As the Pray Mobilizer of my church and the Classis Prayer Coordinator, I have had the blessing of being involved in many intercessory prayer groups. It brings me great joy to stand in the gap for others and bring their needs to the cross. But it wasn’t until I became the one who needed others to pray for me that I truly appreciated what a powerful gift intercessory prayer is. On April 28 of this year, I sat in a doctor’s office and heard him say, “You have a rare form of leukemia for which there is no cure.” As much as one tries to prepare, you are not ready for news like that. After recovering from the initial shock, my first instinct was to let my prayer-warrior friends and my church know so they could pray for me. It was a God-led decision for their prayers and the prayers of many others, have been extremely comforting and empowering as I walk this journey.
Additionally, as I receive these prayers, I have become acutely aware of what a powerful gift of grace intercessory prayers are.
Intercessory prayers give us hope. Intercession brings us into the presence of our loving Father. Like earthly fathers, our Heavenly Father will do all He can to care for His precious children. Our hope is based on the fact the that our Heavenly Father is all loving, all powerful and has not only the ability to answer the prayers, but also the desire to do so. We have a Father God who is able to turn our sufferings into hope. I am reminded of this beautiful promise from Romans 5:3-5, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” We can rest in God’s hope when our hope is gone.
Intercessory prayers give us strength. Whether it is fighting medical problems like mine or other devastating situations, one can become so profoundly weary and overcome with fatigue or pain that it is difficult to pray as you want. When we lack strength, we need people who will come alongside us, walk with us, and give us their strength. I like to call it an “Aaron and Hur ministry.” I take the reference from the story in the Old Testament of when Joshua was fighting the Amalekites. Moses interceded for Him by holding his hands up, but he got too weary to continue and needed the strength of others. Read Exodus 17:12, “When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” When you have no strength left, rest in God and be blessed knowing that others are fighting the fight when you can’t.
Intercessory prayers give us comfort. Dealing with adversity can make a person feel alone or misunderstood. They feel like they are the only person experiencing this or wondering if anyone understands. But having people faithfully and diligently praying for you lets you know you are not alone. And even though people may not be able to totally understand the road you are travelling on, they are choosing to walk with you. In addition to faithful friends, God is right by your side as well. Remember this beautiful promise from Romans 8:38-39 and be comforted, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Intercessory prayers give us courage. It takes great courage to face an unknow future. It takes great courage to let go of our fear and trust God no matter what. Intercessory prayer strengthens us to be able to totally let go and let God take control. It also takes great courage to let go of our self-sufficiency and be open to receiving help from others. When my husband was dying, he helped me understand that we needed to humble ourselves and open our arms wide to receive the precious gift of intercessory prayer. Giving to others makes us feel good and brings us joy. But it is more difficult to be a receiver. My husband insisted we live with “arms wide open” to receive the blessings others wanted to give us. He reminded me that when we let others help us, we give them the opportunity to experience the joy of giving. James 4:10 reminds us to, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Humbly open your arms wide and receive the gifts God longs to give you through the intercession of others.
Thank you to all who diligently pray for the needs of others. Thank you to all who have the spiritual gift of intercession and are committed to intercessory prayer. Thank you for giving those in need a sense of hope, strength, comfort and courage.
– Jolene DeHeer
CGRS Classis Prayer Coordinator
