Praying together

‘And so I tell all of you: what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. ‘

‘And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.’      (verses 18-20)

Read Matthew 18:10-20

God has given you the gift of faith to draw you into his community. He has poured the Holy Spirit into your heart so that you may share his blessing with the whole of the church. As your Father in heaven gathers you together with your sisters and brothers in Christ, your Lord Jesus is there with you, bringing with him his gifts of healing and peace.

Because it is God who gathers you together with other Christians, and because he draws you to other Christians to experience the special presence of Jesus, you have every reason to pray to your Father in heaven with confidence. The same God who has brought you into his community of prayer will answer you when you pray to him in Jesus’ name.

Father, thank you for giving me sisters and brothers in Christ. Please keep drawing me into your church, so that I may pray together with all your faithful people. Amen.

by Fraser Pearce, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)

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