The Sound That Draws Him
Matthew 18:19 says, “Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.”
Today, I feel Holy Spirit’s prompting to remind you of the power of agreement. The above verse is given to us in the context of the church, the Ekklesia, addressing issues from the place of unity. The subsequent verse (Matthew 18:20) is the well-known promise that when 2 or more members of the church gather, Christ joins us. Though God’s presence is always with a believer, He is saying His presence comes in a stronger way when we gather together. “We” are better than “me.”
I don’t want to poke holes in anyone’s theological balloon, but as a sidebar, I must point out that there is no verse in the Bible stating the prayers of one can chase or put to flight a thousand, and two can chase ten thousand. (I can see the scowls on many faces.) This assertion comes from a misunderstanding of Deuteronomy 32:30, which says, “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?”
This is actually part of a passage describing Israel’s enemies overwhelming them, and an explanation of why. Due to their sin, the Lord was no longer protecting them, and their enemies prevailed over them to this overwhelming degree. Don’t get too alarmed, however; though the numbers are somewhat different, there is a passage stating that Israel’s power multiplied when they fought as one:
“Instead, you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:7-8 NASB)
The context of this is physical warfare, not prayer, but it is fair to say God’s power was multiplied for Israel when they fought as a unified company. And my point in addressing this is not to become legalistic, but simply to help us become more accurate in our approach to prayer. We must base our prayers on biblical principles and truth, not tradition. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe God‘s power is multiplied when we pray and operate in agreement with one another.
Greek scholar and teacher Rick Renner says, “The word ‘agree’ [in Matthew 18:19] is the Greek word sumphoneo, and it is a compound of sum and phoneo. The word sum means with, and the word phoneo means to make a sound. As you can imagine by simply looking at its two parts, this Greek word is where we get the word symphony. Thus, when we describe agreement in prayer, it is good to first think of a symphony, which is a musical piece made of different movements, instruments, and parts. The use of this word sumphoneo in the context of prayer is revealing, for it shows that when two or more believers get into agreement — each of them praying and adding their parts — it creates a supernatural movement that deeply touches the heart of the Father. This action is so powerful, in fact, that Jesus said it would result in the Father fulfilling any issue they addressed through prayer.”(1)
Strongs Concordance says sumphoneo means to “be harmonious, in accord, or concur.”(2) The opposite of accord is discord, another term associated with music. Accord or harmony is pleasant; discord is unpleasant. A sour note played by one instrument in an orchestra can often be heard above all the others. God, who created music with all of its pleasantness and power, loves harmony and uses it to illustrate the pleasantness of agreement in the church, including prayer. It attracts Him: “I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It moves Him to action: “It shall be done for them by My Father, who is in heaven” (verse 19).
Too often, the church sounds like a recital of 8-year-olds torturing parents and grandparents with their screeching strings and discordant horns. I question whether God actually shows up for some of it. His patience has its limits. “I’d like to hear some harmony” is probably what He thinks.
But when we gather with like-minded people, harmonizing with God’s heart and desires (not necessarily theology), His ears prick up, and He is drawn to the sound. It is pleasant to Him. “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). At this place of unity, He commands a blessing! (Verse 3)
My goal today is to point out that God appreciates it when millions of people agree together in prayer for His purposes to be established on Earth. It attracts His presence, moves His heart, and multiplies His power flowing from us. Do not forget this when you agree with the person in your circle of relationships, your prayer group, your congregation, and yes, with millions of people on this platform. The number one reason I do the daily Give Him 15 posts is not to provide you with your daily devotional, though I’m thrilled that it accomplishes this for many. It is primarily to generate agreement in prayer for the establishment of God‘s purposes on the Earth. And I know our prayers are effectual.
Please do not just listen as I end the posts with prayer. Activate your faith, pick up your instrument, and release a sound into the heavens that moves God's heart. We are playing salvation songs, revival and reformation medleys, and Kingdom of Heaven overtures. As we do, He joins us, then carries the sound of our “music” throughout the atmosphere of Earth, creating change and releasing life. Let’s harmonize now.
Pray with me:
Father, the orchestra of Your kingdom does more than sing praises; it agrees in prayer. And when it does, You said it attracts You and multiplies Your power. We harmonize together this day, recalling various themes You have asked us to pray for:
We break the power of darkness and deception over prodigals and call them home.
We ask You for a billion soul harvest throughout the nations of the Earth: to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, and every other group of people. We bind the Prince of Persia in the Middle East and all of its allies.
We ask You for a great harvest of young people here in America and around the world - the largest ever.
We ask for signs, wonders, and miracles to take place.
We ask for great deliverance to come to those bound by demons, false ideologies, wounds, and any other tool of darkness. We ask You to heal the brokenhearted and set free those held captive.
We ask for evil to be exposed in our nation, and a purifying of our government.
We ask that life would be cherished and that death, including to the unborn, would be abhorred.
We ask that the church be awakened from passivity and complacency and that Your fire would bring revival to believers throughout this nation and the world.
We ask for the complete restoration of America to Your purpose and destiny.
We ask for human trafficking to be exposed and ended.
We ask that racial division be healed and that love and compassion sweep throughout our land. We pray that those who divide us for selfish reasons be exposed.
We ask all of this in the all-powerful name of Jesus.
Our decree:
We declare that heaven’s orchestra is becoming a more finely tuned and skillful body, releasing a sound that pleases the heart of God.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4856.