A Gift From God When Part Of A Praying Community

This is Rodney from the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we explored manhood within Jesus Christ. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds.

Sit back, enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. James Banks, author of the bestselling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now, here's James. Have you ever had someone tell you, you were on my heart today, so I prayed for you? Because that's what I'm going to talk about today on encouraging prayer, specifically a gift that God gives us, you know, when we're a part of a praying community, James.

Well, God has a way of drawing us closer to himself and closer to each other when we join ourselves to a group of believers who sincerely pray for each other, and it's a beautiful thing, a supernatural thing. I remember years ago when I got a note from a friend from high school, and this was decades later, and she said, I was going through my old Bible when I saw several notes that said, Pray hard for James. You would have been about 17 at the time. It was during the summer. Do you remember what was happening then? And man, did I remember. You know, that was a time when I was a foreign exchange student.

I was going through some real temptation and also a depression that I'd never encountered before. And over 7,000 miles away, God puts me on my friend's mind. And again, what a beautiful thing.

Wow. I mean, that really is. And he really does that all the time, doesn't he? How many times have you had someone come to mind and you felt moved to pray for them? And then later on, you find out why.

And if you look back over your life, you'll find that he's done it again and again. And I've certainly had that happen in my life recently in my own church. It's amazing to me how God will, on the subject of prayer, I love to be prayed over. And so I was asking God who, and he brought somebody to mind.

And it was actually the son of another member of our church. And so I immediately picked up the phone and called her and I said, you know, Beth, I want to talk about having your son be on my prayer team because I just feel like God really wants him there. And she said, and you're calling right now because you're answering my prayer? She was praying for her son, like right then, that God would find some way to bring out his voice. And it was just, I was just dumbfounded.

Yeah. I mean, this is just part of what God does when he makes us a praying community. But you know, the truth is, Robbie, I'm afraid a lot of Christians miss how deep and real this is because many of us are not part of a prayer group, you know, that sincerely, faithfully lifts each other up. I saw an interesting article online in the Atlantic of all places that talked about a precious, what a precious thing true Christian community is. And it points out a study that indicates the reason why so many people have de-churched in our country is because the church in one sense isn't asking enough of them. You know, if we look at church as just a place to help us succeed in our own individual lives, you know, a place for life hacks, maybe without Tony Robbins, but to help us on the road to the good life, then we're missing the point badly. But if you go back to the model of the early church and look at how people shared life together and gave sacrificially and took care of each other and carried each other's burdens, that's a whole different experience. And prayer is such a huge part of that. And the article makes the point that people don't know how to live in community today.

They're on edge, they're suspicious, they're lonely. And that's where true Christian community, you know, a group that loves and prays for each other can make such a difference. But so many people are missing this. Christians are missing this today because they're not taking the time to be part of a group that sincerely prays for each other.

Wow, I agree with that. So would you make that a challenge to our listeners for the year to come? Yeah, I really would humbly and gently, but emphatically. I'd encourage our listeners to find a church that has a regular prayer meeting and be part of it. At Peace Church, we have one every other week and we may be increasing that, but we also have a special prayer emphasis in our services. And we have other prayer endeavors and sometimes we'll just devote a whole service to prayer. And even though we're a small church, we've seen God use this to reach literally thousands of people around the world. And it's like he's put his hand on our praying together.

You can feel it. And it may take some time to find a church near you where people pray together and you can be there in person and do that well. But if you do, if you find that, you've found a real treasure. Because what you'll discover is that Jesus really is there. And everything that comes along with him, his peace, his presence, answers to prayer, strength in unexpected places. I often quote Jim Cymbala who said that Jesus did not say, My house shall be called a house of preaching. So go where people are praying and you'll find them.

Oh, I love that. But you're right. It takes some time to find this.

Yeah, that's right. And you may not know that you found it all at once because it's not flashy. It's often quiet and Jesus sort of comes up and taps you on the shoulder. So the best way to start looking is to ask him to pray that he'll lead you to a group of believers who sincerely prefer each other. But if you'd like to join us virtually for a prayer meeting at peace, just send me an email at jamesbanks.org and we'll get a secure link to you.

But especially pray that you can find one where you can be part of it in person because, oh, we need this. We need this community, this sense of belonging to Jesus together and being at his feet. It is such an important thing. I mean, we really do make ourselves vulnerable when we don't gather together with others for prayer. Yeah, it's so true.

And we see it so frequently. And it doesn't have to be that way. Being a Christian was never meant to be this individualized, isolated thing. And it's taken me years to really get that because I've got a strongly introverted side.

But God has been very lovingly drawing me out over time by placing these loving believers in my life who are often older than I am, but not always, but who have really been through challenges. And because they have, you know, they've learned how to pray and depend on God. And, oh, it's just so good to be around them. You know, again, we need this.

Oh, we absolutely do. And the funny thing is that we may not realize how much we needed until we find ourselves part of a sincerely praying group. And then we discover, you know, really what we've been missing.

Yeah, that's exactly it, Robby. I mean, we're a little like the character Peter Pan, you know, in the movie Hook, one of my favorites, who's been out of Neverland so long. He's forgotten who he is.

And he's forgotten how to fly. And our spirits really do soar when we're in Jesus' presence with people who sincerely pray. Well, thanks, James. And I think you prayed last week, so it must be my turn, which I'm so honored to do, really, actually. So, Lord, thank you. Thank you for the chance that we can not only pray to you individually, but to come together in unity with our hearts for people that need this. And we all do so desperately. It's the only place that we can truly find rest and peace. And so, Lord, I pray for all of us that you would continue to shepherd us in the direction of you and the way that we can be shepherded together as your flock, as your body. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.