Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Before You Ask
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Many people think their prayers won’t work if they don’t utter them clearly enough, or fail to explain to God exactly what they mean, or don’t speak loudly enough to him with sufficient earnestness. But when this happens, prayer becomes so exaggerated that our Savior even forbids it.
Obviously Jesus does not want to discourage us from praying. His point is that when we pray we must have a sense of proportion. Once we have prayed, we must be quiet. We need to be like the farmer who has sown his seed. Help will come only when you are quiet in faith. Also in your sickness or with other needs, learn to be still and look to the Kingdom of God.
We can share our needs with the Father in a few words, without making a fuss, and rest assured that God already knows what we need and what he will do to help us. We don’t have to explain our requests in great detail to God, or try and make quite sure that he knows our needs. God knows about even the smallest matters and takes them straight into his heart. We can turn to him by glancing Heavenward, with no words at all. We can do this even when we pray about something concrete and tangible, or about something that specifically troubles us. We may realize that what we thought we needed is actually not necessary and that we can find a way right in the midst of how things are now.
This doesn’t mean that we just let things happen – as if everything will come of its own accord without our longing for it. Nor should we just cast a brief and hurried request at God’s feet. When this happens, we too easily lose sight of God, assume that everything comes to us without his help, and we forget to thank him. Then we cease to have a believing heart and are consequently not true children of God.
Jesus said, “Before you ask him.” Therefore we do need to make our requests known to him, otherwise many things will not be given that could have been given. It never displeases God when we come to him with our heartfelt requests. A real child asks for everything, knowing God has an ear for him. We should bring all our burdens and needs to him, for at the very least this helps to make us ever more aware that in all things God is the giver.
God always has our interest in mind. He carries our various needs with fatherly concern, eagerly waiting for us to come to him. He has not forgotten us. And when we feel tempted to think so, then all the more we should remember that he knows it all and cares for us. In fact, he knows much more about us and our needs than we do. Simple, childlike prayer is enough to move his heart, give you something out of the fullness of his compassion, and save you from all sorts of fear and trouble.
(Johann Christoph Blumhardt)
(The God Who Heals, Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness)
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Julia
A Prayer for Unspoken Prayer Requests
Lord Jesus, I pray today for those with unspoken prayer requests, those whose hurts are too deep to be spoken, those whose hearts are too broken. I pray for those who can't dress their pain with words, because they believe the shame or regret they wear is too heavy to remove. I pray for those who are trying to cope with endless struggles, battles that lure their hopes into closets of discouragement and depression, and for those whose actions or beliefs have paralyzed their faith or reduced it to a fraction of what they desire.
As the Provider of all our needs, who knows them even before we ask, Lord, hear these groans that pour out like water, that originate within the soul starved for answers. Grant these ones courage and strength to cast the weight of sorrow, longing, or worry onto you, even when they cannot speak the words or verbalize their thoughts. Let them know you hear; you care; and you answer, and that "coming boldly to your throne of grace," includes those times when our hearts can only cry out "Jesus!" in silent or verbal anguish.
Where timidity lives behind walls of fear, give these bold strugglers confidence that you are in control. Bless them for protecting others' or their own privacy in times of public prayer by only answering, "Unspoken." Give them a deep-settled peace that they are not alone, even when others don't know the specifics or depth of the need or the shame. Let them—and those who pray for them—rest in the wisdom of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to intercede and transform our deepest, unspoken prayers into the perfect will of God in every situation.
Where relationships have turned sour, where fear of exposure reigns, or where wounds cry out for healing, Jesus, you see the intensity of these unspoken needs. You stoop down to hear the smallest whispers, and you receive our loudest moans as if they are songs of worship to your ears. You understand the sting of rejection, and the ache of loneliness. You know the weakness of human flesh, the wisdom of silence, and the need for trust in the Father's timing. You know all things, and you work all things out for our good—even the unspoken prayers that squeeze through the pores of our pain-riddled hearts.
To both the ones with unspoken prayer requests, and the ones who long to pray with discernment and compassion for them; protect their vulnerable spirits; release their imprisoned cries for help; and surprise them with your amazing grace. Lord, free every burdened heart; heal the sin-sick soul; restore every broken part; and make our bodies whole, that we might become unified in the body of Christ. Make us all intercessors and prayer warriors, especially for the cries of "unspoken."
Jesus, what a privilege and honor to enter into prayer—and to know that connection that holds us all together: your perfect bond of love. Thank You for hearing us, and for allowing us to pray.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
(crosswalk.com)