Intercession

I went to a conference recently and a large part of the focus was intercession. Prayer. An important topic to me. In my childhood and adolescence, I often thought prayer was for dinner time, before bed and during church. As I got a little older I started to understand more that prayer is actually this conversation between God and me. Amazing. I talk, He listens. He talks, I listen. But I still struggled with spending long periods of time in prayer and even to some extent believing that anyone was listening to my heartfelt words. My approach was frequently, "God, there is something going on, I want you to know about, but I will just try to come up with some solution myself." I failed miserably on the wait and hear what God has to say part.


A huge part that was missing for me was knowing the heart of God for me (and all believers) and approaching Him in a way that said I knew what His heart was for his children. The other part that I missed was how important prayer is. Prayer is our opportunity to approach the throne of God, be heard and maybe move the heart of God.


I think of Ezekial 4:14-15, Ezekial pleading to the Lord that he not be made to eat defiled food as God had commanded him. And God relented, he allowed Ezekial to have this request.


I think of 2 Chronicles 2, after Solomon dedicates the temple and the Lord speaks to him, telling him that when things aren't going their way, if his people will only humble themselve and pray and seek his face and turn from their wicked ways, then he will hear from heaven and forgive them and heal their land.


And I think of 1 John 3:22, that we receive anything from the Lord that we ask, when we have confidence before the Lord and obey his commands and do what pleases him.


I am learning that God loves to hear the voice of his children and he delights in coming quickly to answer. The job of intercession, to sit at the feet of Jesus and talk to Him, it is not secondary. It is not "all I can do is pray." No, it is "ALL I can do is pray." Nothing more powerful, nothing more noble. It is not let's have a little prayer time before we have ministry. Prayer is the ministry. The ministry that moves the heart of God, that changes the lives of people, that changes the outcomes of the nations. The supernatural force that brings our world into alliance with the world of God.