"The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its operation, is a disinfectant and a preventive. It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence. It is a voice which goes into God’s ear, and it lives as long as God’s ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God’s heart is alive to holy things. God shapes the world by prayer." (E.M Bounds)
All believers have been called to pray. In fact, it is evident in a number of verses of the Bible that God expects us to pray. For example, in Luke 11:2 one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. In His response Jesus said, "When you pray…" He did not say, "If you pray". In other words, Jesus expects us to pray. Also in Luke 18:1 Jesus tells His disciples a parable to teach them "that men ought always to pray, and not faint". Finally in the 1Thessalonians 5:17, the Bible admonishes us to "pray without ceasing".
God, knowing that it is in our interest to pray encourages us to do so. In Jeremiah 33:3, He says "call to me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things that you do not know". In other words, God is saying you better pray because it is in the time of prayer that I will show you those things that you cannot see with the ordinary eye. Also in 2 Chronicles 7:14, He tells the people of Israel "if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive sin, and will heal their land." Without prayer, we cannot know the will of God for ourselves, our family, our Church, our community and our nation.
We have numerous examples in the Bible of what prayer can do. For example, in 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah prayed that there be no rain for three and half years and there was none until he prayed that there be rain. Again in 2 Kings 20:1-6, we are told that after King Hezekiah was told to put his house in order because he was going to die, he turned his face to the wall and God heard him and added fifteen more years to his life.
Although the Bible tells us to pray all kinds of prayer (1 Timothy 2:1), intercession is one kind of prayer that every believer ought to engage in. Intercession is praying for others. In other words, it is standing in the gap for someone else. Intercession involves petitioning God to intervene in a situation and doing spiritual warfare.Although all of us ought to intercede, God has specifically called some to be intercessors.
The Bible gives us many examples of intercessors. In Genesis 18:23-83, we see Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. In Luke 2:37 we are told about Anna, an old prophetess, who never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Also in Exodus 17:12, we read how Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses during the battle between Israel and the Amalekites so that Israel prevailed. This is a type of intercession.
Today, more than ever before, we need to intercede for our loved ones, our Church, community and for our nation, the sick and those facing one battle or the other.
At Torchbearers-for-Christ.org, we believe in praying and interceding. We are committed to pray about issues that affect us all. Each month, as the spirit leads, we will focus on a specific prayer item or prayer items. We ask that you join us and "let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).
Remember, Prayer changes things.
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1. The Prayer Focus
