intercessory prayer

Over the past couple of days prayer has been asked of me and the prayer chain has been activated quite a bit. I had someone ask for prayer and tell me of their situation and I prayed for them off and on for 24 hrs. That's when I opened my bible and read the following:


Ephesians 6:18 - 20KJV

18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.




The Apostle Paul,, the man who had met Christ on the road to Damascus. The man who has led a long and successful ministry, is asking for prayer from the church at Ephesus. Not prayer that he will be freed from his bonds, not prayer that his life will be spared. He asked for prayer for the power of the Holy Spirit to give him the words that he might be a better witness.
He accepted the persecution, he accepted what God designed for him. He prayed that he might be a better witness, a clear enunciator of the mystery of the Gospel.


How we Ought to follow that example!

We pray for the sick, for money problems, for all that besets us, be falls us. And well we should, we should bring all of our problems before our Heavenly Father.

Yet do we pray that we might be a better witness? That the Power of the Holy Spirit will infuse those speaking and preaching the Mystery of the Gospel.
That when the opportunity to speak of our Savior srises that we would be the best witness we can? That we won't let the chance pass us by, that we would be the example we ought to be.
We ought to pray for those called to preach, those called to lead, those who are proclaiming the Gospel whether in print or in voice, tv, radio , book platform That they would preach what God would have them to say and not their own words. The Power of God comes through prayer.

Through prayer. Intercessory prayer as the Holy Spirit does for us.

If God Himself prays for us, how can we neglect praying for others?