Praying in One Accord

“Then they returned from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, thy went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued in one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” –Acts 1:12-14.

A new era dawned for followers of Jesus after His ascension. They no longer had the physical presence of their Lord with them. Yes, they heard his Great Commission. Yes, they knew they had an assignment to do. He had promised not to leave them or forsake them. But they had seen him go bodily up into heaven.

And they could not turn to him now in the flesh to seek His wisdom.

What could they do? What did they do?

They had a prayer meeting, all eleven of the disciples, and “the women,” and “Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” It was a small but dynamic group.

The prayer meeting had two characteristics: All present were in one accord and all were in supplication. They agreed and had a unified prayer among them. In supplication they were offering themselves, humbly and earnestly before the Lord.

What was about to take place? At this point they did not know. But they began as they should have, praying in one accord and as humbly as they knew how, offering themselves in service.

We have the record of the results of that prayer meeting. Luke, writer of the Acts of the Apostles, gives the amazing story of how this small group of believers gathered in an upper room praying humbly and in one accord and how this start made a world of difference. The church was about to be empowered, born, thrust forward into an unbelieving world. And prayer was at the heart of how God would move and make Himself known through those who supplicated, humbled themselves before Him. The principle of success in the Lord’s work has not changed since that long ago time in the Upper Room in Jerusalem when a band of believers prayed earnestly and in one accord. Prayer precedes, undergirds, and propels every work in the Lord’s Kingdom. Pray; then act on the answers to prayer.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, April 10, 2010