164 Evangelikal: Jurnal Teologi Injili dan Pembinaan Warga Jemaat 7(2), July 2023 Evangelikal: Jurnal Teologi Injili dan Pembinaan Warga Jemaat ISSN 2548-7868 (print), 2548-7558 (online) Available at https://journal.sttsimpson.ac.id/index.php/EJTI/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.46445/ejti.v7i2.663 Theological Perspectives on Responses to Prayer Requests in WhatsApp Groups Sostenis Nggebu 1, *, Yopie F.M. Buyung 2 , Alan Wood 3 1, 2 Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Saint Paul, Bandung, Indonesia 3 St. Francis Theological College, Wusasa, Zaria, Nigeria *Email: sostenis.nggebu@gmail.com ABSTRACT: The problem of this article speaks to the importance of the essence of prayer in the Christian life. Praying is a privilege for believers. Humans can ask God for help with all their life problems. Praying can be seen as a special place for believers to build close relationships with God. They can also utilize modern communication applications to connect and pray for each other such as through calling, sending letters, and WhatsApp Groups. Through praying for each other, people are interconnected and dependent on God. The method used in this study is descriptive. Researchers investigate Biblical texts related to the importance of praying for others. This approach lays a Christian theological basis for prayer. The results show that praying for others is a reflection of Christian character because Christians are commanded by Christ to pray for each other. Praying for others reflects an aspect of Christian character that is essential for believers. Believers who offer prayer support demonstrate that the prayer request is something important and offers a show of solidarity with the one being prayed for. In today's context, WhatsApp Groups facilitate an effective means of communication to convey prayer requests to and from others. Keywords: relationship; people believe; prayer requests; WhatsApp groups, theological prayer. Article History: Submitted: Jan 27, 2023, Revised: April 21, 2023, Accepted: May 22, 2023 Published: July 31, 2023 This is an open-access article under the CC BY-SA license. INTRODUCTION Praying for the needs of others is the obligation of believers. Jesus himself prayed for His people. Therefore, praying for others is an essential aspect of the Christian life. Followers of Christ must obey the commandments of God's Word to pray for each other, as stated by the Apostle James (James 5:16a). The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16b). When the Apostle Peter was in prison, the congregation prayed for him (Acts 12:5). The Corinthians prayed for the ministry of the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 1:11). James also emphasized that if someone is sick, the congregation can pray for him (James 5:14). From just these few texts, it is very clear that Christians have the privilege to pray for each other. Related to that, Laia (2020, pp. 5–20) says people who suffer from an illness must be prayed for with a serious attitude of faith in God. Likewise, Gea (2020, pp. 25–32) stressed the importance of Christians praying with faith in God. They should pray because it is a commandment for followers of Jesus. According to Nainggolan and Zega's (2021) view that the Christian faith requires followers of Jesus to pray and surrender to God. God's will for believers is that they support others in intercessory prayer. Prayer is the essence of the Christian faith. Praying in faith is one’s duty. In addition, the purpose of praying for believers is for them to experience the power of God in their lives. Suyatno (2022, pp. 116–128) said believers must pray for God's will to be revealed in their lives. That means that through prayer the opportunity for a believer to experience the power of God in his life becomes a greater possibility. The privilege of believers asking for God's help requires on their part that they must pray in