Different Ways to Pray预览

The Prayer of Intercession

Prayer can be challenging for everyone, but men, in particular, tend to struggle with developing their prayer life.

This is because we can find it hard to be vulnerable or ask for help. We often don’t know how to communicate our needs or express our emotions. Most men lack a mentor to help them navigate the complexity of spiritual disciplines like prayer.

This means most men hit a plateau and never really grow in their prayer life.

But praise be to God that He has given us many great examples in Scripture that show how to draw closer to the Lord and become mighty men of prayer!

We will spend the next week improving our prayer lives by focusing on a different type of biblical prayer daily. If you want to elevate your prayer life and become a mighty man of prayer, join me on this journey!

One of our greatest joys and privileges as members of God's family is that we get to “stand in the gap” for one another—we call this “intercession.” In His sovereignty, God has decreed that one way He wants to bless and provide for others is through your prayers.

Think about that for a second! God wants to use you to minister to others by using your prayers as a means to work in their lives. We see in today’s verse that Jesus Himself models intercessory prayer (praying for others) for us. He deeply loves His disciples and “those who will believe,” so He petitions the Father on their behalf, asking Him to bless them.

Most men have a built-in drive to be providers and care for those around them, but for some reason, we fail to transfer that selfless drive into our prayer life. We have a wonderful opportunity to care for others well beyond the scope of our abilities and limits. By seeking God on behalf of others, we have access to Him and His resources. He can do more for our loved ones than we could ever hope to.

So instead of despairing at the scale of others' needs, knowing there’s much we can’t help with, we can turn to our Heavenly Father and ask for His help. Not only does God desire to reach out to others, but He has made a way for us, through prayer, to bring others before Him so that He may bless them.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of interceding for others through prayer. Help me to love and care for those around me, seeking Your blessings for their lives. Show me who I can lift up in prayer today, and may my intercessions reflect Your grace and compassion. Amen.

Reflection: In His sovereignty, God invites us to stand in the gap for others through prayer. Who can you pray for today?