And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
There is a story of a father with many sons who were often falling out with one another. After repeated attempts to reconcile them, he decided on a more practical approach. He called his sons together and set a tied bundle of sticks on the floor. One by one he asked them to lift the bundle and try to break it. Try as they might with all their strength, not one of them could break the sticks. After this the father ordered the bundle to be untied, and gave a single stick to each of his sons. Once again, he asks them to try and break it. This time, of course, the task took very little effort and each stick was easily broken. The father addressed his sons and said, “My sons, do you understand the difference? Arguing causes each of you to go his own way, and alone you are weak. However, when you join yourselves together, you are not so easily hurt or broken, for there is strength in unity.
God’s family is much stronger together than apart. When we fellowship together, study together and pray together, we are able to encourage, support and strengthen one another. We are vulnerable to the enemy and a much easier target to attack when we standing alone. When we stand together, it is like wearing reinforced body armour, inside a fortress. Never underestimate the power of prayer to strengthen the spirit of a fellow believer. Paul said to the Corinthians:
We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself… but He delivered us from such a deadly peril. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer… 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
There are many within the church family that are burdened beyond their strength, and yet, very often we will never know about it. Prayer is an incredibly powerful weapon – one that doesn’t need to know all the details – so we should not shy away from using it.
Among all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, there will be those who are entering the battlefield, those who are leaving it, and those still in the middle of it. Prayer is in our hands, so let’s pray for a covering of courage, strength and spiritual protection over every single one of them.
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Narrow Path Ministries 