And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And, when Christ promises to send His Spirit, He really does! When the Apostles gathered in the upper room at Pentecost, “a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Um, excuse me? That’s beautiful! Christ promises that He will continue to be with us, not in the form of a human person, but through the presence of His Holy Spirit flowing among us. Invite the Holy SpiritĪt His Last Supper, Christ tells us, “I will not leave you desolate I will come to you” (John 14:18). So, in this blog today, I hope to offer some practical advice on how we might go about praying with others. Maybe you don’t feel empowered or equipped to pray out loud with a friend at all, let alone to do so well. Praying together, in person with another is powerful. So many of Jesus’s healing miracles involve a physical encounter with another, with words shared aloud and some incarnate sign of love - think of the hemorrhaging woman who is healed merely by touching Christ’s cloak (Luke 8:43-48).Īs we strive to live and love as Christ in the world, it’s important to recognize the power that lies in our physical presence and of the breath and sound of our words. Even in the gospels we see that Christ values His physical presence to those He loves and heals. To be physically and spiritually present to one another and to open our hearts together to the Lord is an experience unlike anything else. But, I do believe that there’s a unique beauty and intimacy that comes in the unique situation of two people praying out loud together in person. Beyond praying for one another, there is a special, incarnate beauty in praying with one another.ĭon’t think I’m knocking the importance of silent intercession for our friends - I’m not. But, today, I present the idea of taking a step further. And it’s wonderful for friends to pray for each other. Pretty often, my friends and I will ask for each others prayers over specific situations in our lives, asking for certain virtues or strengths that we need. I would run out of fingers and toes if I tried to count the number of times a situation like the one above has happened to me. Later in the day you remember to pray for your friend - you’ve done something simple and good. He thanks you again, and you two go your separate ways. You express your condolences, he thanks you, and he asks if you’d be able to pray for him. You ask, “how are you?” and your friend says that one of his family friends passed away last week, and he’s taking the loss really hard. Imagine this: you’re walking down the sidewalk on your school’s campus, and you run into one of your friends.