Intercessory Prayer: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-nine:

There is no special way that you need to do intercessory prayer.  Some feel most comfortable on their knees.  Others do it at a table and some even doing it while taking a walk and talking with God.  Many pray throughout their day, being open to what God puts upon their heart. The only caution I would give those who like to pray in private for periods at a time is to take care when praying in a place where there may be unknown and unexpected distractions that could arise. For example, if you're at home, turn off your phone.  You may not want to let anyone know you are at home in case someone decides to stop by. Some people find that going off somewhere solitary not only helps them get away from possible distractions but also helps them focus on hearing God's voice better during their prayer time.  Find out what environment works best for you.

Sometimes during intercessory prayer you take on a burden or need that goes far beyond your own understanding.  As Romans 8:26-27 tells us, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."  A very big part of effective intercessory prayer is praying in the Spirit, which allows God to pray His will through you. Intercession comes as you develop a strong walk with God and He shows you what to pray for. 

There are certain people that stand out whom we need to always be in prayer for: our government and its leaders; our Nation; the people of God around the world (not only in our church and our friends), those who are being persecuted, but also those in spiritual leadership.  However, what you will find as you do intercessory prayer is that God may have you pray for a specific situation or person that you know nothing about.  Do not worry if you do not understand it all, just pray because God is directing you to and He is aware of the need for prayer for that situation.  This can be frustrating for those people who always like to see an answer to their prayers because you may never know the outcome.  All you can do is trust that your prayers have been heard by God and He will act accordingly.  You will have to learn to trust God in a greater way than ever before!

As Oswald Chambers said, "People describe intercession by saying, 'It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.' That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective. Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything." Luke 18:1 tells us, "... men always ought to pray and not lose heart." 

Remember, your prayer life is very strongly connected to your walk with God. If you have sin in your life, God is not going to listen to you until you repent of your sin and ask for forgiveness. You may even find that while you are interceding for another, God may deal with your own heart.   We are told in Matthew 5: 23,24 " Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."  God is telling us that we need to enter into prayer with a clean heart and a clear conscience.  If we have anything holding us back it will interfere with our prayers to God.  First go and reconcile with your brother or sister if at all possible. The beginning part of James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."  God does not want anything to stand in our way of being effective prayers.

Without a doubt God does have the ability to simply just change a person or a Nation, but He has chosen to work otherwise, through believers who pray, and pray without ceasing.  It is a privilege to be an intercessor for God! God has two things He desires to accomplish through having us involved with Him in intercession.  First, He wants us to learn just how dependent we really are upon Him, and secondly, He wants us to join in with Him in praying for others. James 5:16 says, "...the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." 

When wondering what to pray for, I remember Isaiah 40:31 which begins, " But they that wait upon the Lord...".  I have often read that Scripture with the thought in mind that when I am tired, or unsure of what my next step is to be that if I wait on the Lord He will strengthen me and show me what to do.  However, I realize that this can be looked at in another way, from a prayer aspect.  If I wait upon the Lord He will lead me into what He wants me to pray for.  Sometimes the best way to pray is to simply wait quietly before the Lord and allow Him to show you what He wants you to pray for.  Be in His presence, and do not rush things as you want to wait for Him to reveal Himself to you. Then He will show you what to pray for.

Recently I have been reading the autobiography of Hudson Taylor, who lived from 1832-1905, and was founder of the China Inland Mission.  There was one situation that really spoke to me that I would like to share with you. He had been training as a doctor in order to be able to go to China. During this time of preparation he was sent to be a doctor to a man who was a known atheist. Several times Hudson tried to talk to him about God, but the man would simply roll over in bed and refuse to listen. Hudson finally stopped trying to evangelize the man and simply doctored him. One night as he was leaving, the man asked him why he was speaking no more of God. It turned out the man renounced his atheism and accepted Christ.

I would like to share the section that Hudson wrote shortly after that experience: "Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts, and our own feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things, may be the true cause of our want of success."

That really challenges me to look into my own heart to see if it is really the hardness of the unbeliever's heart that is standing in the way of their conversion, or if it is the lack of earnest prayer on my part. This is where intercessory prayer makes a big difference! Are we merely praying simple, repetitious words, or are we, as Hudson said, being driven to tears for their souls! 

One of your ultimate goals as a believer and disciple of Christ should be developing a stronger prayer life where we earnestly seek the salvation of others.  The way to do this is by having a strong relationship with God, praising Him, growing more Christ-like and having a desire to live holy before God. In the next teaching, we will look closer at how to live a holy life.