Different Kinds of Prayer – Part 3 Devotional
United Prayer and the Prayer of Agreement
In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas pray the prayer of unity and singing hymns to God. They have been beaten; covered in blood and cast into the inner prison, void of any light. Their feet bound in chains – all for preaching the gospel. But they did not complain at their circumstances, instead, at the midnight hour—the darkest time of night—they lifted up their voices in united prayer and praised God not for the situation but for who HE IS! As a result of their prayers and praising, God responded with an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison.
Shaking is good! It will purge the church of the insincere, the unbelieving and the carnal – it will get rid of sin. God wants His people committed to the local body and to walk uprightly. Some people will depart, and others will hear of the shaking and stay. One time the Lord said to me: “Purge the prayer group”. He said to send a book which deals with offence in the heart, and let me tell you, people were shaken! Some took it so personal and said that I am solely focusing on them. God cleaned our prayer group and they left, but then God added sincere prayer warriors, who are willing to pay the price and pray heaven and earth together.
The early church lifted their voices together in Acts 4:23-31 – lifted up their voices in one accord saying, “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth”. And with all boldness they began to speak the word saying, “…by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus”. And as they were all together, praying in one voice and one sound, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and the place was shaken as they spoke the Word with boldness. Places shake in the Spirit when the power of His Glory is released.
United prayer shook the whole building. When the brethren dwell together in unity (Ps. 133:1) the anointing of breakthrough is released, and God manifested the answer to their prayer. They were not praying their problem out but instead, they got a hold of the answer, the Word of God.
God wants to shake nations, churches, communities, and cities but we need to step up in united prayer as the Body of Christ. We had a meeting in a certain town, and I ministered along the lines of God sending an earthquake like in Acts 16:25. Suddenly, the church foundation shook as the power of God surged through the church building. The Pastor did not know what to do, he was bewildered. If we will only believe, we will see the Glory that Jesus prayed. In that community, the dead are being raised, miracles of people continuing to breathe where the life support has been switched off, and babies are brought back to life. The supernatural is manifesting because God sent an answer of breakthrough from heaven!
In 2 Chron. 5:6, 7, 11-14, as Israel assembled before the ark of the covenant, all the singers, all those who played musical instruments, the trumpeters and singers were united as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, they all lifted up their voices, saying: “For He is good, and His mercy endureth forever,” and then the house of God was filled with a cloud, so that the priest could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud for the Glory had filled the house of the Lord! A united voice among the Israelites created an atmosphere for God to manifest Himself as Glory, inhabiting their praises.
Prayer of Agreement (Matthew 18:18-20)
“Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
Matthew 18:19 (NKJV)
When I pray the prayer of faith with someone, they must have the faith to believe the words I speak because I pray according to the Word of God. When they agree with their hearts, I sense the anointing as we pray in agreement (at times I would experience and see a ‘mini’ vision or have a picture of what is happening. I would then share that with the person, and it would cause faith to arise within them to receive).
The power of agreement is being in unity, with the same purpose, and the same mind to accomplish the plan of God on planet earth. This should leave no room for unbelief or being two-souled or double-minded. Disunity in prayer and agreement will cause you to receive nothing from the Father.
The word agreement means that you are making a covenant, and taking the hand of your wife, husband, prayer partner, or the person you are praying for is the outward expression of that agreement. And when you pray in that state of agreement and unity, concerning whatever the situation may be, you are exercising your authority. Jesus said whatever you ask in His name, He will do it so that the Father may be glorified (John 14:13). The authority is not in the circumstance but in the Name, over the situation! Remember the tower of Babel; God created confusion in the enemies’ camp!
The prayer of faith and united prayer go hand-in-hand as whatever you ask in line with God’s will, it will be done. Whatever you bind on earth, or have a ‘faith blueprint’ of, it has already been bound and done in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth, has already been loosed in heaven. God is just waiting for your faith-filled words to be released from your mouth so that He can be in agreement with you – the Word, Spirit and Blood agree on earth!
