Intercessory Prayer

August 11

Esther 8-10

Psalm 90:1-6

Proverbs 20:7-9

2 Corinthians 1:1-14

Intercessory Prayer

“You also joining in helping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by many persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”  2 Corinthians 1:11  LSB

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, Paul explained to the church at Corinth that he and his companions suffered a terrible affliction in Asia.  We are not told what the exact circumstances were, but whatever it was, they reached the point of utter despair beyond what they were capable of surviving.  They believed that they were going to die. Paul recognized that their suffering was to teach them to depend completely on God and not on their own strength and abilities.   God rescued them from their suffering and delivered them from the peril they had faced.  Verse 11 is a powerful reminder of the importance of intercessory prayer.  Often there is nothing physically that we can do to help people when they are facing difficult circumstances. We want to do something to help but there really isn’t anything we can do to alleviate the pain, to ease their suffering or to lessen their sorrow.  This verse reminds us that the most important thing we can do for anyone is pray for them.  We cannot fix their problem but we know the One who can.  God has allowed us the privilege of participating in His work on earth.  He doesn’t need our help, but He wants us to experience the benefit of getting involved. 

Paul pointed out to the Corinthian believers that their prayers had helped them survive this ordeal.  He knew that they had been praying for him and his companions and he believed that God had answered their prayers by rescuing them.  He wanted them to join in thanking God for His deliverance.  It is a precious gift when God allows us to see the answer to prayers we have offered.  There is no higher privilege than to intercede for our friends and loved ones to our heavenly Father.   I don’t know why God chooses to hear our prayers and answer them, but He does.  Prayer works and it matters.  God is attentive to our cries.   (Philippians 4:6, James 5:16, Hebrews 4:16, I John 5:14-15, Jeremiah 29:12, I Peter 3:12)  When someone tells us about a situation they are facing, it seems like it isn’t enough just to tell them we are praying for them.  But in reality, it is the best and most important thing we can do.  The question is whether we follow through with praying for them or we say we will pray for them but then forget.  If we tell someone we will pray for them, we need to do it.  I have started writing down my requests on small cards and I keep them in a little box that I go through several times a week.  I also have a bulletin board where I pin pictures of people I am praying for as another reminder.  When the prayers are answered, I write an explanation and a date and put the card in a jar that we pull out every year at Thanksgiving so we can thank God for all the blessings He has given us over the last year.  I am always amazed at how many things He has done that I had forgotten about.  I have a friend who keeps a notebook in her purse so she can write down requests.  Do whatever you can to help you remember to pray specifically and intentionally for others.