Matthew 18:19, 20: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
The value of praying with someone has never been so apparent to us as it has become in the past few months. It is very easy to take for granted the power and peace that comes from prayer. Our prayer life often becomes stagnant and routine. We can find ourselves just going through the motions, mouthing words, sometimes saying even elaborate and fancy phrases but never touching the heart of God. What causes this, you may wonder? It isn’t God because we know that He never changes. We have forgotten how to reach out and touch Him. Like the church of Ephesus, we have lost our first love (Revelation 2:4).
We lose our first love when the things of this world grab our attention and pull us away from things that point us to God. As the world crowds in, it “crowds out” our time in the Word, our time in prayer, and our fellowship with God. Before long, we are spiritually weak, physically worn, out of His Will, and have removed ourselves from effective service. 1 John 1:6 tells us, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” However, “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin,” (1 John 1:7).
As we walk in the light, we can see the Father. It is during these times that we are able to come boldly to His throne and make our requests known (Hebrews 4:14-16). In Matthew 18:19-20 we are given the knowledge to increase the effectiveness of our prayers by joining with another’s heart and coming together to the throne. He shows us the value of having a prayer partner when He reveals to us “if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Now let’s take a look at these two verses. First of all He implores us to pray in agreement with another. However, it is not enough to just pray with someone. This verse tells us that we must be in agreement as touching anything. This indicates that you and the person with whom you are praying are in the center of His will regarding the requests you are making. It further indicates that the two who are praying are in agreement not only with their requests but also with their Spiritual walk. When these two people come together in Spiritual agreement, collectively making a single request of the Father, then He has promised to fulfill that request (Matthew 18:19). The remaining truth revealed in this passage clearly accentuates the value of a prayer partner. We are told that if we call upon Him, He will answer us, (Jeremiah 33:3) but in this verse He promises that when two or three people are gathered together in His name, He will be in the midst. Again, He emphasizes the importance of those praying as being in one accord and possessing a similar Spiritual walk that is focused on the center of His will. This is what He is saying when He says “two or three are gathered together in my name.” Therefore, prayers prayed with another whose Spiritual walk is also in the center of His will receive the promise of not only being answered, but of His glorious appearance as you pray.
As we seek to strengthen our prayer lives, we must not forget the words of this passage. For not only are we promised an increase in the effectiveness of our prayers if we are praying with the proper prayer partner. We are also given the added blessing of building a precious and rare treasured friendship with our prayer partner. This relationship offers us Godly accountability and Spiritual encouragement. It also strengthens our faith as we see Him move, not only in our lives, but in the life of our prayer partner. This relationship binds our hearts together as we share our time with our heavenly Father. So, when the storms of life come our way and doubt and fear surround our hearts, our prayer partner can reach out and touch our hearts, taking it straight to the Father that we may find peace and help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Sorrows are truly halved and joys doubled when we come into the presence of our heavenly Father jointly with our prayer partner.
The staff of Woman at the Well Ministries invites you to find that special person or people with whom you can pour out your heart and by faith touch Him. We not only encourage you to do this, but we can testify to its wonder working power in our lives. Each of our prayer lives has been transformed by sharing our time with the Father with our God-given prayer partner. We encourage you to pray earnestly to the Father that He may send you the person He has created, designed and chosen for you to pray with. Be very sure that your Spiritual walks resemble each other closely and that your hearts are truly in one accord with each other and more importantly with the Father.
Originally published March 28, 2004