And when they had prayed…they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.
—Acts 4:31-32
We see the power of union everywhere in nature. How feeble is a drop of rain as it falls to earth! But when the many drops are united in one stream and become one body, the power is soon irresistible. Such is the power of true union in prayer. Some translations of Psalm 34:5, rather than saying, “They looked unto Him,” read instead, “They flowed to Him,” or even, “They rushed toward Him like a stream of water.” Such was the prayer in the upper room. And so can our prayer be if we unite all our forces in pleading the promise of the Father. Then, when the world “come[s] in like a flood” (Isaiah 59:19), it can be overcome in the power of united prayer.
In Natal, South Africa, owing to the many mountains, the streams often flow down with great force. The Zulus, who live there, are accustomed to joining hands when they wish to pass through a stream. The leader will have a strong stick in his right hand, and he will give his left hand to the man who comes behind him. And so they form a chain of men and help each other to cross the current. Let us believe that when God’s people reach out their hands to each other in spirit, there will be power to resist the terrible influence that the world can exert. And in that unity, God’s children, when they have overcome the power of the world and the flesh, will have power to prevail with God.
It was in the upper room that the disciples spent the ten days until they had truly become one heart and one soul. When the Spirit of God descended, He not only filled each individual, but He also took possession of the whole company as the body of Christ.
Dear reader, in this century the prayer of our Lord Jesus is still being offered: “Father, ‘that they may be one, even as we are one’ (John 17:22).” In the fellowship of loving and believing prayer, our hearts can be melted into one, and we will become strong in faith to believe and accept what God has promised us.