by Marcia Pope

Created on: April 06, 2010

Intercessory prayer, praying in behalf of others, is a richly spiritual experience and a holy privilege. God’s word shows us many remarkable examples of how effective the prayer of intercession can be and how lives can be drastically changed by the careful, consistent prayers of others.

But what about the burden we carry for our own family members? We know what a blessing it is to have God in our own lives and it saddens us when our spouse, our children, our parents or others close to us, do not share the same joy. We should not be surprised to find ourselves, therefore, in the role of intercessor, praying in their behalf.   

Although there are many reasons to pray for your family, most of us pray for one obvious reason – we want them to be saved.  Would not God desire the same for them? Certainly He would. Their soul salvation is paramount. We have learned through our own Christian journey how important salvation is.  Consider how Jesus healed, often not only by caring for the physical malady but also focusing on the person’s soul salvation and forgiveness of sins.

So as you bow before the Lord and bring your requests before Him, remembering their salvation, there are some other things to remember too. First, intercessory prayer does not require flowery words or fancy phrases. But it does require submission to the will of God. Our heavenly Father is a reader of the heart and He knows the burden you have for your loved one even before you fall on your knees (Is. 65:24). Just pray from your heart; God will hear you.

As you intercede for others, always pray for God’s will to be done. In His infinite wisdom, He will many times need to override our will. Our selfish hearts do not know the workings of the Almighty.  There are times when He has to allow our family member to go through the valley of trial in order to bring them to where He needs them to be. He wants them to have a love relationship with Him. Would He answer our request the way we ask it, they may never find the path of righteousness to which is He is leading.

Prayers of intercession can be given both for those who do not know the Lord as well as for those who do. You may have some in your family who know and love God. You need to prayer for them for Satan will be always attacking them, trying to shake their faith. Other family members cannot or will not pray for themselves. Some are in such a state of rebellion that they will not call upon the Lord.

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