Is it better to pray with others or on my own?

Is it better to pray with others or on my own?

Christian author Tim Chester believes it is better to pray with others.  This is his reasoning:

“We should prioritize prayer with others over prayer alone.  It is when two agree that Christ promises to answer prayer and when two or three are gathered that Christ promises to be with us (Matthew 18:19-20).  Not only does this reflect the communal nature of our relationship with God, but experience suggests that for most people it is easier.  On my own my thoughts are soon distracted.  Praying with other people somehow seems to sustain my concentration.  I meet each weekday morning at 8:30am to pray briefly with another Christian.  Other people I know read the Bible and pray in the car as they commute together to work.  We also encourage people to pray in the midst of ordinary life.  When you are talking about a problem, turn that conversation into prayer.  When you are celebrating a success, turn that conversation into praise.”

He then adds,

“I still pray alone for two reasons.  First, I need to pray more often than just the times when I am with other Christians.  Second, I still fear other people’s opinion too much to freely disclose my own heart before them in prayer.  It should not be like this, but it is.  And so there are times when I need to be more honest with God that I can manage in the presence of other people.  But I do not rate time alone in prayer over time together in prayer.” (Tim Chester & Steve Timmis, Total Church, p145-146)