally, I cannot imagine living a vibrant and balanced Christian life without a regular dose of both private and corporate prayer. Yet, I was taught that praying to God is something I do almost exclusively on my own in a “prayer closet” somewhere. In reality, early Christians learned to pray largely by praying together. Those who neglect the consistent habit of praying in extended fashion with a community of believers are robbing themselves of great blessing and balance. In a sense, they are trying to hop on one leg and finding the prayer journey difficult, at best.
“Why have we neglected the corporate emphasis on prayer found in Acts and the Epistles?” This is a question posed by Gene Getz, a noted professor from Dallas Seminary, in his book Praying for One Another. He says we view biblical prayer from our bias rather than from the original intent and context of the Scriptures, noting that our Western culture is distinguished by rugged individualism. Getz makes this observation:
“We use the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘my’ and ‘me.’ We have not been taught to think in terms of ‘we’ and ‘our’ and ‘us’. Consequently, we individualize many references to corporate experience in the New Testament, thus often emphasizing personal prayer. More is said in Acts and the Epistles about corporate prayer, corporate learning of biblical truth, corporate evangelism, and corporate Christian maturity and growth than about the personal aspects of these Christian disciplines. Don’t misunderstand. Both are intricately related. But the personal dimensions of Christianity are difficult to maintain and practice consistently unless they grow out of a proper corporate experience on a regular basis.”[3]
In our Western culture, we have come to believe that it is more important to pray alone than with others. This is a symptom of our basic view of society. In his book The Connecting Church, Randy Frazee describes our culture of individualism. He notes that we are no longer born into a culture of community but a “way of life that make the individual supreme or sovereign over everything.”[4] Frazee documents this as a problem, especially for those born after World War II. He laments the impact on the church by observing that we have “all too often mirrored the culture by making Christianity an individual sport.”[5] Commenting on the Our Father, Jesus’s model praying to God, Albert Mohler says, “There is no first-person singular pronoun in the entire prayer… One of the besetting sins of evangelicalism is our obsession with individualism.”[6]
To go deeper, we must recommit to go deeper together! If this pandemic, with its associated isolation, has taught us anything, it is that we were made to experience consistent, meaningful community with one another.
Praying to God: A Deeper Experience of the Spirit
Throughout history, God has used difficult times to prompt extraordinary prayer. Many of the seasons we identify as “revival” occurred in years of societal crisis. Dr. A. T. Pierson once said, “There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.” While this is a moment of real heartache, it can also become an occasion of biblical hope if we will earnestly reset our hearts to seek His face in full repentance, surrender, and obedience.
But our pursuit cannot simply be a big event that delivers us from our trouble. Rather we must fully submit our hearts on the Person who can bring real and lasting transformation. In his extraordinary book Continuous Revival, Norman Grubb wrote, “Revival is in essence obedience to the Holy Spirit.”[7] Jesus’s last words to the church were not “pray for revival,” but “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” (See Revelation chapters 2–3.)
Instead of asking God for deliverance (or praying to God for revival—whatever that might mean in our mind at the time) we might be clearer to pray for an extraordinary understanding of and obedience to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Either way, I think we all want the same thing. Clearly, the Spirit’s promises and presence must become the focus of our desire for an extraordinary work of God. Stephen F. Olford concurred: “One of the determining factors in seeing a church-wide revival is the determination to fulfill all of God’s purposes righteously in the power of the Holy Spirit.”[8]
Deeper prayer is the experience of opening the Bible to have a life-changing conversation with the Author, who lives in us to explain to us what He meant by what He said, so that we might experience a deeper intimacy, application, and transformation. From that spiritual reality, we can live as Spirit-filled agents of gospel transformation, even in the midst of unprecedented crisis. This is a purpose beyond our deliverance from the pandemic. This is the great need of the moment. It starts as we learn to pray in a deeper way.
This article on asking God for deliverance comes from Daniel Henderson, co-author with Jim Maxim of the book, 21 Days of Deeper Prayer: Discover an Extraordinary Life in God. This practical resource helps individual readers and entire congregations experience interactive prayers to learn about the life-changing power of intimacy with God. Daniel is the founder and president of Strategic Renewal (www.strategicrenewal.com) and author of the new book, How to Pray in a Crisis: A Four Step Guide to Renewal. Jim is a business leader and founder of Acts413 Ministries (Acts413.net). The dramatic story of Jim’s conversion is found in his book, Face to Face with God. Daniel and Jim’s first co-authored book, 21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer, was utilized by hundreds of churches and equipped countless thousands to experience the practical power of prayer.
[1]. Calvin Miller, The Path to Celtic Prayer (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2007), 57.
[2]. John Piper, “How to Pray for a Desolate Church,” Desiring God Ministries, January 5, 1992 (www.desiringgod.org).
[3]. Gene Getz, Praying for One Another (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 11.
[4]. Randy Frazee, The Connecting Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 43.
[5]. Ibid, 85.
[6]. Albert Mohler, “The Danger of ‘I’ in Christian Prayer,” August 20, 2018 (albertmohler.com/2018/08/20/danger-christian-prayer).
[7]. Norman Grubb, Continuous Revival: The Secret of Victorious Living (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications 1952), 61.
[8]. Stephen F. Olford, Heart Cry for Revival (Memphis, TN: Christian Focus, 2015), 80.
