How to Pray Article Series: What are the Benefits of Praying with Other People?

by Babes Tan-Magkalas



Many people have a lot of questions about how to pray, and one of the commonly asked questions is about praying with other people. Another part of this article series already discussed the effectiveness and importance of praying with other people. Now, let us discuss the benefits of praying with other people.

1. It provides us with the support and encouragement we need in our prayer life. We certainly can benefit from the wisdom and reinforcement we get from others.

I first experienced the benefit of praying with others many years ago when I was still a student. I had a friend who was quite prayerful and she asked me one day if we could pray together. I hesitated at first but decided to give it a try. So once a week, after class, we met for an hour and discussed our problems and struggles, listened to each other's different perspectives on the subject at hand and towards the end, we prayed for each other. We noted down what we prayed for and God's answers to our prayers. There were times when I was so discouraged but my friend gave me the encouragement I needed. There were times when my prayers were flat and dry but my friend was there to make up for it. And I did the same to her. My prayer life during those times would have been in shambles if not for the wisdom, reinforcement, and courage that I got during those times of shared prayer.

2. It helps keep our praying on track. If left on our own, we can simply stop praying, pray only when we are in dire need, or become so self-absorbed or self-indulgent. We can even stray away from the truth. It's true that we can be led astray not just by our own hearts but by others but we are more likely to stay focused on truth if we pray with others.

There were times when my prayer life felt so lethargic only to have my passion rekindled again by kind words from a fellow believer or by a sermon I heard while attending Mass or by the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit during a prayer rally.

3. Praying with others also fosters a sense of community. It feels good to pray as part of a larger community. When we worship with others, we don't orchestrate it but instead, we participate in it. We don't worry about what to say and instead somebody else like our parish priest or our pastor, jumpstarts our efforts to reach out to God. We are led and fellow believers all join in a chorus of praise and worship.

Dr. Harold Koenig, director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Spirituality and Health at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, pointed out that there are health benefits gained from the sense of community that religious activities such as group prayer foster in those who regularly do them.

So, if you are not in to praying with others, start now. You can start with a friend or someone you're comfortable with. Do not be afraid that you may not know what to say when you meet. Start by talking together about your needs, your problems. Listen to each other's joys and struggles. And towards the end, pray together. Thank and praise God for His goodness and pray for each other's concerns. The praying need not be long, perhaps you can pray for 10 minutes, gradually increasing it as you become more comfortable with praying with someone.

Keep a relationship with those you pray with that is based on mutual respect and love. Avoid anything that is divisive like jealousy, envy, resentment, etc. I believe that praying with others is most effective when the people involved relate to one another in a spirit of love, respect and harmony.


About the Author
Go check out my free 13 video series on the answers to your biggest questions about prayers . For details on how to make your prayers more powerful and effective, visit www.how-to-pray-effectively.com.