I have a friend who is an incredible intercessor. An intercessor isn’t just someone who prays for other people although I’m sure we use it that way sometimes. Part of being an intercessor includes entering into the pain of the person they are praying for. You can feel their compassion and empathy as they pray. They bear one another’s burdens in the truest sense. And that’s my friend Adriane. She prays for others with an intensity that makes you honored to be on her prayer list. It makes you glad that she’s in the throne room on your behalf.
One thing we hear so often from y’all is how using the prayer journals has helped you pray more consistently for others and you’ve become someone your friends know they can count on to really pray for them. It’s truly amazing. But maybe you wish you had more of a burden for others!
Here’s the good news. Dick Eastman said “Intercessory prayer begins with this same supernatural compassion; and such extraordinary caring is a gift that can only come from God. He gives it to any and all believers who will make themselves available. Because only God can give this empathy, however, we must draw near to Him to receive it.”
Here are a few more thoughts on intercessory prayer from Eastman’s book Love on It’s Knees.
“Ordinary conversation actually becomes an unwritten prayer list for sensitive intercessors”. As you interact with people, take note after of what you can pray for or better yet clarify with them before you leave saying “I’m going to be praying _____. Keep me posted if there’s anything else I can pray for.”
“The work of an intercessor is a privilege at the highest level. It is to be a partner with Christ in His supreme ministry of reconciling all of humanity to God the Father.” I can speak from experience, yes it can be a burden but it is also an immense privilege to get a front row see to God working in not only our own life but others’s as well.
One last quote to leave with you:
“When we talk with God in eternity, I believe we will quickly learn everything of worth that was accomplished on earth was connected to an intercessor’s prayer.”
Sign me up, right?
What would it look like to bear one another’s burdens in prayer this week?
PSALM PRAYER
Each week I share one verse as I read through chapters of Psalms of something I can pray over.
Psalm 39:4
“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”
Lord, help me know and embrace the frailty of life and live in such a way that trusts you in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
RESOURCE LIBRARY
This podcast episode How to Be an Intercessor offers some practical tips.
JOURNAL HACK
Keep an “I’ll be praying…” as one of the 3 blank sections of your Rhythms, Signature, or Compose Prayer Journal. Jot down different things that come up during the month, and remember to check in with them at the end of the month.
COMING AND GOING
This week, we asked the question, “Is it weird to pray for celebrities?” I shared my hangups with it and the celebrities I’ve prayed for over the years.
Next week we’ll be talking about romanticizing your life!
This was so powerful re:intercession; praise for this reminder of our privilege