By Jacqui – One of God’s Intercessors
I received an email strand with several people on it that involved prayer. As I read through this, I was struck by one question in the comments. “What is it like to be a World Intercessor?”
Being a World Intercessor is challenging. It requires a selflessness that goes beyond our normal inclination. It is inspiring. Watching God answer prayers, sometimes in ways we could not have imagined, leaves one sitting in utter awe of his Holiness. It is both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Actively listening to both God and man and then praying intently, lifting the heavy burdens off someone’s shoulders and laying them at the foot of the throne of God can and does exact a mental, physical and spiritual exhaustion. Yet, there is nothing more exhilarating to one called by God to a life of intercession than to do so!
Our team members are asked to pray with a partner, in a group, in front of others they don’t know, and sometimes for long periods alone with God. They are asked to intercede from across the world by phone, WhatsApp, on a Zoom call, and even through e-mail. They are sometimes asked to travel to other countries both near and those thousands of miles away to meet those God is calling us to intercede for. We go to build relationships. We go to show the love of Christ. We go because God tells us to “Go into the Nations” and there on a soil not our own, we go before the Lord in prayer on behalf of another.
Our intercessors gather prayer requests each day like a farmer gathers eggs from the hen house! We sometimes triage these prayers like a nurse in an emergency room triages her patients. There are times we send or receive URGENT requests. When these come, we stop and we pray. Our team members may be called to stop any number of activities, including sleeping at times, to go to the Father in prayer.
Some days, we just listen. We step away from the normal activities to be alone with God and we listen. For a few, we hear his guidance. For others, it is a feeling of knowing his presence. It is imperative for an intercessor to have this time alone with God. For how can one minister to another in prayer unless we are fully connected to the Lord.
And, yes, some days, we answer email. We blog. We mentor other new intercessors. We meet with small praying groups that support OMS through prayer. We make travel plans and type meeting agendas and reports. We organize prayer requests for others to receive through World Intercessor prayer letters so they, too, can pray.
So, what’s it like to be a World Intercessor? It means giving the greatest gift we can give to another. It means interceding for someone else through the name of Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. It means loving another enough to ask God to give them his very best. God calls us all to pray. He calls some to become intercessors.