Prayer by agreement: together, at one hourtranslated
“Truly I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20). The Church has kept these words of the Lord since apostolic times - and they surprisingly simply apply to our life today, in which close people are so often separated by distances.
Covenant prayer is an ancient practice in which several people are persuaded to pray about the same thing at the same time. Each remains where he is - at home, on the road, at the bedside of the sick - but at the appointed hour they all stand before God together, with one heart and one mouth. This is how they prayed for the sick, for those traveling, for peace, for children. You can pray this way today.
On Orthodox House there is a section called “Prayers by Agreement” for this purpose. It is designed simply. There are common prayer groups - for example, the Universal Prayer for Peace, which is performed every day at the same hour around the world. You join with one click, and fifteen minutes before the start a quiet reminder comes: it’s time to stand for prayer. In the group, the text of the prayer is visible - short, clear - and everyone reads it at the appointed hour, each in his place: some in America, some in Europe, some in Australia.
Names can be added to the prayer. If your mother is sick, if your son is taking exams, if a friend is on the road, write their names in the group, and not just one person, but the entire congregation will pray for them. This is the power of agreement: the request of one becomes the request of many.
You can create your own group - for your parish, for your family, for friends scattered across different cities. Select a circle, set an hour, put the text of a prayer - and invite. The parish community can pray for its sick; Seminary classmates who have dispersed to different dioceses can adhere to one rule; a grandmother in one hemisphere and grandchildren in the other can get up for prayer at the same time every evening.
Prayer by agreement does not replace the temple and does not replace church prayer - it continues it. Liturgy remains the heart of our lives; but there are six days between Sundays, and how good it is when on these days a person knows: today at nine in the evening I am not alone - dozens more people are praying with me, and the Lord, according to His word, is among us.
In the coming days, we will tell you in more detail how prayer groups work, how to join them from your phone, and how to create your own. And you can start today: open the “Prayers by agreement” section on Orthodox House, enter the general prayer - and at the appointed time, just stand for prayer along with everyone.
