A Dozen Rules for Prayer Partners, Part 1

Learn How to Be a Good Prayer Partner

When I moved to California after my divorce, my brother-in-law advised me to ask some ladies to be my prayer partners. He said I would benefit from such support. I talked to 3-4 ladies. It didn’t work out for us to meet as a group. And I ended up praying with only one woman. She is older than me and we’ve been praying for 7 years now. We are compatible prayer partners. I recently analyzed why our prayer partnership has been successful.

Keep reading to discover the first 6 “rules” we follow(ed) knowingly and unknowingly.

1. Agree on the Format. Will one person pray and then the other one pray? Will you take turns praying on each topic? Who will start? Who will end the prayer time? Will one, none or both of you write down the requests? Will there be times of silence? When/how will you share answered prayer? Is it okay to pray with Scripture or in tongues? Would it freak you out if your prayer partner wants to kneel or stand? Communicate your expectations and preferences.

2. Ask Before Bringing Someone. Bringing another person to pray adds a different dynamic. Always ask in advance. Some people are not comfortable praying with more than one other person. If you are bringing an infant or child, discuss this with your prayer partner beforehand. Even good children need attention and having them there could hamper the flow of concentration or the sharing of personal requests.

3. Be Faithful. Agree upon a place and time for your prayer sessions. Then make it a priority to be there. If your prayer day is a Monday, decide in advance how you will handle the many Monday holidays in a year. If you keep forgetting or something “more important” keeps cropping up, maybe this isn’t the time to have regularly scheduled prayer.

4. Be Time Conscious. We are all busy people. Agree upon a start time. Being late cuts into your prayer time together and it can retard or destroy the growth of trust. Also agree upon a stop time. Consistently going past this time can stress out your partner. It can make it hard for her to concentrate on the here-and-now, if she keeps looking at her watch. Use a timer or take turns being the time-keeper.

5. Check Ups. Periodically check in with one another to see how it’s going. Are you getting equal time to share and pray? Do you feel safe? If not, is there something your prayer partner can/needs to do? Are you feeling frustrated or angry? If yes, discuss this. Praying is engaging in battle, spiritual battle. There are real enemy “forces” who will do what they can to destroy your unity and your prayer time. Don’t let the demonic forces win. Talk about it until you resolve it. Or maybe it’s time to stop with this particular prayer partner.

6. Make This Time a Phone Free Space. Prayer is conversation, a time of concentration. Stopping to answer the phone (or text) interrupts this sharing cycle. It can be difficult to get back into the flow. Turn off the ringer and let the machine get the call.

Of course, you will modify these rules to fit your situation. Click here for the other 6 “rules.”

Your Turn.

• Do you have a prayer partner? Why or why not?
• If yes, describe your prayer partner experience.
• What would you add to this list?

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• 8 Routes to Receiving Prayer at CNC
• 8 Tips for Finding a Prayer Partner
• A Dozen Rules for Prayer Partners, Part 2
• iPRAY Guide For the Lost
• Know Why God Answers Prayer?
• Prayer Impacts Us in Five Ways