An impromptu prayer time was announced at church and I heard about it; as an intercessor I was interested to join with other intercessors.  Also, I was curious about how many would show up, and how it would proceed.  There was no announced time, so anything, including nothing might be seen.  I went, the carpet cleaner was busy noisily working to clean the carpets, no one was there, but me.  I prayed a while being a little disappointed as I  contemplated the scripture,  “Again, truly 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. “(Matt. 18:19).   Then like a revelation I remembered, Elijah was a man like you and he prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three years. (James 5:17).  Daniel prayed three times a day in violation of the Kings order. (Daniel 6:10-11).  Locked in the Egyptian jail Joseph must have prayed. (Gen. 39:21).  Jesus prayed alone many times. (Luke 6:12; Mark 1:35).  I’m sure Jeremiah was a man of prayer, he would need to be living in a dry well. (Jer. 14:11).  Elijah was in the desert alone, fed by the ravens, he had much time to pray alone. (1 Kings 17:6).  Jonah prayed to God in the belly of the whale.  (Jonah 2:1-2).

Of course we cry out to God in our place of need, but we are encouraged by the Lord to go into our closets and pray regularly.   “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matt. 6:5-6).   I believe there is power in agreeing prayer. (Acts 12:5,12).  However, the Lord reminded me that he hears our individual prayers and in places of solitude we may find our prayers particularly effective in both petition and receiving.