Ephesian 6:18

Intercessory Prayer is a Duty

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” — Ephesians 6:18

What if your prayer is the prayer God is waiting for to heal my brother? What if it is your prayer He is waiting for to touch your mother? Your father? Your child? Your spouse? Your friend? That “what if?” has stayed with me for days. It hit me last week. It came back to me during church yesterday morning. And then, this morning, God brought it right back to my mind again. I don't believe that was an accident.

Intercessory prayer isn't simply something Christians can do. It is something we are called to do. Scripture tells us to pray for one another, to bear one another's burdens and to continue in prayer. We may never know on this side of Heaven what happened because somebody stopped what they were doing and whispered our name to God.

Today, Erik returned to Michigan to help care for his mom, Debbie. She needs every prayer she can get right now, and honestly, so do the rest of us.

But before we could even get him to the airport this morning, my phone rang. It was one of Ricky's nurses. She told me Ricky had vomited something that looked like coffee grounds and that he had a high residual. If you know what “coffee-ground” vomit can indicate, you probably understand where my mind immediately went. Panic.

I've said many times that one of my biggest faults is that I am a fixer. If someone I love has a problem, I want to fix it. I want answers. I want a plan. I want to know what happens next, and I want to do something, anything, that will make it better. But there are some things I simply cannot fix. Ricky's journey has taught me that lesson over and over again. I can’t “fix” Ricky’s voice, I can’t “fix” those who don’t visit him, I can’t “fix” the way someone perceive Ricky’s current inability to do some things… But, I know a God.

As I prayed this morning, scared of what that phone call might mean, I was reminded again: Ricky is in God's hands.

My worrying wasn't going to change anything. My panic wasn't going to heal him. Running every terrible possibility through my mind wasn't going to make the situation better. But I could pray.

And so could everyone else who has faithfully prayed for him. As Erik drove to the airport, I sat in the passenger seat hiding tears from him and Autumn the best I could and sent out text after text. After calling our mom, my first text was going to be to Chas at The Father’s Hosue… then I remembered, so I text others asking them to get The Potter’s House and The Father’s House to pray. Those men and women are where they are today because of the prayers of strangers, family members and friends. I then called an elder of our church and posted on our Facebook page for prayer. If there’s an additional thing I’ve learned through this it’s that God has the ability to turn things around.

We dropped Erik off at the airport, ran some errands and, if I'm being truthful, wasted some time because I kept expecting my phone to ring. I expected to hear that Ricky was being transported to Huntsville for GI surgery. But, that call never came. I was bracing myself for the next bad thing. But God.

Thankfully, what happened today did not turn into what my frightened mind had already imagined. We were told Ricky had reflux and likely an ulcer, which appeared to be the source of the blood.

And once again, I was reminded how quickly fear can take us somewhere God never told us to go. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. It doesn't mean we ignore serious things or pretend everything is fine. It means that while doctors and nurses do what they are called to do, we do what we are called to do.

We pray. We pray when we understand. We pray when we don't. We pray when the report is good. We pray when the report scares us to death. We pray when we see an immediate answer, and we keep praying when Heaven seems silent.

Because what if? What if your prayer is the one God is waiting for? What if somebody you don't even know is hanging on today because someone felt led to pray for them? What if God puts someone's name on your heart because they desperately need somebody standing in the gap for them at that very moment? What if your prayer for your drunk neighbor, your friend’s addict daughter, the single mom counting pennies in Wal-Mart, the mother’s and father’s working three jobs to care for a family member or to simply get by, what if that’s the prayer He’s waiting for to perform the miracles only He can perform? Don't ignore it. Pray.

If someone crosses your mind unexpectedly, pray for them. If God wakes you up in the middle of the night with someone heavy on your heart, pray for them. If somebody asks you to pray, don't just say, “I'll be praying for you.” (Let’s all be honest, we have all sees an online post and respond that exact way, say a two second prayer and forget what we were even praying for 30 minutes later) Stop and pray.

Because somewhere tonight there is a sister praying for her brother. There is a son praying for his mother. There is a mother begging God for her child. There is a family sitting beside a hospital bed. There is someone waiting on test results. There is someone fighting addiction. There is someone grieving. There is someone who has reached the end of what they can carry alone. There’s a family that is exactly where we were 494 days ago, who will be told their family member will never….. And maybe God has placed them on your heart for a reason.

So tonight, I'm asking you to please continue praying for Ricky. Please pray for Debbie. Pray for Erik as he helps care for his mom. Pray for our families. And while you're praying for us, think about the people God has placed in your life. Then pray for them too.

We may never know how many battles were changed because somebody prayed. We may never know how many times God moved while we were on our knees.

But I don't want to get to Heaven someday and discover there were people I could have prayed for, moments when I could have stood in the gap, and I was simply too busy to do it.

What if your prayer is the one God is waiting for? That's a question I don't think I'll ever look at the same way again.