A.B. Simpson emphasizes that true unity in prayer and support comes from both individuals looking to God rather than relying on each other. He illustrates this with a story of a sailor who waited to rescue a boy until he was calm, highlighting that dependence on others can hinder help. Simpson argues that when people cling too tightly to us, it indicates they are not focused on God, which can paralyze our ability to assist them. Therefore, effective united prayer requires both parties to direct their gaze towards Jesus Christ. This shift in focus fosters a deeper connection and reliance on God’s strength.

Often we want people to pray for us and help us, but we always defeat our object when we look too much to them and lean upon them. The true secret of union is for both to look upon God, and in the act of looking past themselves to Him they are unconsciously united. The sailor was right when he saw the little boy fall overboard and waited a minute before he plunged to his rescue. When the distracted mother asked him in agony why he had waited so long, he calmly replied: "I knew that if I went in sooner he would clutch at me and drag me down. I waited until his struggles were over, and then I was able to help him when he did not grasp me too tightly." When people grasp us too strongly, either with their love or with their dependence, we are intuitively conscious that they are not looking to God, and we become paralyzed in our efforts to help them. United prayer, therefore, requires that the one for whom we pray be looking away from us to the Lord Jesus Christ, and we together look to Him alone.