Lessons on Corporate Prayer

The Need to Learn How to Pray

Tonight I would like to read from the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 11.

And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, that when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.”
— Luke 11:1

Our Lord was praying, and after He finished praying, one of the disciples—in a sense representing all the disciples—asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Evidently, when our Lord prayed, His disciples sensed something that was very different from the prayers they had known before. Otherwise, they would not have asked such a question.

While He prayed, He prayed so differently from the scribes and the Pharisees. He even prayed very differently from John the Baptist, because most of the disciples were disciples of John the Baptist. Evidently, John the Baptist had taught them how to pray.

But the Lord’s prayer was very, very different. It made a deep impression upon these disciples and made them feel that they did not know how to pray.

I think the first lesson we must learn is this: we do not know how to pray.

You know, sometimes we think that we know how to pray. We have been taught before, even before we were saved. After we are saved, we have been praying all these years, both privately and together. Somehow, we develop a kind of confidence that we know how to pray.

But if we should listen to the Lord pray, I believe the first reaction in us would be, “We have never prayed before. We do not know how to pray. We have to ask the Lord to teach us to pray.”

You know, sometimes we think that our problem is that we do not know how to pray, and because we do not know how to pray, we cannot pray.

But actually, the problem is just the opposite. The problem really is that we know how to pray, and therefore our prayer is so ineffective.

If we realize that we do not know how to pray, then the Lord will teach us how. Then our prayer will be real prayer.

I think most brothers and sisters do not pray because they feel that they do not know how to pray. Now, I think you need to thank the Lord that you do not know how to pray. Because if you know that you do not know how to pray, then you are helped. The Lord will teach you.

But, on the contrary, if you think you know how to pray, then you are finished. The Lord will let you pray your prayer, but He is not able to teach you how to pray.

I think the reason why we do not realize how insufficient we are, how weak we are when we come to this matter of prayer, is because we have not heard the Lord pray.

Not only are the contents of His prayer different; the very spirit of His prayer is different. Everything is different from ours. We have to come to Him and say, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

So I think the first thing that we need to learn is, number one, we need to confess that we do not know how to pray. It must be a deep confession.

And number two, yet we want to pray. Now, if we confess that we do not know how to pray, and then we do not want to pray, then, of course, the Lord will not be able to teach us to pray. So secondly, we must want to pray.

I am afraid that when we come together to pray, many have already decided that they will not pray. They do not want to pray. And if you do not want to pray, you will not pray, for the Lord will not teach you.

So secondly, every one of us must have the desire to pray. That is the reason why the disciple asked, “Lord, teach us to pray,” because we want to pray, and yet we do not know how.

So this desire must be within us. Every one of us must want to pray.

And thirdly, we will ask the Lord to teach us to pray. That is to say, we will look away from ourselves and look to the Lord. Open our heart to Him. Open our spirit. Ask the Lord, “We are here. We are willing. We want to pray, but we do not know how. Please teach us.”

And if you have this one, two, and three, you will find the Lord saying to you, “When you pray…”

So I feel that, as a beginning, we really need to come to the Lord to confess to Him that we do not know how to pray.

You remember the story about the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee came to the temple, and he surely knew how to pray—or he thought so—and he prayed a long prayer.

But the publican did not. He just cried out from his heart, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

And the Lord said that when that publican returned home, he was more righteous than the Pharisee.

So I do hope that we do not come together with a sense of confidence in ourselves. Rather, we come to God knowing our weakness. If we know our weakness, then in Romans 8 we are told that the Holy Spirit will come to us. He will help us in our weakness, and He will make intercession in us and for us according to God’s will. The Holy Spirit knows.

So I do encourage brothers and sisters tonight: your not knowing how to pray will not inhibit you from praying. Rather, it should encourage you.

The only thing you need to do is just keep yourself open to the Lord. Keep your heart and your spirit open. If any subject for prayer is mentioned, just ask the Lord whether He wants you to pray.

If you feel that He does want you to pray, just trust the Holy Spirit to give you the right words to pray. You will find that it becomes very easy and very natural.

So this is the first lesson I hope we all will learn.

Prayer as the Taking Up of Burden

Please turn to Matthew chapter 9, verses 35 through 38.

And Jesus went about in all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.
Then saith He unto His disciples, “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest.”
— Matthew 9:35-38

Our Lord went around the cities and villages, teaching and healing. While He was doing that, He saw the crowds, and He was moved with compassion.

In other words, when our Lord saw the crowds, He saw them as sheep not having a shepherd. He had a vision. He visualized the crowds as sheep without a shepherd.

Because He had such a vision, He was deeply burdened. He was moved with compassion—deeply burdened.

Being deeply burdened, He shared His vision and burden with His disciples. He said, “The harvest is great, and the workmen are few.” After He shared His vision and burden with His disciples, He asked them to pray: to supplicate the Lord of the harvest that He send forth workmen into His harvest.

You know, in the matter of prayer, really the first problem is seeing. If we see as the Lord sees, if we have a vision that the Lord shows us, that will constitute a burden in us.

Then, when there is a burden, the only way to discharge that burden is through prayer.

Now, oftentimes, when we pray either individually or together, we think that because we have no burden, therefore we cannot pray. Now, it is true: a prayer without a burden is not a real prayer. We must pray with burden.

But if we say that because we have no burden, therefore we cannot pray, something is wrong. Why do we not have burden? Why are we not burdened?

I think there are several reasons. Number one is: we do not see.

The disciples were with the Lord Jesus. The disciples saw the crowds, but they had no vision. They saw the crowds, but they did not see the crowds as sheep without a shepherd.

In other words, they saw the crowds outwardly, but inwardly they could not see the need.

Because they could not see the need, they did not have the vision. Therefore, they were not burdened. The Lord was burdened. He was moved with compassion, but the disciples were not.

The Lord had to share that burden and vision with them in order to get them to pray.

So I think one reason why sometimes we do not feel burdened is because we are not alert. We are not spiritually sensitive. We are dull.

If our spirit is really open to the Lord, then you will find that it is very easy to see what the Lord sees and be burdened with His burden.

Secondly, sometimes we feel we are not burdened because we are overburdened with our own problems and needs. When we are fully occupied with ourselves—with our own needs, with our own problems, with the problems of our immediate family—we find that we have no strength to take up more burden.

This can be another reason why we feel we have no burden.

I think the problem is, when we come together to pray, or any time when we really want to enter into this matter of intercession, the first thing, of course, is that we have to have our spirit open.

We have to be alert and sensitive in spirit, so that the Lord may be able to share with us His burden and impress upon us the need that He sees.

And number two, when we really come together to pray, we need to have our own burdens set aside, at least temporarily.

In other words, we do not come here, everyone overburdened already with his own burden. As we come here, we should come without any load upon our spirit.

It is true, we have our problems; we have our burdens. These are all true. But still, in another sense, because we want to enter into this matter of intercession, we have to lay aside our personal loads temporarily. Forget about our own needs, our own problems, and our own burdens, so that we may come with such openness and such emptiness that we are able to receive burden and take on burden for the Lord.

You know, in prayer we need to have burden. But burden is not something that you wait for until it seems to come upon you.

Now, probably that is a problem among God’s people. When we come together, we just wait. The reason why we wait is because we feel we have no burden. So we wait until the burden comes, and then we pray.

Now, in one sense, that is true. You cannot pray without burden. But burden is not something that you wait passively for until it falls upon you. Burden is something that you have to take up actively.

So I think the secret of prayer is that we know how to take up burden. That is the secret. It is something that you need to take voluntarily, actively—not waiting for it to come upon you passively and involuntarily, but taking it up actively.

Here you find that when the Lord shared His vision and burden with His disciples, He commanded them to pray. In other words, the Lord expected them to take up His vision and His burden and turn them into prayer.

Evidently, they prayed. The more they prayed, the more they were burdened.

Maybe in the beginning they were just taking up the Lord’s burden. They did not have burden themselves; they just took up the Lord’s burden. But as they started to pray, the burden increased upon them, and they really prayed with burden.

How do we know? Because in Matthew chapter 10, you find that the Lord called to Him the twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every bodily weakness. Then the Lord sent them out.

In other words, their prayers were answered. They prayed that the Lord of the harvest would send forth workmen, and now the Lord sent them forth. Prayer answered.

So I feel that sometimes, when we come together, some matters are mentioned for prayer. Probably some of us will feel, “Well, I do not feel burdened about these matters.”

“Why? Because I am burdened with other matters. If the other matters are mentioned, I will pray. But these matters I am not burdened with; therefore, I cannot pray.”

Now, in your personal prayer, this may be true. But in corporate prayer, you cannot go by that rule.

In corporate prayer, as a matter of fact, every one of us must lay aside his or her own burden. You do not come here to pray your own burden. You should lay it aside.

You come here with openness and emptiness, ready to receive burden, to take up a burden. Only in that way can we pray corporately.

So, when the items or subjects are mentioned, be open and learn to take them up actively. I do believe that if you start to take them up, you will be burdened.

We have a problem here. I wonder if you have noticed: when we come to pray for a certain one who is sick, or who has some difficulty, and we know them very well, it seems that a lot of brothers and sisters will pray.

But when we mention something about the Lord’s work, or His interests, somehow we are silent, because we are not burdened.

Now, is it because we are limited by our emotions? Must we be emotionally involved in order to get a burden, or can we pray above our emotions and learn to take up the Lord’s burden until we find ourselves really burdened?

So I think this is something that we should learn. We all should learn how to take up burdens.

This is not something that we will learn instantaneously. I would suggest that this is something we have to learn in our daily lives.

You know, in our daily lives, when you see something, when you hear something, or when you read about something, try to take it up as a burden and turn it into prayer.

Suppose you meet someone, and after that someone has left, she may have shared something with you. Learn to turn this encounter into prayer. Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Or maybe you are reading the newspaper and you find some news. Do not just read the newspaper. Take it up and turn it into prayer—maybe just a sentence or two sentences.

If we are watchful and alert in our daily lives, turning things into prayer, learning to take up burdens and convert them into prayers, then I think you learn the secret of taking up burdens.

Then, when we come together and certain things are mentioned, it will not be hard for you to enter into prayer for these things.

Now, of course, we need a certain amount of knowledge in order to pray intelligently. So it is always good, when a certain thing is mentioned in the church, that it should be explained very briefly. In other words, give enough information so that all the brothers and sisters can really enter in.

Sometimes a person’s name is mentioned, or certain things are mentioned, and some of you may be familiar with them, but the rest know nothing about them. If you know nothing about it, it is difficult to pray and enter into burden.

So it is good, when something is mentioned, to give very brief information so that we may understand and learn to take up that burden.

So this evening, this is what I feel we all should learn: to take up burden. We want all the brothers and sisters to pray.

As we mentioned last time, if you do not know how to pray, then you can pray. If you know how to pray, then probably you should not pray.

So let us come with such openness. Just open ourselves, and when things are mentioned for prayer, let us look to the Lord and take up whatever burden He wants us to take up, and pray.

A sentence, two sentences—or if you feel you would like to pray more, fine. It is not in the words, whether they are many or few. The Lord knows. So just pray as the Lord enables you.

So let us all look to the Lord for His enabling tonight.

Agreement in Corporate Prayer

Will you please turn to Matthew chapter 18, verse 19?

Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father who is in heaven.
— Matthew 18:19

Here we find our Lord Jesus saying to us, “If two of us shall agree on earth touching any matter whatsoever it may be that we shall ask, it shall come to us from our Father who is in heaven.”

No doubt this verse applies to corporate prayer, because here we find the Lord said, “If two of you.” We know that two is the smallest number. It may be two, it may be twenty, it may be two hundred, it may be two thousand, or more.

But anyway, you find here that it is not just one person praying. It is more than one person—two or more—operating together.

In order that such corporate prayer may be effective, there is a basic requirement.

As a matter of fact, you find that what the Lord mentions in this verse is of unlimited scope. He said, “Touching any matter whatsoever you may ask.” So there is no limit to the subject matter. It includes everything. We can pray for everything, anything.

The promise is very inclusive. Your Father in heaven—His Father and our Father in heaven—will answer us. But there is one condition, and that condition is agreement.

You see, when we come together to pray, it is different from our private, personal prayer. There is an added dimension to it.

There must not only be agreement between you and the Lord, but there must also be agreement between you and your brothers and sisters.

“If two of you shall agree.” Now, how can we agree? As a matter of fact, no two persons can agree on anything.

In the final analysis, if we really think it through, you will find that it is true: no person can really agree, because everyone has his or her own self.

As long as that self is there, you want people to agree with you, but it is difficult for you to agree with the other person.

We may come to an agreement by negotiation or by compromise, but this is not what the Lord is talking about when He says, “If two of you shall agree.”

That word “agree” in the original means to harmonize, just like in an orchestra.

You find that in an orchestra there are many instruments, various instruments. It is not uniformity, but all kinds of instruments. All these instruments have their specific tone. They are all different.

Yet all these instruments, as they are being played, harmonize together. There is no jarring note. There is no discordant sound. You find that all these sounds blend together into one.

This is the word used here: agree—harmonize completely, blend into one. Not in the sense that everybody is repeating the same thing; that would be mere repetition.

We may be praying, some praying with one approach or emphasis, and another praying for the same thing in a different way. But you find that it is not uniformity, but harmony. Everybody can pray as the Lord leads, and yet all the prayers merge together into one.

Now, how can it be possible? It is possible in an orchestra because there is a conductor there, and everybody has to lay down himself and follow the conductor.

Or, to put it another way, everyone must agree with the conductor. You are not to agree with the person next to you; you have to agree with the conductor. Everyone’s eyes are upon the conductor.

It is through the conductor that you find all these players and all these musical instruments can play together in perfect harmony.

So this is the secret of corporate prayer. We have a conductor: our Lord Jesus, through His Holy Spirit.

We do believe that when we come together to pray, He is here, because the next verse says:

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
— Matthew 18:20

So we are just like an orchestra. We are all sitting here, everyone with a different instrument, and we will be playing according to what the Lord has enabled us to do. They will all be different.

Yet, if we open ourselves and set our mind and heart upon the Lord, everyone laying down himself or herself—not what we like or dislike, not what is my opinion or your opinion, your prejudice or my prejudice, your inclination or my inclination, your choice or my choice—we lay down ourselves and just agree with the Lord.

The Lord does not require that I should agree with you or you should agree with me, because even if we try to do so, we will not really agree. All that the Lord requires is that everyone agree with Him.

If everyone agrees with Him, and we all look to Him and let Him direct us, then we play as He directs.

Sometimes all the musical instruments are playing. At other times, some instruments are playing and some others are waiting. Nevertheless, you find it all under the direction of the conductor, and it will result in beautiful music.

So this is the way that the Lord wants us to pray together.

Corporate prayer is not cheap at all; it is costly. Because in corporate prayer, you just cannot pray as you want, or refuse to pray because you do not want to. Everybody must be ready and open, waiting for the conductor to direct us.

We play according to the Spirit of God who is within us. As we pray together, we all agree with Him. We want His will to be done. We want His mind to come through. We lay down ourselves and just open to the Holy Spirit.

In this way, you will find that all our prayers will harmonize together. In such agreement, there is power.

You remember in the book of Acts, the one hundred and twenty people waited upon the Lord, praying together with one accord.

There were one hundred and twenty people, and one hundred and twenty people had one hundred and twenty ideas and opinions. But they were able to pray with one accord. Why? Because everyone was in tune with the Lord.

Then again, later on, you find how the whole church prayed with one voice, and even the place shook, and the Lord gave them boldness to witness for Him.

So there is tremendous power in corporate prayer, if only we know how. The basic requirement is agreement.

So, as we pray tonight, first of all, let us lay down ourselves. Do not decide whether you will pray or not, but be ready and open.

If any matter is mentioned, do not immediately draw a conclusion as to what it should be or how it should be prayed for. Be open and wait upon the Lord. As the Lord moves upon our spirit, then we pray corporately.

I do believe that if we are all open to the Lord in this way, you will find that our prayers will harmonize together, and it will be with one accord.

This is the way that the Lord will answer our prayer. So, just remember this.