One Another

The COVID pandemic has forced many of us into isolation for a long, long time.   The reality of our current situation has strictly limited the contact we have with others.   We make contactless payments at the shops.   We can pick up supplies at stores without making any contact with anyone.   Even McDonalds will drop off your burger and fries at your front door - all contactless.  But we are not meant to do life alone.   This is God's assessment on humanity from the beginning:  "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)   We are created to do life together, with one another.

In the New Testament the words "one-another" are used 100 times in 94 verses.   47 of those verses instruct followers of Jesus how to do life with one another.   60% of these commands were written by the apostle Paul.   1/3 of the commands deal with the church getting along with one another.   Another 1/3 deal instruct us to love one another.   But there is one verse with two instructions that underscores the importance of praying with one another.   James writes: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."  (5:16)  The context of this verse suggests that believers are getting together, and while they are together they mutually confess their sins to one another and pray with and for one another.  As Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it so well:  "The fact simply remains that where Christians want to live together under the Word of God they may and they should pray together to God.... It is in fact the most normal thing in the common Christian life to pray together." (Life Together, p. 62)

When was the last time someone told you:  "I have been praying for you."   From time to time people send me an email or call me just to let me know that they have been praying for me.  When that happens I am deeply encouraged in my Christian life and ministry.   And even more so when someone says to me, "Can I pray for you right now?"  In such moments I feel deeply cared for and truly experience the fellowship we have as believers.   

As churches we understand the importance of praying with one another.   In our prayer strategy we stress that "leaders within a congregation commit regular time to pray with each other, and their colleagues in other congregations and in other ministries."  Here we are not just talking about the importance of praying FOR each other.   That is a given!   But praying WITH one another.   Does this happen?  Is this your regular practice?  As a ministry leader in your church do you regularly gather with other leaders simply to pray with one another?  As a pastor or elder, do you gather with pastors or church leaders from other congregations just to pray with one another?

Why all this emphasis on praying WITH one another?  It is based on the biblical principle that "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  if one falls down, his friend can help him up.   But pity the one who falls and has no one to help him up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)  As the teacher pointed out in the verse earlier, "Life alone is meaningless!"   When we pray WITH one another, we are not just building a good relationship with the other person.   We are actually getting a better return of what we are doing.  We are helping one another in our journey of faith and life.   At times we might fall into doubt, even sin, but as we confess our sins to one another and pray WITH one another, we find mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).   Pity the person who is all alone and has no one to pray WITH!

In Matthew 18 Jesus teaches us about the importance of coming together in agreement when we pray.   He said, "I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." (18:19)   Here Jesus makes, what John Calvin calls, "a remarkable promise" when we agree together in prayer.  God is attentive to our prayers done WITH one another and in agreement WITH each other.   It is no wonder that James tells us that the prayers of believers are "powerful and effective" (5:16) 

Praying WITH one another does not diminish the importance of private individual prayers.   In fact, Jesus tells us:   "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  (Matthew 6:6)   Jesus told us this to counter the practice of those who love to pray just to be seen and heard by others.   That is not why we pray in the company of others.   Our prayers are directed not to them but to our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.   Both private prayers and praying WITH one another are vital to the Christian life.

The Christian life is not contactless!   We need daily contact with God through our habits of Bible reading and private prayers.  This is how we establish and strengthen our relationship with our triune God.   But we also need regular contact with other believers.   This contact needs to be more than simply meeting together in worship.   Such gatherings are for the most part contactless.   We really connect with each other when we come in agreement and pray WITH one another.

Give it a go!   Heed the command in James 5:16.   Call up somebody.   Plan a visit.   Meet with another.  And as do, pray!  Discover the better return.   Discover the truth that two are better than one.  Pray WITH one another.