If two or three of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them. Matthew 1819 a familiar saying states that there is safety in numbers. We have heard it said that the more the merrier. We have also been told that two heads are better than one. All mean pretty much the same thing as a rule. To quote Genesis 218, it is not good for man to be alone. The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it this though 1 may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 412 if you switch out the word overpowered with the word overwhelmed, you gain another idea of the value of numbers. Discouragement, despair, depression, and many other emotional ailments, as well as physical threats and problems are much easier to handle when we do so as a team instead of trying to handle them as individuals. Prayer, too, is often more effective when two or more people have the same desire and subject in mind. That is literally what Jesus was talking about when he said what he did about two people coming together in agreement. There are, of course, times in our lives when our duty to God will require us to stand alone. Each of us should also have our own personal prayer closet where we retreat each day to spend time with the Lord, talking with him about the things on our hearts. But coming together as a family, as a church, as a community of believers, is clearly important, too. We are not designed to be alone or to cope with problems entirely by ourselves. We are created to be a part of a community of believers who, like ourselves, believe God and trust in his power to meet our needs and provide solutions to our problems. We are designed by our creator to need each other. And while the burden of sin may be lifted at Calvary, our everyday troubles and burdens are lighter when shared with others who help shoulder the load. To whom do you turn when you are troubled and worried? And perhaps more important, do others turn to you when they need someone with whom they can share their problems? We need each. And when we come together in the name of Jesus, even if our number is small, he has promised to be there with us, helping us through our struggles, lightening our burdens, and keeping us from being overwhelmed.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com dot. Have a great day and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.