Heartfelt and Persistent Prayer

Sitting with the Lord been awake since 3:30 am thanks to Queenie my doggie. I was hoping to fall back to sleep but nothing happened so of course decided to transition to my SWL chair. Been a little off my routine. Don’t blog as much but have been revisiting some of my past blogs for refreshment and encouragement. Nothing like direct word to you from the Lord that ministers right where you are.

Holy Spirit leading me to intercede for family members and friends. There have been times in my life when it was hard for me to pray for myself. Encumbered by life’s twists and turns. I have felt the prayers of others lifting me and covering me when I was most vulnerable. I truly believe those prayers help save my life. So when the Holy Spirit leads me to intercede, it’s more than a quick prayer. It’s a crying out, it’s a reaching and grabbing hold of the hem of His garment, it’s an entering into the inner court, in a sacred place where that direct communion with the Master, spirit to spirit, deep utterance of prayer sometime in an unknown language where I know something changed. I know the Holy Spirit is intervening on the behalf of those that He has laid on my heart. I’ve experienced His touch, His intervention, His tangible presence in my own life so I know the miracle working power of the Holy Spirit. I intercede by faith and I tarry until I get a hold of God! I stay there in that secret place until I sense a change deep in my spirit that tells me, my prayers have been heard, my tears have been registered and the Holy Spirit will undertake and intervene on their behalf.

True story: When I was in full time pastoral ministry, I was suddenly overcome with serious mental anguish out of nowhere and for no reason. I felt under attack. My husband and I prayed and it helped but I couldn’t shake it. Never said anything to anyone, we just kept praying about it. There was a group of elderly ladies in the church who were intercessors. They met before every service with our senior pastor and prayed with him. One of the sweet ladies approached me after church not knowing anything except what the Holy Spirit revealed. She asked could she pray for me. Of course I agreed. Grabbed my hands closed her eyes and was silent for a few minutes then prayed for me to be free from exactly what I’d been experiencing. It wasn’t spooky or anything. I didn’t feel like there was something wrong with me in that moment. I felt cared for, loved and supported. I felt the peace of the Holy Spirit and felt an immediate tangible relief! It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. From that point on I never experienced any attack like that again. I know it was the prayer of the intercessor that ushered in God’s protection and peace over me at that time. I know it!

Which is why I don’t take it lightly when God lays others on my heart to pray for. I don’t have to know what’s going on. I just have to be guided by the Holy Spirit to pray for them. I may not be able to grab their hand like the lady did mine. But I know the almighty power of God is not diminished by distance or time. I know that as a believer I can pray on behalf of others and be assured that God hears and answers prayer. I am confident because I am a living breathing testament of His transforming power. Fervently praying for others is a privilege and it not only changes things for them, it changes me too! Thank you Lord!

So as I journal this the Holy Spirit brought this verse to my mind: James 5:16b (AMP)

The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

Just sharing my morning musings in hopes that we will pray for those the Lord lays on our hearts. It’s one thing to say, “I’m praying for you” and another thing to spend time actually praying for each other. Let us pray!

Faithblogger/Author Michele Bryant Powell
Sitting with the Lord . com