March 25, 2024
Melissa Valerio
“God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people.” 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 CEB
I wonder how many events in my life have unfolded because of someone else’s prayer. I may never know on this side of heaven, but I bet there were grandmothers and aunts and uncles that came before me that paved the path for my life through intercessory prayer. Which means my prayers for someone else could help shape their path, especially when working in conjunction with God Himself. All the studying of the Bible or gaining of knowledge through scripture is meaningless without a full prayer life. Communicating with God through prayer is essential in developing a deep relationship with the only One who can actually make things happen in our lives. Who better to complain to, or cry out to, or plead with than the only Person who can do anything about it. That’s what Paul recognized in the above passage. He had gone through intense suffering while in Asia, but because of the prayers of many people, God rescued him out of that crisis. And he was so thankful.
Intercessory prayer is one person coming before God on behalf of another to ask for help. Representing them and bringing their needs before God. It’s a clever way of getting our eyes off ourselves for a bit and truly thinking about and caring for someone else. Truth be told, we would have a litany of requests for ourselves and would spend every second of our prayer ticking off that checklist, making sure God knew exactly what we wanted. But God often implores us to think of others and be sensitive to their needs as well, just as we see in Paul’s case. We see it also in John 17:20-23 when Jesus prays for you and me, asking God to make us all of one mind and one heart. It’s an amazing idea that God would partner with you and I for the sake of someone else. He invites us to make an impact in their life, in ways far beyond what we can think or imagine. That’s simply the way of the Lord. Others first.
Prayer: Lord, what a beautiful gift You’ve given through intercessory prayer. To think we could have a direct impact on someone else’s life is mind boggling. Thank You for allowing us to work alongside You. Bring to our attention anyone You’d like us to pray for, so that You can get the glory and gratitude forever. In Your holy son’s name, Amen.
Action: Think of someone that needs help. Pray to the Lord that He would intervene on their behalf. Thank Him for all He has done, is doing, and will do.
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