hem, just as Christ has instructed them to do, “they were all continually united in prayer” (v.14). A common devotion to prayer was a defining practice of the earliest believers. Two thousand years later it should be no different.
Author E.M. Bounds wrote that, “The secret of success in Christ’s Kingdom is the ability to pray.” Prayer is how we discern God’s direction for our lives. It’s the way through which we experience the Spirit’s power to fulfill the mission. It’s how we preserve our unity within a diverse group of believers seeking to be an effective witness for Jesus. One of the most important lessons that we can therefore learn as believers is how to be devoted to prayer together.
Do you have a group of people with whom you pray regularly together? If so, ensure that your common devotion to prayer together remains a top priority. If not, ask God to bring to mind some people with whom you can begin to practice this important discipline.
Prayer: Father, I confess how easy it is to become distracted from a devotion to prayer. Help me to make prayer with others a growing discipline in my life. Help me to use prayer as a way to guard the unity of the church as we engage in the mission together. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
