The small group

Most of us find it easier to pray with one or two others. Somehow it helps us to locate and define what we really want to pray about. It encourages us to be specific in our faith, and to discern together what God wants of us in our particular situation.

Of course, we may be reluctant to get involved in a prayer meeting if we’re afraid it will be a steamy, hot-house experience. For this reason, we must be secure in our friendship if we’re meeting with one or two others, and have confidence in the leader if the group is any larger.

We may also be afraid that we have nothing to say! One way round this is to go along with part of a Psalm to read to the others, or a short episode from the Bible which has been striking you as fresh and relevant. You can also decide together to keep prayers short – perhaps just a single sentence – and not to be afraid of the silences in between. Once you’re through the ‘panic barrier’, silence can be wonderfully relaxing and helpful. All the same, don’t let it go on so long that the others are asleep!

All the basic rules of praying on our own apply to praying together.
Make a definite time. Arrange to meet together for an hour in an evening, or more briefly in a lunch hour, or even before breakfast. But be careful that your praying as a group isn’t a substitute for praying by yourself. And beware, too, of choosing a time which hurts your family. The Christian father has been aptly described as ‘the artful dodger’ when his church commitments take him out of the house too much. The same can be true of the Christian mother. Our own secret time with the Lord, and ‘good’ time with our family, must surely come before all other commitments, however worthy.

Having said that, there’s a place for ‘a season’ of prayer – agreeing to meet as a particular group for a particular time to pray for a particular issue. This kind of arrangement has a considerable benefit, but it also involves a definite sacrifice for those involved, both inside and outside the group. For this reason, it should be seen as a short-term project (for example, to meet early on Saturday mornings for a month) rather than as a permanent arrangement.

• Be yourself. Come as you are, with no pretence. We can only start to pray from where we are, and any attempt to impress other members of the group with our piety or long words will only hinder real growth. Meanwhile, the Lord himself looks at our inner attitudes, and he must be at least amused (and at worst frustrated and angry) when the words of our lips and the thoughts of our hearts don’t match.
• Get ready for action! So many of our prayers have consequences, and we can often find ourselves being part of god’s answer to a request. No sooner have we shared a concern and prayed about it, than simple ways forward begin to occur to us. This is the quiet prompting and guidance of God’s spirit. The more we recognise his voice and respond, the more we cam work with God to bring his blessing to others.