Since I started writing for this newsletter two years ago, I have been giving suggestions that might enrich and strengthen your prayer life. The first was to read several good books on prayer that will broaden your understanding of prayer. The second was to consider prayer as a ministry of intercession, not only for yourself, but also for others. This attitude toward prayer as a ministry, not just as a spiritual discipline, will help to bring more purpose and fervor to your prayer life. Then I suggested you take a course of study on prayer. The Fellowship of Ailbe has two courses we offer online, and other ministries and churches offer courses as well. In the last newsletter I suggested you try praying Scripture in your prayers. This has been one of the best enhancements to my prayer life.

This time I would like to talk to you about “prayer partners”. A prayer partner should be someone who is as serious about prayer as you are and who will agree to meet with you in person, over the phone, or virtually every so often. They could be your spouse, a close friend, or a co-worker. You would meet weekly or bi-weekly at a time when you would not be interrupted. I am not going to suggest how long your meeting should last but try to agree on how long it should last before you begin. There can be a potential problem, however, of spending more time chatting and explaining your prayer request than you do praying. Keep in mind that this time is for prayer.

Prayer partners give us an opportunity to exercise our prayer muscles with a praying friend. They provide accountability for the rest of our time in prayer and for our walk with the Lord. A priority for this time is to share and pray for one another, but you are not limited to that. You can also pray for the needs of others, for your church, for your community, for your nation, for the coming of the kingdom.

If you can keep up with more than one prayer partner per month, so much the better for improving consistency, effectiveness, and accountability. I currently have two small groups of men that meet on Zoom weekly and they are scattered all over the country. I also have a friend in South Africa who meets with me on Zoom bi-weekly. These prayer times are very precious and have encouraged me to make progress in the goal of prayer without ceasing.

I would also encourage you to join one of our “Prayer for Revival” groups or even start your own group. Just go to the Fellowship of Ailbe website and click on the MEN AT PRAYER video to get more information.

Please don’t hesitate to find a prayer partner and begin sharing and praying together. I know your prayer life will grow in depth and quality as mine has.