Evangelizing by Interceding

We really can move mountains.

The mission of the church is summed up in Jesus’

final words to his disciples: “Make disciples of all
nations” (Matthew 28:19). It’s a theme that St. Paul
takes up when he tells the Corinthians, “The love of
Christ impels us, once we have come to the
conviction that one died for all” (2 Corinthians
5:14).

These two passages sum up one of the major

thrusts of this Year of Faith, the call to take up a
New Evangelization.

We know that the goal of evangelization is to draw

people to Jesus—whether those who have no faith or those for whom the flame of faith
has been reduced to just a flicker. This could include our children who have left the
church, our friends who are indifferent to God, or even unbelieving strangers we may
meet on the bus or at the local market. In all these situations, we think about how we
might share our faith with them, serve them in the name of the Lord, or reach out to
them in some other way with the good news of salvation.

One of the best ways to help bring people closer to Christ is through the prayer of
intercession. Intercessory prayer helps us see people and their needs with “spiritual
eyes.” What’s more, because it brings us before the throne of God, it also increases our
own faith. So not only are the people we pray for blessed; so are we!

Approach with Confidence. Who can forget the way St. Monica prayed for her son
Augustine? We often think that it was the words of Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, that
won Augustine over. Or we think of the day when he heard a strange voice urging him
to take up and read the Scriptures. But we have to ask how much of this would have
mattered to Augustine if his mother had not been praying constantly for him to have an
open heart. Surely her intercession for her son played a significant role.

In a similar way, there are many in our day who, like Augustine, are unable to pray for
themselves. Whether for emotional reasons or due to a lack of faith or a bitterness
against God, they simply can’t bring themselves to turn to the Lord and ask him to help
them. We can cry out for these wounded and weary ones, asking God to open doors in
their hearts that they may not even know exist.

Consider, too, that as children of God we have the promise that we can come before
him at any time and make our prayers and our needs known. As the Letter to the
Hebrews exhorts us, each of us can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive
mercy and to find grace” (Hebrews 4:16). This means that we can do the very thing that
Bartimaeus and the sinful woman and the others did two thousand years ago when they
cried out to the Lord and persisted until they were standing right before him, ready to
receive his love and his salvation.

The Power of Prayer. So what does intercessory prayer accomplish? A lot! Through our
prayer, we can help demolish the spiritual “fortresses” that are built up in people’s minds
by false arguments against the Lord and by our own human pretensions and pride (2
Corinthians 10:4). Our prayer can help bring God’s healing power to the sick (James
5:14). It can help strengthen people against the devil’s temptations (Luke 22:31-32). It
can fill people with spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9). It can even turn
back armies (Isaiah 37)!

It may seem fanciful to include needs like these in our prayer, but we should never
minimize the power of God—or the power of our own intercessions! The Letter of James
tells us, in fact, that “the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:16).

In the Book of Revelation, there is a beautiful image of golden bowls filled with incense,
“which are the prayers of the holy ones” (Revelation 5:8). This image gives us a sense of
how valuable our prayers of intercession are. It tells us that when we come to the Lord
and ask for his help, it’s as if we were offering the Lord a pleasing sacrifice, a sweet
aroma that fills the entire heavenly court. Our prayers may not look like much to us, but
when we bring our needs humbly and sincerely before the Lord, our words are
transformed. The cry of our hearts becomes a sweet perfume. And a sort of divine
exchange occurs. God takes notice!

If My People… We can see examples of this kind of exchange in Scripture. The

Syrophoenician woman filled her own golden bowl when she pleaded with the Lord
concerning her daughter—and it changed Jesus’ mind (Mark 7:25-30). Mary brought the
needs of a newlywed couple to Jesus, and it seems that she launched him into his
ministry earlier than he intended (John 2:1-11). Moses’ prayer was so persistent, he must
have filled up hundreds of bowls as he prayed for the Israelites. And God decided not to
destroy them even though they had committed a grave sin of idolatry (Exodus 32:7-14).

We think that prayer is all about God’s power to change our hearts and minds. There is
truth in that, but we shouldn’t forget God’s promise that our prayers can change his
mind as well. Remember what he told Solomon: “If my people, upon whom my name
has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn
from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their
land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This promise tells us that what we do matters. What we do releases grace, blessing,
pardon, and revival upon other people. We can influence God. We can ask him to
release his grace upon the world and he will hear and answer. If we try to live as God has
commanded us to live, if we turn our hearts toward him, he will be moved and turn his
heart toward the people we are praying for.
A Miracle of Intercession. In 1940, British and French soldiers were trapped at Dunkirk,
France. It looked like a crushing defeat was imminent. But on May 26, Britain’s King
George VI called for a day of prayer. Churches across England and beyond were filled as
people prayed for God’s intercession.

What happened next? For some reason that still can’t be explained, Adolf Hitler
overruled his generals and chose not to invade even though his army was only fourteen
miles away. What’s more, the weather cooperated. Thunderstorms and fog made it
difficult for the German planes to fly. But despite the storms, an unusual calm came over
the English Channel, enabling small boats and yachts to come and rescue thousands
and thousands of soldiers. Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this rescue “a miracle
of deliverance.” He said, “A guiding hand interfered to make sure the allied forces were
not annihilated at Dunkirk.” A day of national thanksgiving was called to celebrate the
event, which quickly became known as the Miracle of Dunkirk. 

Was this merely an error in German judgment combined with unusual weather patterns?
Or was it divine providence coming as a result of a people’s prayers of intercession?
That depends on whether you believe that God works in this world. It depends on
whether you believe that he hears the cries of his people and answers their prayers.

Remember, though, that the Miracle at Dunkirk happened through a combination of the
people’s prayers and the bravery of the soldiers and rescuers involved. Similarly, we
need to believe that our prayers of intercession combined with our efforts to rescue
people who are trapped in discouragement or unbelief can produce miracles.

Pray with Us. With this in mind, we’d like to invite you to join us in dedicating one day
a week to intercessory prayer: praying for your loved ones, for the suffering or broken,
for the confused or unbelieving, and for the poor and needy. Together, we can play an
important part in the New Evangelization by asking God to pour out his consolation and
the grace of conversion on our families, our communities, and our world.

Beginning this month and running through the end of the Year of Faith, we at The Word
Among Us offices will devote our prayer every Wednesday to intercession. We would be
honored if you could join us in spirit by promising to intercede with us for ten minutes
every Wednesday. And to help us encourage each other, we have established a special
page on Facebook where you can tell us you are with us, and where we can share our
petitions.

Together, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, let’s fill as many golden bowls as we can
with the incense of sincere, heartfelt intercession. Together, let’s change the world.
A Structure for Intercessory Prayer

“I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone.”
—1 Timothy 2:1

1. Put together a list of your own needs and the issues close to your heart.
Use a prayer journal or a notebook to keep track of the people and the situations
you want to lift up to the Lord.

2. Quiet your mind.

Go to a quiet place where it’s just you and God. Try your best to give Jesus your
undivided attention.

3. Take up an attitude of humble, loving persistence.

Like a child, keep on asking the Lord for his help. Keep on knocking on the door,
saying, “Jesus, let your grace flow to us.”

4. Pray for God’s concerns.

Intercede for what weighs on God’s heart: Those who have fallen away, a divided
Church, the threat of abortion, the poor, the abused, those bound by addiction or
scarred by broken relationships, those in prison, those suffering from war.

5. Pray for the items on your personal list.

Intercede for your concerns. Have expectation that God is answering your
prayers.

6. End with gratitude.

Make it a point to thank Jesus and praise him for his kindness and his grace.