Early one morning, my phone pinged with a group text message.

Katie flies out today, and there’s a chance her flight could get cancelled because of the weather. Please pray she can leave on schedule.

Almost instantly, a response beeped through.

Will do, friend. I’d appreciate prayer for wisdom as we meet with the contractor who’s going to handle our bathroom reno.

A third friend hearted her request and added one of her own.

I need prayer today, too. My back is not getting better after I pulled a muscle. I think I’m going to have to see a doctor.

Four hearts and another request:

The hurricane is supposed to make landfall tonight, so I might lose power. I’ll update you as soon as I can. Thanks for praying.

Six Heavy Hearts

Before long all six women had shared what weighed heaviest on our hearts. When the requests slowed, one member of the group took the initiative and texted a prayer that reflected what we were all praying. Five hearts amen-ed it.

Our group of friends didn’t begin as a prayer group. It began, of all things, as a writers critique group. A mutual friend gathered two women from Georgia, two from South Carolina, one from Ohio, and one from Florida to meet virtually to critique each other’s work.

What God Did

For the first few months, we gathered on Zoom to review each other’s writing and offer suggestions. As we read each other’s work and got to know each other, God knitted our hearts together. Soon we weren’t just meeting once a month to talk about writing, we were texting each other with prayer requests.

An urgent situation would arise, and someone would text it out.

Pray for Catherine. She’s taking her state board exams today.

The rest of us would stop what we were doing (or continue what we were doing) and pray a quick prayer.

Awed

One morning, as the text messages and prayer requests flew between us, the realization of what was taking place awed me. Six prayer warriors, in six different places, were simultaneously lifting each other’s requests to the Lord in a chorus of faith and trust. It was a beautiful, powerful, Spirit-infused moment.

For many years, I prayed alone at the start of each day, and I still do. I know God hears my prayers and answers them according to His will. James 5:16 reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

At the same time, Scripture calls us to pray with other believers. Jesus reminded his disciples, “Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Acts 1:14 (ESV) describes how the disciples in the upper room gathered to pray. “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.”

Acts 12:12 recounts how believers gathered in John Mark’s mother’s home to pray for Peter’s release from jail.

For millennia, the only way Christians could pray together was to gather in the same place. Now, with technology, we can organize a prayer meeting at any hour of the day or night, across continents, and even around the world.

Imagine

Technology is often used for evil, but imagine the eternal impact it could have if we utilize it to connect Christians and blanket our world in prayer.

 Maybe you already do this. Or perhaps you’d like to know how to begin.

How to Get Started

Think of one person you know who loves Jesus. Grab your phone and text them.

Good morning! I’m grateful for your friendship, and I want to lift you up to God today. How may I pray for you?

When they respond, stop what you’re doing and pray for their request. Then text your prayer to her so she can know exactly what you prayed for. Your prayers don’t have to be elaborate (big fingers, small keyboards) to be meaningful and effective.

If she asks how she can pray for you, share a request or two. If she doesn’t, feel free to say, I’d love prayer for Hunter. He’s had a fever for three days. Thanks so much!

Be careful not to overwhelm your friend with requests, especially at first, but encourage her to share prayer needs as they arise. Take your cue from how she responds. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a while to find your groove. Not everyone is interested in praying like this, but some are.

If you have a group of believing friends, try it with them. My husband and I are part of a couples’ Bible study group. We created a group text to keep everyone informed about schedule changes or last-minute details. When one couple had a family crisis, we used it as a way to receive updates and share prayer requests. Our study isn’t meeting at the moment, but we continue to use our group text to share prayer needs. It’s an efficient, easy way to rally prayer warriors for spiritual battle.

A Miracle of Technology

I never expected a writers critique group to become one of my greatest sources of spiritual encouragement. I also didn’t expect to be able to pray, at a moment’s notice, for and with believers all over the country. Yet through the fellowship of the Spirit and the miracle of technology, I can.

And you can, too.

Now it’s your turn. How have you used technology to enhance your prayer life? Share your thoughts in the comments below so we might learn from you.

This article appeared first on the Revive Our Hearts blog and is used with permission.