James,

Thanks for your comments. I agree with you that we need to pray just for ourselves at times. We have an individual, one on one relationship with the Father which we must nurture. But there is a power in praying for the collective body of Christ, whether it’s just during a church service or for the whole Christian Church. Why do you think Jesus said to pray, “Forgive us our debts…” instead of “Forgive me my debts…”?

Even in the Old Testament, there are examples of someone repenting for the collective sins of the Children of Israel. I’m thinking of Nehemiah and Daniel. They repented not just their own personal sins but the sins of the whole nation. It is while Daniel is in the midst of this prayer that he is visited by the angel with a powerful message of hope.

There is no formula for prayer and I don’t mean this article to imply there is. We all must pray in the way we are led by the Holy Spirit. And this will vary from day to day, from prayer to prayer. God knows what is in our hearts.