INTERCEDING for those in our presence is a
powerful medium that promotes healing, as the Holy Spirit comes alongside the
moment, making a cord of three strands.
Prayer is precious when two people are
focused on the same thing with God to the exclusion of all distractions. Can
God not do abundantly more than we’d ever hope or imagine? Prayer makes it possible
that a myriad of supernatural dimensions are enabled. Not least of these, there
is the fact that prayer changes us in some of the most unpredictable yet
welcome ways.
Here are seven ways I’ve found
helpful in praying for the vulnerable:
1.
Discuss what they need prayer for and pray for
them right there: ensure you
make time to truly listen in order to understand their true needs before starting
to pray. It takes courage to admit we don’t understand what they’ve said, but
it’s better to confirm than pray on assumption where the Spirit’s power is
asked to operate in falsity. Checking our information as to their real needs proves
we truly care.
2.
Ask appropriate others to join in: there is power in numbers, but only if the
intimacy in the prayer won’t be compromised. Only ask appropriate others. These
are other people who would bless the person being prayed for. If you have any
doubt ensure you ask their permission.
3.
Pray with compassionate boldness and
sensitivity to the Spirit: making our
prayers about the Spirit and not about us is the key to an effective prayer.
This is about getting lost in the prayer. All those praying need to be lost to
their self-consciousness and found in that spiritual fullness that comes from
God’s Presence alone.
4.
Pray by God’s Word: seeking a Word for the time and situation, God
is sought for that Word. God never fails to provide, yet a Word may seem askew.
Trust in the timing of the Lord.
5.
Pray by song: sometimes singing together is so good for the
soul because it disinhibits us providing the breakthrough opportunity the
Spirit needs. Song is especially powerful where there is the manifest grip of
fear or pride.
6.
Pray silently: this is especially poignant when there are no
words to say; where presence alone is the healing touch of God. To ‘sit Shiva’ (sit
and mourn seven days silently) with someone in the pit of great and imminent
loss is the healing touch of God in the moment of incomprehensibility. Seven
hours is better than three. And seven minutes is better than three. We may
simply hold their hand, place a hand on their shoulder, or put an arm over
their shoulder (according to what they feel comfortable with) to remind them we
are there, with them, in a very real way.
7.
Promise to continue to intercede for them: don’t promise if you don’t intend on
continuing to pray. I’ve found that praying for them as soon as we part,
perhaps as I’m driving away, is the best way to stay good to my promise. I ask
the Holy Spirit to remind me of them and their case, and it very often happens.
When this happens I try to contact them and let them know I’ve been praying for
them.
The effects of our prayers often
lag. Don’t underestimate the power of prayer from the aspect of their
reflections later on. People can often only tell the power of God to deliver
them as they reflect on months or years that have passed.
Keep praying in faith! — with no
promise of blessing in sight.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.
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