One of the most powerful things individuals or a group can do is to pray as intercessors. Listen to these words of Jesus: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Mt 7:11) Jesus also promised: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Mt 18:19).
Each of us has personal needs or knows of various needs of our families, friends, neighbors, at work, etc. Now more than ever, we also need to pray and intercede for our Church, our leaders, and the world in a deeper way. Whether intercessory prayer is already a part of your prayer life, or your group’s prayer, or if you have never tried it, here are some suggestions on how to intercede for others:
1. Since it is the prayer of the righteous that is powerful and effective (Jas 5:16), first take a few minutes to examine your consciences before you pray, and repent of any sins, including harsh feelings you may have against other people. For many groups, this will be done silently.
2. Then spend a few minutes in silence, to quiet your minds and come into God’s presence.
• During this time, ask the Lord to give you a sense of the things He wants you to pray for. Put aside your own agendas, concerns, and desires and unite yourself to Jesus’s heart. You may want to write down the things that God places on your hearts.
• If you are doing this in a group, briefly share with one another what you wrote down. This should include personal needs, as well as what you think God is leading you as a group to pray for. Give special weight to those issues that more than one person shared as a similar thing to pray for. In addition, you may want to maintain an ongoing list for intercessory prayer.
3. Be sure to also pray for the things that you believe are close to God’s heart — for those who have no faith; for those who have fallen away from Jesus; for renewal and unity in all the Christian churches; for all the lost, abandoned, or forgotten children of the world; for those under the power of addictions or bound by depression, anxiety, or bitterness.
4. As you pray, take confidence in God’s power to overcome any obstacle. Stand firm in faith, and wait to see God work in power.
5. Keep a record of the things you prayed for and of the ways God answered those prayers. Answered prayer builds up our own faith and encourages us to continue in our prayer.
As intercessory prayer becomes an important element in your individual and group prayer, don’t forget to take time to thank the Lord and praise Him for all the wonderful ways He has worked — especially through your prayers.
(Maurice Blumberg is Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel. Contact NFCM at P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersburg, MD 20886 or e-mail them at info@nrccm.org. Many thanks to the The Word Among Us for allowing us to include in this article material from their monthly devotional magazine.)
