I stared at the empty bucket suspended over the splash pool. Fed with trickles of water through two apple-red pipes, the large pail hung slightly off-center. Underneath, adults and children clamored together like the sick by the pool of Bethesda. Above them, the water gradually filled the container, then dumped cool refreshment to anyone standing below.
“This is a picture of prayer,” I heard the Father emphasize. “You may feel that your prayers are mere dribbles but look closer. I’ve enacted a principle of filling. Your prayers join the prayers of the ages, which I collect into broad, shallow cups in the heavenlies (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8). When each is full, they tip My purpose into action (Revelation 8:3-5).”
Alone, my prayer trickle may take years before God answers my request. When I ask a small group to fill the bowl with me, the bucket of blessing overflows more quickly. Just think what city, state, or nationwide unity in prayer can do.
Antioch church father John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.) said, “What we cannot obtain by solitary prayer, we may by social (prayer)…because where individual strength fails, there union and concord are effectual.”
Although the accumulation of my individual prayers may feel like the drip of a faucet, the Father adds to them with an abundant “gift matching” program (Romans 8:26). Additionally, when I pray alongside His saints, Jesus Himself increases the value of those prayers by joining the group (Matthew 18:20). All of the sudden, the pittance of individual prayer multiplies into a rushing stream.
How encouraging, then, to discover the multiple prayer groups that are joining together now in various ways. No longer limited to Wednesday night gatherings in a church classroom, we can pray via conference calls (like Clay Nash’s prayer call recordings) or online groups (like Intercessors for America or Dutch Sheet’s “Give Him 15” — also check out Dutch’s recent “Paint Your State” emphasis). I’m even in two local groups that share requests through private chat groups like GroupMe and Signal.
In emphasizing the multiplicity of options, I do not want to detract from praying with a small group. It is irreplaceable to gather in a room with trusted intercessors and hear God’s Word spoken through their voices. Week after week, I leave with my burdens lifted and hope restored.
God is motivating His people to fill the golden bowls. Our time to join Him is now, for the heavens are bulging with His mercies. Let’s pray together to turn our trickles into torrents.