Praying with a brother for twenty minutes: a regular prayer appointment
Praying with someone is a gift, and a regular prayer appointment with someone is a treasure. You commit to someone, they commit to you, and prayer becomes more faithful. This weekly quest invites you to set a time with a brother or sister to pray together for twenty minutes.
What it looks like in your day
Choose the partner. Someone who shares your faith, preferably of the same sex to make it easier to confide (or another couple if you are married), whom you respect, with whom you can be honest, and who is available at a regular rhythm.
Set an appointment. A weekly slot, for example “Thursday at 7 a.m., by video call” or “Tuesday at 12:30, on a bench”. A fixed appointment is better than a vague plan.
Follow a twenty-minute outline:
- Welcome (3 minutes). News, how you are really doing.
- Word (4 minutes). A verse read together, a word of sharing.
- Sharing requests (4 minutes). Each person says two or three things.
- Prayer (8 minutes). Each prays for the other, then for the requests. Short prayers, in turn.
- Conclusion (1 minute). A shared “Amen”, a date for next time.
Pray for the other person. One key point: pray specifically for what your partner shared, using their first name.
Respect confidentiality. What is said stays between you.
Keep going over time. The first few weeks are easy. Faithfulness is tested after several months.
Notice the answers. Write down answered prayers together: it is encouraging.
If you are short on time, fifteen minutes by video call are enough. If you are shy, a trusted partner makes things simpler. If you don't have a partner, ask God to show you one, and suggest it to someone.
What the Bible says
Jesus promises that prayer in agreement is heard:
“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
“If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”: agreement is a key element. Two people who agree before God form something. The book of Acts shows the Church praying together, with one heart, at a moment of threat:
“And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
They lift up their voice “with one accord”, they lean on the Word, they ask for courage, and the place is shaken. Praying together has a particular power. And James invites us to pray for one another so that we may be healed (James 5:16).
Pitfalls to avoid
Not keeping the appointment. An appointment canceled three times in a row disappears. Protect it.
Turning the meeting into a discussion session. The twenty minutes are for prayer. Long conversations are separate.
Praying performatively. No fine phrases to impress. Speak simply.
Divulging. Trust is the foundation of this appointment.
Looking for perfection. The first meetings are sometimes awkward. Keep at it.
This week, suggest to a brother or sister a regular twenty-minute prayer appointment.