Prayer XVII

In the first article, I wrote on definitions on prayer, when prayer starts and some of the components of prayer. While in the second article I finished my brief exegesis on components of prayer. The third article is centered on those who should pray. The fourth is on some of the reasons why talk (pray) to our heavenly father. The fifth article is on places of prayer while the sixth and seventh centered on occasions that move men to pray unto God. The eight article is on period (time) that men can pray. The ninth article focuses on how we should be praying. In the tenth article I write on a type of prayer, which is the prayer of thanksgiving.

While in the eleventh article I talked about three types of prayers which are, prayer of praise, prayer of worship and prayer of dedication (consecration). In the twelfth article I have talked about the following types of prayer: prayer of supplication, prayer of agreement, corporate prayer, prayer of commitment and prayer of imprecation. And in the thirteenth article I talked about prayer of vengeance, prayer of restoration, prayer of forgiveness, prayer of repentance and silent prayer. Article fourteen focuses on prayer of binding and loosing. In article fifteen I write on the prayer of contemplation. In the sixteenth article I start writing on the intercessory prayer.

I will be continuing in the article with the types of prayer, as I write on some of the essentials of intercessory prayer.

One of the good things in life is knowing the importance of something, when one knows the importance or uses of something one would be able to use it effectively.

A person who shall be practicing this type of prayer need to be a sincere person, he must not be someone who would be playing ostrich with people.

“Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:” (I Sam. 12:23)

Samuel told the people that his constant way of life is praying for the children of Israel who the Lord has made him Seer, Priest, and judge over.

If God has made you to be leading some people, one of your responsibilities is ensuring that you pray for those people when the time is convenient and when the time is not convenient. You need to be sincere in this.

Discreet is defined as careful in what you say or do, in order to keep something secret or to avoid causing embarrassment or difficulty.

As an intercessor, you will have some secrets of some people with you, those who have come to you for counseling or those who have shared their life experiences with you so that you will be praying with them.

After knowing the secret of those people, it is not good to make them subject of discussion at home or in other public places, you should be praying with them secretly so that God would intervene on their matter.

Anyone who is not sensitive to others plight would not be a good intercessor. An intercessor is sensitive to people’s plight, someone who is moved when he sees others passing through difficult times. It is someone who is moved like this that would be able to talk with the Lord on behalf of those people. (Mk. 9:21; 5:33; Jn. 4:16)

An intercessor must have encouraging words always. You should not be discouraging people, but rather be lifting them up through your speeches, given hope to the hopeless through their words of counseling.

“And she said unto her mistress, would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” (II Kings 5:3; also read Jn. 1:37-38, 41, 45; Dan. 5:10)

The maiden has seen that her lords have lost hope about the head of the house regaining his health, but she would not want them to close the chapter altogether like that, thence told the mistress that the healing of her lord is still possible only if he would go to Samaria to meet the prophet there.

Those who have lost hope around us we could help them find meaning for their lives by our words of encouragements.

We need to be organized in thought as well as other things. It is not good to be disorganized; this is not good for those who are intercessors.

Jesus was an organized being, when he was being called by Mary and Martha to come and heal Lazarus even in other places where he has been called, he did not leave those he was talking with there to go and attend to what he was being invited to, he ensures that he finishes a task before venturing into another task.

“Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

“When Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

“Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

“When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

“Then after that saith he to his disciples, let us go into Judaea again.” (Joh 11:3-7)

He finished what he has gone to the place for so that he would not leave it half-way and then return to the place afterwards. Some of us have left so many things half-way, left them undone because we are not organized in our thoughts and actions. When we are not organized like this, we shall not be organized in how we pray for the people.

Those whom we are praying for should occupy the center of our hearts, it is when their thoughts overwhelm our hearts that we shall be able to pray for them effectively.

We would need good mind, person of the same mind as us in being an effective intercessor. This is because sometimes we maybe weak physically, we may not be sick, but body weakness and would not consider going to the venue of prayer that day irrespective of how vital the prayer is that we are praying. But when we have a partner, when this person arrives, he would ginger us up to go to the place of prayer or even to start praying in our homes that we are using for the venue of the prayer.

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” (Ecc. 4:9)

These are important if we want to be effective in intercessory field. In the next article I shall be talking about other types of prayer.