Day 4 – Gather Together 

Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three gather in My name, there I am in the midst of them. (NIV) 

Yesterday we talked about posturing (purposefully adjusting) to hear God’s voice. Today we discover what happens when we gather in His Name. 

As our scripture passage indicates, Christ is never a distant, uninvolved observer when we gather in His Name, but He is mesos (“in the middle”) – present, proximate, engaged - listening and speaking to us. Embracing this truth together, we encounter the Incarnate Emmanuel – God with us. Andrew Murray’s With Christ in the School of Prayer emphasizes this truth: “It is the living presence of Jesus, in the fellowship of His loving, praying disciples, that gives united prayer its power.” (113) 

Gathering in His Name also allows us to experience true koinonia - communion - with one another. Our commitment to gather around Christ’s transforming presence compels us to listen as a community for His direction, purposes, plans and desires. As author Meghan Hill reminds us, “Praying together, we nurture our relationship with other Christians, uniting our hearts even as we unite our voices.” (PT, 27) 

The Book of Acts is filled with accounts of Christ-followers praying together with great power and great grace. (Acts 1, Acts 3, Acts 4, Acts 6, Acts 12, Acts 13, Acts 16). Take a few moments to read one or more of these chapters in Acts. Notice particularly how God responded when they prayed together, and how they responded afterward. 

Pray This Prayer Today: “Lord Jesus, you promise to be mesos – in the middle - when we gather in Your Name. May we be ever mindful of this, and let your Presence be manifest in our midst. Guide us into Truth, and impart unto us wisdom and guidance by the Holy Spirit, so that we may completely follow you and faithfully steward what you provide. In Your Name, Amen.”