The Benefits of Praying as a Group

By Kindsi Lora

If you’ve been around church for a little while you can probably quote Jeremiah 29:11 by heart but can you quote Jeremiah 29:12-13 just as quickly? If you’re like me, the reference isn’t ringing any bells, so here it is.

“’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

I love that this verse reminds us that when we pray, God listens. He hears us when we call on Him in prayer—isn’t that incredible? God created us with a deep longing to talk to Him.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes praying in our small groups so necessary and powerful!

Why Does ‘Let’s Pray Now’ Matter in Small Groups?

We are Demonstrating Faith in Action

There’s nothing worse than having your vulnerable moments shut down with a seemingly disingenuous “I’ll pray for you.” The tilted head, raised eyebrows, and the hollow response of “I’ll pray for you” feels like the Church version of saying, “I’ll get back to you”. This response feels cold because there’s no guarantee of follow-through. Granted, there are many strong prayer warriors who wholeheartedly do what they say, but from most people, in my experience, it feels like a cop-out.

Hearing the words in person that others are declaring over us, or the things they are asking God for on our behalf multiplies our faith to see God move. Rather than just being told “I’ll be praying” having someone pray for us on the spot, fosters immediate encouragement. When we consistently show up for each other in prayer, our small groups will thrive.

Need a starting point for praying in a hard season, or praying for a friend who’s in the thick of it? Start with Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesians 3:16-21.

You can also be a “Let’s Pray Now” leader between small group sessions! If someone in your group asks for prayer via text throughout the week, rather than sending “Praying!” consider adding a 1–2 sentence prayer in your response. For example, “I’m praying that God would give you the strength to face this situation. Jesus, I ask you to cover them in your peace and go before them in everything they have to get done.”

It Empowers Us to Carry Each Other’s Burdens

Have you ever gone through a really hard time when prayer felt absolutely impossible or hollow? When we need to pray the most and are desperate to connect with God, it can sometimes feel impossible to get the words out. This is where community truly shines! As a small group, we can shoulder the weight for each other through prayer. I recently heard someone phrase it as asking your friends to pray the things that you know are true but can’t believe enough to pray right now. Your small group can speak truth to your heart and talk to God on your behalf when you can’t stomach the words.

Prayer in groups also gives us the opportunity to see God show up for other people. When we are not seeing our prayers being answered, seeing God come through in amazing ways for our friends can be super encouraging. It is a much-needed reminder that God is still in the business of answering prayers!

It Affirms Our Belief in the Power of Prayer

One thing that revolutionized my life after years growing up in various “I’ll pray for you” church cultures, was being surrounded by “Let’s Pray Now” friends and leaders. When people ask if they can “pray right now” the message they send is, “we see you and hear you and what you’re sharing is important.”

A “Let’s Pray Now” mentality acknowledges that what someone has shared is valuable. It honors the hard work of their vulnerability, and affirms that the listener believes prayer is a powerful response. This makes it clear to the entire group that each person who is sharing is a priority, and that their pain is not a distraction or interruption to the regularly scheduled program.

Prayer Fulfills Our Need to be Seen + Heard

Ok, so you’ve become a “Let’s Pray Now” expert. You’ve already stopped multiple times to pray for different people. It feels like you’ve already covered so many things in prayer. So you can probably just skip prayer requests at the end, right? The truth is, no matter how many times you’ve prayed throughout your group time, it is still important to take time to pray at the end of your small group. Ask if anyone has prayer requests and intentionally pray for everyone in your group. Why? Because some people may not have been comfortable sharing in the middle of group. There may be many requests that didn’t come up naturally in the conversation.

Consistently asking for prayer requests and praying for them at the end of every small group time will give your quieter group members an opportunity to be heard. I’ve noticed everyone almost always has something they’d appreciate prayer for, even if it’s not for them.

Once everyone has shared their prayer requests, divide them up so everyone is praying for someone and everyone is getting prayer. You can either pray as a full group or have your group divide into pairs. Praying in smaller groups is a great option if you’re running short on time.

The best thing about prayer is you really can’t screw it up! As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:8, right before teaching the Lord’s prayer, God already knows what we need before we ask. Don’t get caught up in not knowing the right words to pray. You don’t have to sound eloquent or impress the people you’re praying around – the prayer isn’t going to them!

Final thoughts on Why Praying Together is So Important

Praying in small groups reminds us we are not alone in seeking God, and we have friends walking with us and asking Jesus to help us.

Jesus created us for community and He tells us consistently through His Word that prayer is effective within it. There is so much beauty and power in sharing our hearts in small groups. Praying allows our groups to link arms, strengthen one another when we’re weak and remind us of God’s promises!