Embracing Prayer in Community
“All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” Acts 1:14 NRSV
Series: Embracing Community in an Age of Individualism
Devotional: 2 of 6
In an age when the pursuit of individuality stands tall on the podium of life and prioritizing life in community has been brought low, what does it look like for you and me to embrace life with God together?
Community is the intentional step of choosing life together as the body of Christ to seek the presence of God.
With the prevailing winds of our modern culture pushing us toward building a life based on our preferences, embracing life with God in community with other followers of Jesus will certainly require intentionality. As apprentices of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invites each of us to lay down our individual agendas in order that we might prioritize the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Becoming all that God has created us to be in Christ largely depends on the community we choose to engage with.
In the presence of God, we realize how utterly dependent we are on Him. As brothers and sisters in Christ, it is in this posture of dependence that prayer becomes central to our life in community.
But what does it practically look like to engage in prayer when we gather as followers of Jesus?
Prayer invites other people in our community into the story of our lives. We were never meant to shoulder the trials of this life alone. As difficult as it may be, when we open up to even just one other person, allowing them to intercede on our behalf, we live out the words of Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer."
Much like Jesus' early disciples, "who constantly devoted themselves to prayer," you and I would do well to make prayer a central part of the fabric of our life together in community. (See Acts 1:14) This might look like joining or starting a small prayer group that meets regularly to intercede on behalf of the needs of your faith community.
The more we intentionally devote ourselves to prayer, the more prayer spills over into our everyday, ordinary conversations. It is here that prayer becomes a way of life. In time, our words shift from "I will be praying for you," to "Can I pray for you now?"
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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