“Be alert and always keep on praying” Ephesians 6:18b.

What is intercessory prayer? Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes it as

“(a) way of loving others when God’s Spirit moves within us causing us to want to pray for others and giving us thoughts (ways) to do it.”

I had an opportunity to experience intercessory prayer in the life of one of my neighbors. Vera, my neighbor, was dying of cancer. I visited her often, bringing books and baking. I wanted to be an encouragement to her and the family. I also prayed for her salvation. There was nothing in their lifestyle that indicated they were Christians.

Because I knew she was dying, I was especially concerned about Vera’s eternal destiny. I asked my Bible study group to pray for her and also to pray that I would be able to share the gospel with her. There were times when I was determined to share the gospel with her, but then her husband would hover so close – I felt like he was afraid I would get “religious.” I prayed for an open door.

One night I awoke with great concern for Vera. I got on my knees beside the bed and interceded for her. The next morning I knew that I had to visit her again. Vera was in the hospital. This particular morning she was alone and very weak. It was difficult understanding what she was saying.

I asked her if I could read the Bible to her and she nodded “yes.” I read Psalm 23 and asked her lovingly if she was ready to meet God. Then she told me that the night before – when the Lord woke me up to intercede for her – the devil and God had been in the hospital room. She said that there was a fight for her soul and that Jesus had won.

When Vera told me that, I knew why the Lord had prompted me to pray for her. God cared about Vera enough to wake me up and to put an urgency in my heart to pray for her. He gave me the obedience to get out of bed and pray. That’s intercession – praying for others.

Are you alert and listening to God’s still small voice when He prompts you to pray for someone?

Father God, give us ears to hear Your promptings to intercede and the will to obey. Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•   How to Pray

•   What Should Be Included in Prayer?

•  Salvation Explained

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“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.”  1 Timothy 2: 1

Today I learned from an acquaintance about a fella who holds resentment and hatred toward his mother. Evidently this man—in his 50s—was born out of wedlock (unlike his siblings), and was treated differently by his mother all his life.

My acquaintance encouraged me to pray for this guy who has felt second-rate, disowned, and marginalized. I know personally that he has suffered from drug and alcohol addiction.

So I prayed for him. Interceded for him. Not a long prayer, just one that asked God to help this brother forgive his mom for so much pain, and that they might be able to talk about it, and work through it.

Isn’t it amazing that God lets us join in the conversation of healing and hope for other people? And better yet is that God promises his Spirit to help in the dialogue. Paul says in Romans 8,

“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

While I may not be consistently faithful in interceding for others, I know God loves to hear me pleading for them. Have you interceded for others?

God, help me be more aware of people who need your strength and grace to manage the challenges of life, and to pray for them specifically regarding their problems. Thank you for your Spirit who articulates more clearly what my heart can’t form. Amen.

Pray for someone you know today.

by Bill Strom
Used by Permission www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

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Articles on How to Pray

How to be sure God Listens to your Prayers

How to have a “Quiet Time”

What Should Be Included in Prayer?

Prayer is Talking to God

Praying with Confidence

Foundational Core Truths about Prayer by Sylvia Gunter

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“So Peter was being kept in the prison, but the congregation was intensely praying to God for him. “- Acts 12:5

What is the focus of your prayer life? Do you pray more for yourself than for others? Many Christians jump into their prayer life with a grocery list of personal things they want God to do in their life.

While it is proper to bring our personal cares before the Lord, it is of greater importance to pray for others, both the saved and the unsaved. Praying for ourselves and praying for others is something God commands us to do.

Effective prayer for others will bring us closer to God, because effective prayer is based on a Knowledge of His will. It will also bring us closer to others, as we learn more about them and focus on their needs.

Praying for others is important because it fulfills a New Testament command. We are to pray for all people. We are to pray for government leaders. We are to pray for the unsaved. We are to pray for fellow Christians. We are to pray for ministers of the gospel. We are to pray for the persecuted church. Praying for others gets our focus off of ourselves and onto the needs around us. As we “carry each other’s burdens,” we “will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Begin praying for others today and help to build up the body of Christ. It is a great way to grow spiritually, as it takes the focus off of you and onto others.

Thought: As you contemplate your prayer life, ask what gets more of your focus. Is it you or others? One of the best ways to grow spiritually is to focus more on others than on ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, help me to pray more for others than for myself. May I see the needs of others and bring them before the throne of grace and may I grow spiritually in the process.

By John Grant

Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

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‘Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!” Exodus 32:31-32

The prayer of Moses is remarkable. Moses was not only the leader of Israel, he was an intercessor as well. Ultimately, an intercessor gives up all personal advantage for the sake of those for whom he prays. Moses knew he personally had favor with God. Yet he presented himself as a remarkable portrait of one irreversibly committed to Israel’s transformation. He said, “If Thou wilt, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Thy book.”

Moses said, in effect, that he was not serving for individual gain or glory – this was not about him, but about the people he loved and served, rebellious as they were. The soul of Moses was bound together with the future of Israel. Similarly, we must see ourselves irreversibly bound together with the lives of those we pray for, both family and friends, as well as our community and nation. Moses would not be blessed, honored or pleased apart from the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Hebrews. If God would not forgive them, He could not have Moses either. Israel and Moses had become a package deal.

Have you struggled with situations in your personal life in which you cannot seem to break through? Perhaps you are spending too much time on your needs and not enough time praying for others. Make a prayer list of people with desperate needs, and as you intercede for them, see if the Holy Spirit doesn’t break through for you, too. Indeed, include your enemies and those who have hurt you. Remember the story of Job. When he prayed for his friends, God healed him (see Job 42:10). Intercession not only transforms the world, but also transforms us.

Lord Jesus, I am awed at Your willingness to show mercy. You actually changed Your mind about judgment on sinners because of one man, Moses. Lord, in my world and times, let me be that one who so delights You, who is so intimate with You, that my prayer for mercy outweighs Your judgment to destroy the disobedient. May the favor You have given to me be multiplied to those who yet do not know You, and may it spread until all the earth is filled with Your glory!

By Francis Frangipane
used by permission

Francis Frangipane
info@frangipane.org
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