“…Again 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” (Matthew 18:19).

In this declaration from Jesus, we find the prerequisites for the prayer of agreement:

1. The participants must be on earth.
2. There must be at least two people.
3. They must agree.
4. They must ask for something specific.

Many Christians do not yet operate in this power because they are more inclined to beg God in their prayers. The reason we can (and should) command things and make decrees is because God has assured us in His Word that our requests will be backed by heaven. Remember, the Bible says:

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

He does not go back on His Word; He is powerful enough to confirm it through actions.

There is a remarkable story in the Bible about how the prayer of agreement works. Herod was persecuting the Church and had killed James. When he saw that this pleased the people, he proceeded to arrest Peter, intending to do the same to him. However, after James’ death, the Church had learned its lesson and was not ready to let Peter meet the same fate.

“After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him…” (Acts 12:4-5).

The members of the early Church must have declared the Word of God over Peter’s situation. I can imagine that during their gatherings, they held hands and made specific declarations in the Name of Jesus for Peter’s release. Surely, they were not crying out, “Oh God, please have mercy on Peter; please deliver him!” If that had been the case, we would not have this glorious testimony that has inspired generations within the Church!

They did not ask God to do anything because Jesus had already taught them how to pray. He had taught them not to use vain repetitions like pagans, who think they will be heard because of their many words. So, these believers simply made confident declarations in the Name of Jesus, and their words were established.

This is how we should pray. I deeply wish Christians would engage more in this type of prayer when they meet. Some believers gather and spend their time discussing how bad things are and all the evil in the world. If only we could learn to hold hands and proclaim changes in the Name of Jesus, our world would be better! This is what Christians are meant to do!

In Peter’s case, he was imprisoned, bound with chains, and guarded by soldiers, with a death sentence looming over him. But the Church could not sleep; they gathered and held a prayer vigil for Peter’s release while he slept! Even though some of those praying for Peter doubted, God still answered. This is why, in the prayer of agreement, the doubt of one or more participants does not cancel the agreement. We see this when we read further into the story in Acts 12.

“He knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished” (Acts 12:13-16).

The prayers for Peter’s release had been answered; God had sent His angel to free him from a maximum-security prison (Acts 12:7-12). When Rhoda reached the door and heard Peter’s voice, she forgot to open the door and, full of joy, ran to announce the good news to the others.

“Brethren, the prayer meeting is over. It’s time for a praise meeting,” she announced. “The Apostle Peter is at the door!” Some immediately said she was out of her mind.

Others concluded that Herod must have killed Peter and that she had seen his ghost. When they finally mustered the courage to open the door because Peter kept knocking, the Bible says, “they were astonished.” Yet this was the same group of people who had been praying fervently for Peter’s release. And there he was, standing at the door, while they wondered if it was really him or his angel!

What matters is the agreement about what we are asking for. Remember, the prayer of faith requires that you do not doubt in your heart, but the prayer of agreement does not impose this strict condition. The fundamental prerequisite is the agreement among participants at the time of prayer. Even if doubt arises in someone’s heart later, your prayer is not nullified because the request was not made in doubt.

Thus, it cannot simply be canceled because one party doubts. To annul the request, all parties would need to come together again to do so.

Often, when people agree in prayer, they are unaware of these principles. So, when one party doubts, they think they have invalidated the agreement. But this is not true. If it took two people to establish the agreement, it will take the same two people to annul it! Otherwise, it cannot be undone…

This text is an excerpt from the book “HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY VOLUME 1” written by Chris OYAKHILOME.

We invite you to read the following article: “Express Provision, Not Need!”