I am almost afraid to ask people to pray for me. I need it more than anything. But sometimes the cost is too high. Those who offer to pray for you often say, “How can I pray for you?” You tell them. Then they want your address and phone number and before you know it they want to move in with you!
I suspect Billy Graham could have had millions praying for him thirty minutes a day if he promised that his intercessors could spend an afternoon with him at his Black Mountain home in North Carolina – and repeat it annually.
Who is willing to pray for a leader and keep quiet about it?
It is often said that D. L. Moody’s success came largely through one man who prayed for him regularly. When I was at Westminster Chapel I had one man who prayed for me an hour a day for the whole of my twenty-five years there. No one knew about it, neither did he phone several times a day to see if any of his prayers were answered or if there were more needs I might share with him.
By the way, I do have one or two who pray for me regularly – and they do it unselfishly. I so thank God for people like this. They are more valuable than gold.
I read an article nearly sixty years ago entitled “Where are the intercessors?” The title speaks volumes to me. Jesus’ chief role at the right hand of God is that of intercessor. And yet we are still asked to pray for one another. The Apostle Paul pleaded for people to pray for him. I suspect one of the most unselfish things you can do for another person is to pray for them – truly pray for them.
Who is the perfect intercessor? I reply:
- They are faithful. Some promise to pray for you. You never know if they do. And yet you are afraid to ask them if they did; otherwise you are diverted and end up spending more time talking about praying than praying. The devil does not mind talk about prayer. He does not want praying.
Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
The perfect intercessor really will pray for you.
2. They feel. They don’t merely utter perfunctory words to the Throne of Grace; they feel what they pray. Jesus is touched with the feeling of our weaknesses (Heb.4:15- -KJV).
The perfect prayer partner not only takes your requests on board but will pray with a burden in your behalf. Wow. Think about that. Who do you know who will pray with feeling for you? They care. They care whether God steps in to answer them. They know that what you want them to pray about they do with compassion and earnestness. After all, that is the way Jesus prays.
Who do you know who prays for you like this? Your mother (perhaps)? To find someone who will take on your request with a burden is like finding a diamond in a forest.
3. They are faceless. They won’t be in-your-face asking, “How else can I pray?” Or “Have you had an answer yet?” Or “Could I spend time with you and pray with you about these things?” Or “How often can we meet?”
When people want your time more than they want to pray they are not what you need.
Where is that faceless person who will take on the burden of a leader and pray faithfully with feeling and be willing to be rewarded in Heaven – and not on earth?
You may say: “The perfect prayer partner does not exist”. You may be right. But, that said, I would somehow like to think that the Holy Spirit will use this word to grip someone out there to be an intercessor – and keep quiet about it. They tell nobody that they pray for you. They tell God. They might tell you – once. Good. Or twice. After all, it is sweet to know that someone promises to pray for you. And it would be nice to know if they were faithful. The truth is, one can convey this to the person without being manipulative. One way is to tell them afterwards – that is, that you have been praying for them. Josif Tson was almost overwhelmed when Martyn Lloyd-Jones told him, “I have prayed for you everyday” during a time Josif was being persecuted in Romania.
You may say, “You are being unfair. People need to know they are needed and appreciated”. Granted. I accept that. I still pray for that person out there who might hold me up with my needs who will seek God’s face and not be in my face – and who prefers the reward in Heaven to my approval.
RT