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 signs and wonders.
“And now, Lord, grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29–30)
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the Earth bore its fruit. (James 5:17–18)
Heavenly Father, You are our God; we earnestly search for you. Our souls thirst for you; our bodies long for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. Lord, we have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how we praise you! We will praise you as long as we live; we will lift up our hands to you in prayer. You are more satisfying than the richest feast and we will praise you with songs of joy. Father, we thank you for manifesting your mighty miracles throughout the body of Christ. We thank you for salvation, which is the greatest miracle of all. Thank you for blessing us with your presence.
Father, according to your own will, you ministered with signs and wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we expect miracles to manifest during our times of worship. Lord, just as you brought Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, so we believe that you will manifest your glory in our lives. Lord Jesus, as you performed so many miracles during your ministry, we rejoice that you said that we would do greater works than you did because you were going to the Father and were sending the Holy Spirit. We confess that we, the body of Christ, will do what Jesus did and we will move to the “greater things.” Lord, just as you turned water into wine, spoke and healed the ruler’s daughter, touched the casket and the dead man rose, called Lazarus from the dead, cast the demons out of Legion and healed the woman with the issue of blood; so we expect to have personal encounters with you in our public and private lives. We decree that your marvelous works will follow us so that people will come to you confessing Jesus Christ, as their Lord and redeemer. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies, so Father, we thank you that every member of the body of Christ will have a one on one encounter with you so that they will have a testimony of your power, authority, love, grace, healing, and deliverance.
Father, forgive those people who have doubted your Word and works, especially our leader(s) in the Gospel. Forgive those for operating in fear and unbelief. Forgive those who have not taken the time to say “thank you” for the miraculous works you have done in their lives. Forgive all of us for not comprehending with all the saints the breadth, length, depth, height, and love of Christ which passes all understanding and knowledge. Holy Spirit, remind us all of those we need to forgive and help us to be quick to forgive.
Holy Spirit, help us not to yield to temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.
Amen.
(The Prayer Institute)