Fellowship in prayer

Over the past months, I asked God to help me understand fellowship better. He has, in many ways. Among other things, He used my car situation (I didn't have use of my car for many months - a very long story) to show me not only how He can move His Church into action, but also to put me into situations where I could experience many new aspects of Christian fellowship. It's been awesome.

One thing I hadn't thought much about, until today, is fellowship in prayer. It's interesting that one of our associate pastors mentioned just this past Sunday the need for different kinds of prayer, including corporate prayer: praying together as a church body... and as a Church body. All types of prayer are important - prayer time alone, prayer time as a family, prayer time between two prayer partners (whether spoken or silent, whether simultaneous or separate) and prayers together as a group of believers.

I spend most of my time in silent prayer. Silent doesn't mean I'm quiet all the time, or still. But it does mean I plug into God and stay there - I continually ask Him to keep me there; it's certainly not of my own strength that I block out the world's distractions! Even so, this isn't solitary. I call on the Holy Spirit and Jesus; I am in God's presence. I have prayer partners, prayer teams, individuals that I ask to cover me in prayer, particularly in situations where I'm interceding (praying for others). I intercede for others and I ask others to intercede for me. It's not always about asking each other; God also calls people to intercede for us - some of these people we know, others we don't; they're obedient to God's prompting to pray for a stranger, someone who might not have a face or name to them. Clearly, even when I'm by myself praying at 4am in the corner of my living room, I'm not alone. There's always a crowd!

But I had never really looked at this as a kind of fellowship. Not until today. As I prayed for someone this morning, I became aware of a strong connection among so many people - the individual I was praying for, loved ones of that person, along with others who are praying for them and those they are praying for, my own loved ones, others I am praying for, those who are praying for me (to cover me as I intercede for this person, and in general), intercessors I know, intercessors I don't know (people the Holy Spirit has prompted to join us in these prayers), my church family, others in our Church family throughout the world... I felt the presence of everyone, interconnected, strong, supporting, standing firm in their faith and belief, in their desire to invite God in, to let His will be done and glorify Him in all that He is doing in this one individual's situation and life.

All of us together, interconnected in our faith, around one individual, so that God could do His work here. God orchestrated the whole thing. He does it in every single situation of intercession and corporate prayer. That's how much He loves each one of us and wants to be part of our lives. Wants to work His will in our lives so that we can be eternally part of Him. Wow.

I talk a lot about prayers in The Vine. This is an image God continually gives me in prayer, and today, that image became more visible, more tangible for me. Have you ever participated in a group prayer where everyone stands around the person being prayed for? Perhaps each person places a hand on that individual's shoulder, or on the shoulder of the person in front of them, or hands on top of hands, or hands raised over the individual being prayed for, or over the group. Layer upon layer of contact, connection, prayer, love. All part of The Vine.

That's the way my prayer time was today. I was praying alone, silently, and yet I sensed my hands on the shoulders of the person I was praying for; many other hands on top of mine - on my shoulders too. Hands raised over us; others approaching, moving in to join us. At the same time, all of us reaching out in other directions to cover others in prayer and intercession. God's Holy Spirit connecting us all. Though I was in complete isolation, at an hour when my nearest neighbors (not so nearby) weren't even stirring, I wasn't alone. Not even close. Prayers in The Vine.