What Are the Duties of an Intercessor?
An intercessor is someone who is praying for others. All Christians are intercessors during worship, when we may pray silently or aloud for the sick and dying, the hungry and homeless, our loved ones and leaders.
Other People Are Reading
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Listen
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Listen to what people express. When you are in conversation with someone, you may hear a concern: a grandchild is hospitalized with H1N1; a friend has been unemployed for so long they've lost hope; or a neighbor's son was just killed in Afghanistan. When you hear these concerns make a mental note.
Write
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Make a list of people who need prayer. Jot down the name of the person who needs prayer and the concern in a notebook. It may help to add the date you added the person's name.
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Time and Place
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Find a quiet place to pray each day. Most people find it useful to choose a specific time to pray daily. Common times are upon rising, before breakfast, in the evening or just before bedtime. It really doesn't matter when, so long as it is a time that is available for prayer each day. Also, having a specific place where you go to pray makes a difference.
Pray
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Ask God for healing light to enter the person you are praying for. Go over the list of people and situations that call for prayer. Lift these people with their needs to God, asking Christ's healing light to come into this person or situation.
Reflect, Remember and Rejoice
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Review your list weekly. Note what has changed in the life of the people you have been praying about. Rejoice and praise God for answered prayers. Lists get too long if they are not subjected to regular pruning. A month is a good place to revisit whether that person needs to be continued on the list or not.
Join with Others
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Jesus teaches, "When two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." We are not called into isolation, but rather are parts of the body of Christ. Being part of a prayer chain who meets together from time to time and can call each other in prayer emergencies helps support your intercessory role.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Eneas De Troya Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of rochelle hartman Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Crystal Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Athena Flickr Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Alexandre Eggert
