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I was leading a new small group class on prayer, and – truth be told – it wasn’t going very well. Two of the participants were turning the discussion about types of prayer into a debate about the effectiveness of prayer. The disagreement escalated into an argument about how much information one needed to have about someone in order to “pray effectively.”

With some trepidation, I jumped into the conversation, attempting to put an end to the argument. I affirmed that asking questions, expressing doubts, reflecting on personal experiences and naming one’s own concerns was good. I also suggested that arguing about right and wrong ways to pray was unhelpful. Seeking to guide the conversation toward a more reflective tone, I said, “In the Gospel of John, Jesus prayed with and for his disciples. How do you think Jesus is praying for you – for us – right now?”

I wanted to shift the group’s focus from arguing about prayer to engaging in prayer. Jesus had prayed that his followers would be one, as he and the Father were one (John 17:11). Could the same happen for us?

This message is excerpted from “Prayers of the people” by Julie A. Kanarr in the May 2020 Gather magazine. Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter.