Constantly In Prayer

Acts 1: 8 - 14 (NIV) - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.


One way to expand private prayer is with community prayer—that is, the prayer of people approaching God together, praying in accord and in agreement. The prayer of community is the prayer of many voices combing to make a single voice. There are always times when we are tempted to turn away from community—especially organized church communities—because they lack the perfection we silently want them to exhibit. However, when we are willing to enter into the imperfect community, we can be awestruck when that community’s prayer carries us into the hall of heaven.