Loving others with your prayers

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you . . .

— Colossians 1:3 (NKJV)

The word intercession simply means praying for someone besides your­self. It is loving others by going to God on their behalf and taking their needs to Him in prayer. Intercession is one of the most important kinds of prayer because many people do not pray for themselves. Why? Many times, it’s because they have no relationship with God.

There are also times when people are hurting too deeply to even know how to pray, or they have fought a long battle, and they’re too weary to pray. For example, I once visited a friend who had fought a valiant fight against cancer and prayed like a warrior, but she reached a point where she wasn’t strong enough to pray the way she wanted to. She said, "Joyce, I just cannot pray anymore." She needed her friends to pray for her—not just to pray for her, but to really pray for her—to pray in her place, because she couldn’t.

Read This: Be excellent

I want to encourage you to come closer to God by joining Jesus in His min­istry of intercession. Your family and friends need your prayers. Your neighbors and co-workers need your prayers. The people of your church, your community, and the world need your prayers. There may be times when you’re the only person on earth praying for someone else—and your intercession can literally change the course of that person's entire life. We live in hard times, and we have to pray for each other. Your intercession is the most powerful, most valuable gift you can ever give to those around you, and it will make an eternal difference in their lives and yours.

Prayer Starter: Father, please show me who I need to be praying for today. Thank You for working in each of their situations as well as mine! In Jesus’ Name, amen.