When you pray, Jesus said, get by yourself, go into your room, shut the door, and pray

to your father who is in secret.

It's Matthew 6.

It sounds pretty straightforward, so we just pray alone, right?

Wrong.

We don't only pray in secret, we pray together as well, something we see all over the

book of Acts, for example, in texts like Acts 2.42, 4.31, 12.12, 13.3, and 20.36, just to

name a few texts.

So why do we pray together and not just alone?

What's added when we pray together and what's lost when we only pray by ourselves?

In 1981, Pastor John took up this very question in a sermon on 2 Corinthians 1, verses 8-11.

Peter Paul writes his testimony of his agonies, quote, for we do not want you to be unaware

brothers of the affliction we experienced in Asia, for we were so bitterly burdened beyond

our strength that we despaired of life itself.

Indeed, we felt that we had received a sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not

on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.

He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

On him, we have said our hope that he will deliver us again, and, quote, and then Paul

makes this request in verse 11, which is a little complex, so listen carefully, quote,

you also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing

granted us through the prayers of many, and, quote, here's Pastor John.

That's a hard verse.

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