The Heart of Intercessory Prayer by The Word Among Us

The Heart of Intercessory Prayer

The

Spirit of Catholic Living

Copyright © 2012 by The Word Among Us, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by The Word Among Us Press 7115 Guilford Road Frederick, Maryland 21704 www.wau.org ISBN: 978-1-59325-236-6 Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Cover design by David Crosson No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher. Made and printed in the United States of America

About This Pamphlet

esus himself knew how important intercessory prayer is. As the high priest of our new covenant with God, he lives forever to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25), offering prayers to the Father on our behalf. He will continue to do this every day until he comes again in glory. The knowledge that Jesus is always interceding for us is comforting and uplifting, but it also presents a challenge for us. It calls us to join him in interceding—for ourselves, for our families, for our friends, and even for those who may not like us. Jesus wants us to bring all of our needs and desires to him—the big ones and the small ones. In this booklet, you’ll find three essays on the topic of intercessory prayer. Originally published in The Word Among Us magazine, these essays point to the power of interceding with faith in God’s love and care for us. They encourage us to pray with confidence and persistence. They also explore the mystery of God’s will (What about

prayers that don’t seem to get answered?), and how we ourselves are changed even as we pray. It is our hope that this booklet will help you turn to the Lord in faith and confidence and intercede every day. We encourage you to keep a journal or make a list so that you don’t forget what you are praying for—and so that you can keep track of how God has answered your prayers.

The Power of Intercession I pray for them. . . . I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word. —John 17:9, 20

esus spoke these simple words on the night before he died. He was sharing a Passover meal with his disciples, and just before going out to the garden of Gethsemane, he turned to his Father in prayer. On the face of it, there is nothing particularly striking about this. Jesus was constantly at prayer. He always stayed close to his Father, keeping himself open to his Father’s will and immersing himself in the love his Father had for him. But if we look a little deeper, we would find something very important in Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper. It’s not that he prayed; it’s how he prayed that is so striking. Jesus actually prayed for his disciples— and he prayed for each one of us! 5

We don’t often think about Jesus as praying prayers of intercession. After all, he and his Father are one. So why would he feel the need to pray for us? If he knew God’s mind so fully, why would he have to petition God for good things to happen to us? In these essays, we want to explore the way of intercessory prayer. We want to see how our own prayers of petition can unite with Jesus’ prayers for us to release God’s blessings on the people we are praying for. We want to see how our prayers of intercession can become just as powerful and effective as Jesus’ prayers. And along the way, we want to get a closer look at Jesus’ own heart of love and concern for us.

As Little Children. If we want to see answers to our prayers of intercession, it is important that we come to God in the same way that little children bring their needs to their parents. Who among us, when we were small, didn’t go to our parents and tell them every problem? We told them about our scraped knees, our fights with our friends, and 6

our troubles with homework. ho among In the same way, Jesus invites us to bring all of our needs to us, when we our Father, confident that he were small, will not give us a snake when didn’t go to our we ask for a fish, or a scorpion when we ask for an egg parents and tell them every (Luke 11:11-12). It’s interesting, however, problem? that as much as children run to their parents for help, they also try to resolve things on their own. After all, isn’t that the cause of so many playground fights or brother-and-sister spats? As parents, we know that if our children rely on their own too much, they will miss out on good solutions, and that’s why we intervene. At the same time, we know that if our children become too dependent on us, they won’t learn how to take responsibility for themselves, and they won’t learn how to become peacemakers with their friends. Again, the similarity in our relationship with the Lord is clear. God gave us the gifts of intelligence and intuition so that we could grow and learn 7

how to help ourselves and make this world a better place. He wants us to work hard to try to resolve the challenges we face in life. But at the same time, our heavenly Father wants us to bring these same issues to him so that he can offer us his help and guidance. Sometimes he will make everything right again. At other times he will let us work through the problem so that we can grow and mature. Most of the time, however, the solution is a mixture of both our human work and God’s divine help. For instance, if we need a new job, we should ask God for help. But we still have to do the work of filling out job applications, putting together our résumés, and going on job interviews. The notion that I have to do it all and God can’t or won’t help me is wrong. But so is the notion that all we have to do is pray and then see what God gives us.

Our Great High Priest. In ancient Israel, it was the role of the priest to intercede for the people. His calling was to stand in, or to intervene, before God on behalf of the people. The priest performed his duties by offering the blood of sacrificial ani8

mals as a means of atonement and intercession. Then, in the New Testament, the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that “Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be.” It tells us that Jesus “entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11, 12). Jesus fulfilled the work of the Old Testament priests, and now he sits at the right hand of God, where he “lives forever to make intercession” for us (7:25). How blessed we are to have Jesus as our mediator! He brings us, with all of our sins and needs, before our holy and perfect Father. With Jesus as our advocate, we can approach the throne of God with confidence and pour out our hearts. Because of who Jesus is, because of the redemption he won for us, all of us can now “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Hebrews 4:16).

Praying in Confidence. Intercessory prayer is one of the most effective ways that we can address 9

the worries, problems, and challenges that we face in our lives. But there is more to intercession than simply stating our needs and waiting for God to work. As the above passage from Hebrews tells us, we need confidence and trust. We need to believe that the One we are praying to is all-loving and all-powerful. We need to believe that God is our Father and that he hears all of our requests. In short, we need faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith means that we believe that God has the power to answer all of our prayers in his wisdom and by his love and providence. It means that we believe that God wants to give us good things—in every form and in every way. It means that we trust that our Father would never forget his children. Of course, there are reasons why we may not see our prayers answered in the way we want. But we need to be clear that indifference, unfaithfulness, or lack of love on God’s part have nothing to do with it. God always wants to give us good 10

things, but sometimes the “good” we are looking for is not the “good” that God knows we need.

Praying in Faith. When

Faith means

that we believe that God has the power to answer all of our prayers in his wisdom and by his love and providence.

Susan was diagnosed with cancer, she was at a stage in her life when her faith was at a very low point. Some people in her parish offered to pray with her, and as they did, they reinforced some simple, basic truths of our faith: God is alive, he loves us, and he knows what is going on in our lives. All the love and prayers she received from her brothers and sisters in Christ helped Susan’s faith to grow stronger. Every week, as people prayed with her, Susan grew stronger. Today, ten years later, Susan is still battling cancer. In fact, it has gone away and returned twice. But in all these ups and downs, one thing remains constant: Her faith continues to grow and remains stronger than her fears 11

and anxieties. And it all started when a few people reached out to her ten years ago. If we want to see answers to our prayers, we need to use all the faith we have. This doesn’t mean that we have to have heroic faith, and it doesn’t mean that only those with heroic faith will be heard. What it does mean is this: Each of us has a certain degree of faith. It may be deep and mature, or it may be more shallow and new. When we pray in intercession, it is vital that we use all the faith we have—no matter how much that is. A halfhearted effort is simply not enough. We need to seek the Lord with everything we have, according to the full level of our faith. Each of us can choose faith over worry, doubt, and fear. Why? Because faith is a gift from God; it’s not something that we have to conjure up ourselves. It’s a powerful grace that helps us hold the ground when the difficulties of life—sickness, loss of job, family problems—come at us. So bring your prayers of intercession to the Lord with complete trust in him. And as you do, ask him to increase your faith. 12

Let’s Get Started. Intercessory prayer is not meant to be reserved for the toughest problems we face. Rather, we should be interceding every day. We should feel free to pray for our spouse and family every day. We should pray for the needs of the world every day. We should pray for our friends and neighbors, even our enemies, every day. This is what Jesus told us to do when he taught us to pray for our daily bread and to be delivered from all evil. So let’s begin today. Let’s put together a list of intercessory prayers. Let’s persistently pray for these intercessions every day. There is no petition that is too small or too unworthy. n

Persistent Prayer I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone. —1 Timothy 2:1

aul made this request of his young friend, Timothy, who was leading the church in Ephesus. Paul knew how critical it was to keep asking for God’s grace, both for ourselves and for those around us. He knew how important it is that we all continue to bring the needs of other people to God, “who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Paul’s words are worth hearing today, since it can be tempting to minimize our need for God and the power that his grace can have on our lives and on the lives of the people around us. We all know how easy it is to take God out of the daily equation of our lives and turn to him only when things are in dire straits. But we also sense that this is not the right way for us to go. 14

At the heart of intercessory prayer is the conviction that God wants us to pray for our friends and loved ones every day: for good health, for strong relationships, even for the tests our children take in school. He wants us to bring every need and petition to him, confident that he is a good God who wants to help his children. So let’s never miss another day of praying for our spouse, children, relatives, and friends. Let’s pray for our enemies and those who have hurt us as well. Let’s cast our nets wide and pray for our parish, our church, our city, and our country. Just as Jesus asked his Father to guide us and protect us at the Last Supper, let’s also ask for God’s guidance and protection today and every day.

Be Persistent. He told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. (Luke 18:1) What was the parable? It was the story of a widow who persistently asked a dishonest judge to rule in her favor. Ultimately, the widow prevailed—not because the judge finally became just 15

but because the woman’s persistence wore him down. If a corrupt judge will finally give in, how much more will God, who is perfectly just and merciful, hear and answer us! As Jesus put it: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7). So be persistent. Be bold. Be relentless. Don’t worry about wearing God out. Another time, Jesus said: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. . . . Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, 16

the door will be openedâ&#x20AC;? od wants to (Luke 11:5-10). Jesus could not be more show us that clear: God is not like a dis- his plan and his honest judge. Nor is he like provision are a friend who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be inconvenienced. No, he the best things is just, kind, and compas- we could ever sionate. He wants us to have. persist in our prayers. Why? So that we can push through any barriers of sin or unbelief that may be keeping us from receiving his blessings. He wants to show us that his plan and his provision are the best things we could ever have.

When Do We Stop? Francis MacNutt, who has more than thirty years of experience in praying for people and seeing dramatic healings and conversions, tells a story about his father-in-law, Joe. On numerous occasions, Joe became critically ill and was on the verge of death. But Francis and his wife, Judith, would persist in praying for him, and each time Joe would recover. This pattern 17

continued for nearly ten years before Joe finally succumbed to his sickness and died. Francis is convinced that Joe lived so much longer because of their persistent prayer for him. This, and many other experiences like it, is why Francis urges people never to give up praying for healing until the moment of death, when God finally brings the person to be with him forever. Bob, who is in his sixties, has had heart trouble for years. A few years ago, friends from church offered to intercede for Bob and pray with him for healing. He agreed, and they placed their hands on his shoulders and prayed. It lasted only about five minutes, but the effect was amazing. Bob could feel the love flowing from his friends, and he felt better physically as well. It was such a positive experience that Bob asked his friends to pray with him on a regular basis. He believes that the prayers have helped him both physically and spiritually. The medical results were also positive. Bobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doctor reports that not only is his heart holding its own, but it is even showing signs of improvement! 18

If you are praying for a particular intention, whether it is for a friend’s healing, for an end to abortion, or even for a job for yourself, don’t stop until you know that God has answered you. Don’t give up, thinking that your prayers are unimportant or “wrong.” Keep it up, and see how God acts. He may not give you exactly what you want, but watch and see: He will give you something very, very good.

Bargaining with God. In the Book of Genesis, there is a story about Abraham trying to bargain with God (Genesis 18:16-33). God came to visit Abraham in the form of angels and revealed his plan to destroy Sodom because of the wickedness of the people there. Abraham immediately thought of his kinsman, Lot, who lived there with his wife and daughters. Trying to turn the Lord’s hand, Abraham asked: “Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?” (18:24). God agreed to spare the city for the sake of the fifty. But 19

Abraham wanted to do everything he could for Lot, so he bargained with God: What about forty people? Thirty? Finally, he settled on ten, and with that, the angels left him. God did not answer Abraham’s prayer in precisely the way Abraham asked, but he did spare Lot and his children. Genesis tells us, in fact, that God “was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living” (Genesis 19:29). This story tells us that we may not always get the answer we pray for but that God still hears our prayers and keeps us in his mind and heart as he unfolds his plan. Don’t be afraid to bargain with the Lord. Many a soldier in battle has told God: “Keep me alive, and I will never miss Mass again for the rest of my life.” And they have kept their promise. Another man, a New York police officer who was on duty on September 11, 2001, told God: “Let me live through this catastrophe, Lord, and I will serve you.” Today he is running the RCIA program in his parish, is the president of the men’s club, and 20

volunteers at the local food bank. Did these bargains really work? We will never know. But we do know one thing: They all believe that God answered their prayers, and it has profoundly affected their lives.

We may not

always get the answer we pray for but God still hears our prayers and keeps us in his No Petition Is Too mind and heart Small! Through intercessory prayer, we can touch as he unfolds people all over the world. his plan. We should feel free to ask God for anything, at any time, in any situation. Our prayers can penetrate geographical, cultural, and political barriers, bringing the healing, saving touch of the Lord into countless lives and situations. Through prayer, we can reach the men and women who are fighting in war as well as the children in the womb whose lives are at risk. We can help our children and care for our elderly parents. We can change the climate in a home and 21

the relationship between alienated friends—all through intercessory prayer. As we pray, let’s take up the attitude of the “watchmen” described in the Book of Isaiah. In fact, let’s paraphrase this passage and apply it to us: “Upon your walls the Lord has stationed watchmen. Never, by day or by night, should you be silent in your intercessions. No, keep reminding the Lord. Take no time to rest for yourself, and don’t give God any rest either. Keep praying until the Lord answers all your prayers and makes his church the pride of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). No petition is too small for God, not even asking for a parking space on a crowded street or seeking relief from a little cold. Just be persistent. Ask your heavenly Father, and never stop asking. n

Pray with All Your Heart

ffective intercession does not depend on the holiness or maturity of the people praying. It may help, but it is no guarantee. Much more important are virtues like sincerity, humility, and persistence—virtues that we can all take up. As we said in our first essay, God simply wants us to turn to him with all that we are. It doesn’t matter if our faith is mature or immature, if we are newly converted or have been running the race for years. God promises all of us: “When you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you” (Jeremiah 29:13-14). This is the kind of sincerity and persistence that brings us into God’s presence and releases his grace in our lives and in the lives of the people we are praying for. When Bill was told that he had an aggressive case of prostate cancer, he sought out the members of his parish prayer group and asked them to pray with him for healing. After ten five-minute 23

sessions of prayer—once a week—Bill returned to the hospital for more tests. Amazingly, his cancer levels were reduced to zero. Of course, Bill was undergoing a course of chemotherapy at the same time as he was receiving prayer. He also made significant changes to his diet, under the supervision of his doctor. So on the one hand, we will never know for sure exactly what caused such a dramatic turnaround. On the other hand, Bill’s doctor was both excited and surprised by the results of the latest tests. He said it was very rare to see such a dramatic turnaround. Bill himself credits the power of God for his healing, and he has been sharing his story with anyone who will listen.

Fasting and Intercession. Throughout Scripture and church history, fasting and intercession have been intimately linked to each other. Over and over again, people fasted when they wanted God’s help. Moses fasted for forty days before he received the Law (Exodus 34:28). Hannah fasted

as she begged God to give her a child (1 Samuel 1:7-8). Nehemiah fasted for the restoration of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4). The entire city of Nineveh fasted in response to Jonahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call to repent (Jonah 3:5). Daniel fasted as he prayed for insight from the Lord (Daniel 9:3). Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast prior to a battle (2 Chronicles 20:3). Jesus himself fasted before beginning his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-2). St. Paul fasted after his conversion (Acts 9:8-9). The elders of the church at Antioch were fasting and praying when the Holy Spirit told them to set aside Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary trip (Acts 13:1-2). Logically, there is no reason why fasting should lead to an outpouring of grace, protection, or wisdom. But God does not always follow the limitations of our human logic. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that fasting changes God, either. Fasting changes us. It humbles us and makes us more dependent on the Lord. By consciously choosing to deny ourselves, we are telling ourselves that we want to be more open to the Lord. We are saying that we want to

be guided by his wisdom and his provision. We are saying that we don’t want to be content with our human ways of fulfillment and wisdom. It’s not as if we are trying to convince God to do what we want. It’s more that we are taking steps to align ourselves with God and his ways. We are stating that we want to understand the situation we are praying about from God’s perspective. And we are also telling God that we want to empty ourselves so that he can fill us and use us as his instruments—whether of healing, comfort, guidance, or support—in this situation. More than anything else, fasting makes us more pliable and less self-oriented. Once when the apostles were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus said, “this kind” came out only by fasting and prayer (Mark 9:29). Likewise, there are serious needs—sickness, unemployment, broken relationships, depression—that require prayer and fasting. Either the situation is so desperate that we need to take desperate measures, or it is so confusing to us that we need to do something

to make ourselves more available to God so that he can teach us and use us. If you have a specific, pressing need or an important decision to make, consider turning to the Lord with fasting and prayer. If you are relatively new to this discipline, begin slowly. Maybe give up one meal and spend the time in intercession instead. You may want to try this once a week, and then slowly build up to a more rigorous fast. But always be careful to gauge your health and energy. It may also be a good idea to consult your doctor before trying anything too demanding. The goal, of course, is not to lose weight. And it’s not to prove yourself to God. It’s simply to make yourself more available to the Lord.

The Mystery of God’s Will. There is still one question we need to answer as we look at the call to intercessory prayer: What about prayers that never seem to get answered? Related to this is the age-old question that even shows up at various points in the Bible: Why is there so much

suffering—especially among those who are trying to obey the Lord? Why does God let good people die young? Why does he not intervene and stop all the abortions or put an end to war and genocide? We can look at passages like Psalm 13 and Habakkuk 1:1-3 for examples of how even the holiest of people—prophets and psalmists—puzzled over these questions. It’s pretty safe to say that there is no simple answer. If there were, people wouldn’t still be asking it so persistently. But even as we admit that there is a mystery here, we should not conclude that intercessory prayer is useless, or worse, that God is too remote to care about us. He wouldn’t have sent his Son to die for us if he didn’t care. The witness of countless saints and biblical heroes tells us that we should always pray when we face difficult or challenging situations. But it tells us also that our prayer should not be limited to asking God to take away the problem or to demand the solution that we think is the best one. Rather, in our intercessions, we should also ask God to soften our hearts and help us stay open to the 28

mystery of the way he is at work among us. he witness In our world, the word of countless “mystery” usually means a saints and riddle that needs to be solved, as in a crime novel biblical heroes or a crossword puzzle. But tells us that we this isn’t the kind of mys- should always tery we mean here. Rather, pray when we mystery here speaks about face difficult or God’s eternal, all-encompassing plan and purpose. It challenging has to do with a plan from situations. our heavenly Father that is so vast that we cannot possibly grasp it in its fullness. It is something that we will never figure out—but something that God can reveal to us a little bit at a time. So when we face a trying situation or dilemma, we should continue to pray for healing or a solution. But we should also ask God to shed some light on the mystery behind this situation and to give us the grace to embrace his plan, whatever that may 29

be. We should always keep our hearts open to the Lord and repeat the words of the frustrated psalmist: “I trust in your mercy” (Psalm 13:6). May we never limit God or tell him exactly how he should intervene! Of course, we should feel free to tell him honestly how we feel about a puzzling situation—even to tell him what we wish he would do for us. But we should always make our prayers with the humility of children, acknowledging that our vision is clouded and our knowledge is limited. It won’t be until we are with the Lord in heaven that we will see the whole picture and understand exactly how “all things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). In the meantime, our best response is to pray fervently and to try our best to follow the Lord and live in his love.

We Can Change Lives! In all of our intercessions, be they for the sick, for an end to war or abortion, for the church, for healing in a marriage or family, or for our loved ones to come to know the Lord, we should never be anxious. Instead, 30

let’s follow Paul’s exhortation: “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6). He is all-powerful, but he is also all-wise. And that means that we can rest in his provision, even as we try to work through difficult, challenging situations. As we “stand in” for others and intercede, we will see our Father working powerfully among us. As incomprehensible as it sounds, we can change people’s lives with our prayers. It may not be exactly as we would wish, but we should know that whenever God’s people turn to him in prayer, he works marvels. So let’s never go a day without lifting up the needs that are on our hearts—both the large, global crises and the small, personal ones. He is a loving God, and he will hear and answer us. May God bless you all. n

his booklet was published by The Word Among Us. Since 1981, The Word Among Us has been answering the call of the Second Vatican Council to help Catholic laypeople encounter Christ in the Scriptures. The name of our company comes from the prologue to the Gospel of John and reflects the vision and purpose of all of our publications: to be an instrument of the Spirit, whose desire is to manifest Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; presence in and to the children of God. In this way, we hope to contribute to the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ongoing mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world so that all people would know the love and mercy of our Lord and grow more deeply in their faith as missionary disciples. Our monthly devotional magazine, The Word Among Us, features meditations on the daily and Sunday Mass readings, and currently reaches more than one million Catholics in North America and another half million Catholics in one hundred countries around the world. Our book division, The Word Among Us Press, publishes numerous books, Bible studies, and pamphlets that help Catholics grow in their faith. To learn more about who we are and what we publish, log on to our website at www.wau.org. There you will find a variety of Catholic resources that will help you grow in your faith.

Embrace His Word, Listen to God . . . 32