The Keys to Intercesssory Prayer

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

After a lifetime of prayer, I’ve discovered two primary keys to intercession: 

1. Relationship matters.  Your influence as an intercessor is directly tied to your own personal relationship with God.  If you have to budget your time in prayer, spend most of it on Him just enjoying each other.  The rest will fall into place naturally.  Seeking His Face is the key to understanding His Heart, which leads to the second key: 

2. Ask Him for what He wants.  The only time the Bible guarantees a “Yes” is when we ask God for what He already wants.  He says so:    

I John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us. 15 If we know that he listens to whatever we ask, we know that we have received what we asked from him. 

John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name (on my behalf); but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.” (AMP)  

        Isn’t that just like a groom to think about making his bride happy!!!

An intercessor stands in the gap between people who are far from God and His heart.  To do that you have to know God's heart and have a heart for people that need Him.  To become an intercessor you eventually give up the right to ask for what you want.  Lots of Christians pray, but it's often a laundry list of what they want.  What He wants is always so much better.  Taking the time to listen and put aside what we want is the key to getting prayer answered and it just produces better results.   

What are your thoughts?  What would you add to this list?

Father, You are our greatest treasure and have sent us our closest friend, the Holy Spirit.  Your son taught us what it means to be loved, both on the cross and in our intimate relationship with Him every day.  Draw us close enough to feel Your heart.  We need You, but we want to know You too.  Give us eyes to see as You see and a heart that beats in tune with Yours.  The move us to do what You would in this moment.  Thank You for being with us.  We choose to ask only for what You want.