I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– 1 Timothy 2:1

Before going into a meeting with a publishing agent this past weekend, my 12 year old daughter prayed for me on the spot.  It was humbling, sincere, and spread a blanket of peace all over that meeting.  From the mouth of babes….powerful is an understatement.

Intercessory prayer has been on my heart all week.  Sometimes I have no words to pray or it feels like I have forgotten somehow.  I attended a small prayer meeting with friends and experienced the power of prayer first hand.

Lately, I have had problems staying asleep and the prayers spoken over me at that prayer meeting gave me a peace and rest that lasted all night.  Their words had power and were better than any sleeping pill.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

We have been praying together (girlfriends and mamas) since 2003….over 10 years!  One gal (she is super special) collects all of our prayer requests, researches and adds a Bible verse to go with each prayer request, and then distributes them to each of us.  It is a labor of love.  We pray for each other all month long. I love these women.  A few years ago, we went through all of our old prayer requests that we had prayed over as a group.  Seeing the power of prayer in our lives over the years, as a result of our prayers, was humbling; many answered prayer requests we hadn’t even realized.

I find I am taking prayer more seriously.

In the past, I have told people I would pray for them and realized later that I had forgotten.  I meant to.

When you say you will pray for someone, mean it.  Instead of good intentions, stop right where you are with whatever you are doing and pray for them.  Even better, stop and pray aloud over them.  Facebook is a good place to practice when you see prayer requests.

“No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.” Charles Spurgeon

Prayer is a powerful thing.

It doesn’t have to be long and flowery.  And it shouldn’t be.

My husband prays with me and our girls every morning before he leaves for work.  It hasn’t always been this way.  And it is nothing fancy.  But what a difference it makes.  It is a wonderful way to start the day.  It becomes a habit.  And what a great way for kids to see the example of prayer in your lives.

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”

~ Corrie Ten Boom

INTERCESSION Defined:

prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another

The English word is derived from Latin intercedo, “to come between,”

Jesus is the example of an intercessor.

He commands us to pray for those who may not be exactly easy to pray for…

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Matthew 5:44

It is hard not to love someone you earnestly pray for.  Try this with your kids; pray for their ‘enemies’.

The Holy Spirit is an intercessor.

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 with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26

I found a guide on how to intercede but basically believe it does not have to be complicated.

Praying fervently to God for someone with a willing and sincere heart, for God’s will, through Jesus Christ is the finest way of expressing love.

“If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer: Intercession is a way of loving others.”  Richard Foster

Experience the power of prayer.

Book worth reading: Prayer: Finding The Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster

Who could you intercede for?  Any ideas or experiences to share?