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INTRODUCTION Also our personal knowledge and understanding of a particular person and/or situation may be so limited that we are not sure what to ask God for. We read in the gospels how Jesus prayed for his disciples (Luke 22:31, John 17:19ff). He also taught them to pray. It is as if in some mysterious way God is inviting us to co-operate with him through prayer and could it be that if we choose not to pray then we cause God's power in some measure to be withheld? God is calling us, through his power, to influence the course of events; to work with him to bring about his kingdom upon earth. Intercessory prayer is not a technique for changing God's mind, but it is a way of releasing God's power through our openness to his love and concern for his creation. Many people see intercession as praying for the sick and suffering and an important part of intercession is just that. But it would be wrong to restrict our intercessions to only the sick and suffering. If we understand God as Creator of all that we know who sees his creation as good and who is still working to bring His creation to completion then we would naturally bring the whole of human life before the grace and direction of God. The first assumption that we make in intercession is that we creatures have a personal relationship with God, who desires to reciprocate the response through his love and mercy for his creatures whom he elevates to the position of co-workers for the Kingdom. For Jesus' intercession was an intimate relationship with God in which he approached him as 'Abba' which we usually translate by the word 'Father', but might more accurately be translated as 'Daddy'. If we pray ‘through Jesus Christ’ we should be aware that we are attempting to intercede in the will and the character of Christ. We are also praying in company with all the saints. Nothing is too big to pray for, nothing is too small. Prayer is not about leaving it to God and forgetting about it, when we could actually do something about it. If our relationship with God is essentially that of childlike trust, then there is nothing that falls beyond his concern for us his children, though we need to come to terms with why intercession offered is not always answered. Jesus had to come to terms with this himself in Gethsemane (Mark 14:35 ff.). |
To pray for people and the needs of the world is called intercession. For some people this is the only kind of prayer that they do but for others it is a form of prayer that seems particularly difficult. If God is almighty and all-knowing what is the point of putting a person or situation before him? He knows what is going to happen anyway so what is the point of asking?