There are different kinds of prayer. There are prayers of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, gratitude, supplication, repentance, intercession, petition, meditative, and others. The prayer I would like to focus on today is the corporate prayer.
Corporate prayer takes place when Christians gather together to draw close to God. This can be in a small group, church service, or bible study setting. The early church did this often to fellowship, share a meal, study doctrine, and pray together. (Acts 2:42) Praying together bonds us together.
Corporate prayers could include opening prayers, closing prayers, praying for requests, intercessory prayer, and so on. Corporate prayers are not necessarily more effective than personal, individual prayers, but those sharing burdens alone can find encouragement in praying with others. God is always with us, but he may have a stronger presence in the midst of where two or more are gathered in his name. (Matthew 18:20)
With that said, it doesn’t mean we get some huge power surge because we are gathered together in prayer. Just because we all praying together doesn’t mean we have a better chance of getting what we want, but corporate prayer does bring edification (1 Thessalonians 5:11), encouragement (Hebrews 10:24, 25) and unity (John 17:22, 23).
Although I recognize the benefits of corporate prayer I must admit I have a few pet peeves listening to others pray in a corporate setting. Corporate prayer is meant to benefit all, not just the person praying. Sometimes it seems like “open mike” night at the local club where people are given free license to speak about anything that comes to mind. I just want to put my hand in front of my face and say, “Too much information!!!!!!”
Too much information is disclosed. I do not need to know the intimate details of who slept with whom, that John was embezzling, how long Sally’s labor pains lasted, the rumors of a lawsuit between two church members, the offensive remark Sue made, or that Billy Bob is selling drugs in the parking lot. God knows the intimate details, so I don’t need to know them to join in prayer.
At other times I wish I had a “hook” to remove people off stage because I feel like I’m in a filibuster. They go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. God may love the sound of their voices, but the rest of us do not. This is not the time to share what was learned in personal bible study or what they wish everyone else knew so they could be as good a Christian as they are. Too often corporate prayer is directed more to the listeners than it is to God.
There is a fine art to leading corporate prayer. We all know that the primary purpose of prayer is not to talk God into giving us what we want, but to bend our will to his. Personally, I can’t help but think God’s will would be better served with shorter, focused corporate prayers that don’t reveal intimate details about everyone’s life.
