Gathering in Jesus Name

One of the things we do for our nightly family Bible time is talk about what we have learned each day from the Word. I subscribe to the ESV verse of the day RSS feed. I simply copy and paste the verse in an email to each of my family members that are able to participate in nightly family worship. My two older girls have iPod touches, and their own email address, and my wife has an iPad with her own address. (Here is a link to the verse of the day... English Standard Version Bible Daily Verse » ).

We also, individually read some portion of the Bible each day, and are currently going through the Westminster Shorter Catechism as a family. We also are reading through the book of Acts as a family each night. These things change and shift, flip and flop depending upon the time we have to gather each night.

Todays verse from the ESV feed is Matthew 18:20 which says, For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.


At first when I saw that that was the verse, I immediately thought to myself, "that's a verse that is specifically talking about church discipline, not the prayer meeting." True it is in the context of what Christians are to do with a sinning brother in the church, but it also has a broader meaning. Particularly, Jesus is present spiritually when church discipline is happening biblically. Generally though, this applies to every time the faithful children of Abraham are praying. Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse is...

In general, to all the requests of the faithful praying descendants of Jacob; they will not seek God’s face in vain (Isa 45: 19). We have many promises in Scripture of gracious answers to the prayers of faith, but this gives particular encouragement to prayer made jointly. No law of heaven limits the number of petitioners. If they join together in the same prayer or, though far apart, agree on some particular subject of prayer, they will be effective.

May you be encouraged this day as you pray and gather together. When you gather, Jesus is there among you.