When it comes to prayer, we have the opportunity to influence God’s heart to impact not only our lives, but the lives of our friends, families, strangers, organizations, and even nations! The way we have an impact is through partnering with God through praying and asking Him for things that are in both of our hearts. When we pray, we are joining in with God who is completely capable to answer those prayers. Not only that, He also desires to answer the prayers of those whom He loves. God knows our hearts and He knows what we need. He is the absolute best at communication. Prayer is really our part in the midst of our relationship to communicate to him about our lives, thoughts, hearts, and desires. Prayer is our communication with God. It brings forth the fruit of seeing God’s tangible activity in both our lives and others.
God knows our hearts and He knows what we need.
As disciples of Jesus we are all called to be people of prayer. As you look throughout the Bible you see about every major character in it has a prayer life of their own. They were in constant communication with God. Through this you see God moving in the things they were asking and praying for. Even Jesus Himself found it necessary to find time away from people to be with and pray to the Father in a quiet and secluded place. If Jesus Christ Himself found it necessary that He should be constantly in prayer, and even taught about it, shouldn’t we as His followers do the same?
John 14:13 ESV – “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the father may be glorified in the son.” Prayer not only produces fruit in our lives but it brings glory to God. If you ask something that is in alignment with His will, when He gives it, He gets the glory because it all leads back to Him. Yes we asked, but He is the one who did it and gave what we asked for in His will and in His name. It all points back to Him and His sovereignty, power, and trustworthiness in our lives. Breathing faith in us because we see His activity and care for our own hearts and lives. It creates and cultivates relationship with Him in a whole new way because we have experience with Him, which builds and grows our walk with Him.
John 14:13 ESV – “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the father may be glorified in the son.”
The difference between prayer and intercession is the focus of where our prayers are pointed. Prayer is a direct, personal place of communication with God for our lives. Intercession is a more general place of communicating with God for someone else. When we pray we are cultivating our own relationship with God, when we intercede, we specifically stand in the gap and pray on behalf of others. We look to God and ask Him to act on behalf of other people, not just ourselves. We even see this when Jesus is on the cross, as He is crucified, He intercedes for their hearts. He asked God to forgive them because they didn’t know that they were killing God in the flesh.
Prayer and intercession are some of the greatest tools we have to impact the world and bring the Kingdom of God. It’s how we come alongside God and what He is doing in the nations. There is power in the words we use and when we pray! Ask and partner with God, we have the ability to be a part of the radical change that happens in our lives and others. Prayer and intercession are vital and important in our part of bringing the Kingdom to earth. It’s such a gift from God that we’re invited into this!
Prayer and intercession are vital and important in our part of bringing the Kingdom to earth and it’s such a gift from God that we’re invited into this!
-Micah Boggs