The Foundation of Prayer

 

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14 ESV).

 

Jesus has ascended to heaven, and a waiting period for his followers has begun. On the day he ascended, Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). They would have remembered that this gift would be the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), but Jesus didn’t say when the Spirit would come. So, what were they to do while waiting? They prayed. A lot of action transpires in the book of Acts, but one of the first recorded actions of these believers after Jesus’ ascension is that they join together in prayer. We are not sure how all this is organized or what the form of their prayers is, but we do know three things.

 

§  First, they join together. This group that scattered and fled from the Mount of Olives when Jesus was arrested are together again as they now walk back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

 

§  Second, they are constantly in prayer. There is an everyday consistency that marks their life before God and one another. I would draw your attention to the fact that they weren’t praying for “stuff.” They prayed for unity and power in the gospel.

 

§  Third, even the brothers of Jesus who did not join in following him as disciples now join with this group of believers. The powerful message began to reach those who had hesitated earlier. This was the ultimate proof of the power of their new lives.

 

I’ve been around long enough that I have seen division in the church. I’ve served on my share of “peace committees” within the Southern Baptist Convention and local churches and associations. I’ve also never see a successful effort to restore unity accomplished without God’s people praying together. It is impossible to agree with one another when we fail to join together in prayer. Revival can only begin in America if we set aside our politics and focus on the Lord of life. That comes with “devoting ourselves to prayer with one another” (v. 14).