Day 4 – Pray Publicly in a Small Group
One important key to praying in a small group is first and foremost to be in a small group. This can be a mixed gender open group like a Sunday School class, a gender specific group like a women’s Bible study, or in a discipleship group. Get in a small group and grow!
So once you have been in a small group relationships will begin to form. Through these relationships – whether strong or weak – we all begin to trust those in that group more. With that trust comes a willingness to open up and share from the heart. Sharing from the heart should lead to prayer to our Father.
The quality or quantity of the prayer is not the important thing to consider, the most important thing to consider when praying in a small group is to be honest with our Father to whom we pray.
Praying in a small group encourages the leader, it encourages the other members, and it pleases God!
So why do we not just jump at the offer to pray out loud in a small group? I think we fear what we are saying and the words we use.
There are two things I think we should consider when praying out loud in a small group:
- Jesus is pleased with us humbly talking to Him
- Others are encouraged and actually learn from the way we pray