“The prayer of
intercession is the noblest and most fulfilling kind of prayer, by its means
love is raised to its greatest power”
‘More things are
wrought by prayer than this world can dream of.’ - That is the verdict
of believing men and women. Prayer is the secret of every life that has
exercised a profound and enduring spiritual influence. We know that in it there
is available to each of us a power of tremendous magnitude.
Why then are we so slow to use it? Too often,
we pray only in a crisis when trouble comes, when disease strikes, when the
safety of our country is threatened. Prayer thus resorted to principally as a
means of obtaining things from God when other means fail, is spasmodic and
selfish. No wonder people who pray in this fashion find it unsatisfying.
Also, many people in their prayers have taken
over a form of words from their childhood and are using it as adults with
little thought for its meaning and sometimes without real faith in its power.
This is not vital Christian prayer, if it is prayer at all. The difficulties
which keep us from using prayer may sometimes be theological. If God knows what
people need before we ask Him, why tell Him? If, being all-loving and all-wise,
He is ready to do what is best for every human being, why pray at all?
To find an answer let us look especially at one
form of prayer. Let us see what happens when we pray for others.
First of all, have you ever thought of the
effect of such prayer on yourself? It is impossible to harbour ill will and animosity
against anyone if you keep praying for him. Whether your prayers have any immediate
effect on him or not, this much is certain: you will be the better for them. In
this sense what George Meredith wrote is true: “He who
rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.”
Prayer is the best arbitrator in differences,
the best promoter of true friendships, the best cure for envy and jealousy. Are
there people who dislike you, or have injured you; whom you dislike and shun?
Pray for them and you will be more patient and charitable. You will find that
you have become a happier person, living in a world that is friendlier than you
were accustomed to find it. “The Lord turned the
captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends.” – The Holy Bible
Prayer for others not only transforms the
disposition, it energizes the will. It helps our imagination to picture the
situation of other human beings; it troubles the conscience and kindles
affection in the heart, finally it moves the will to action. True prayer is
dynamic. Use it, and you will discover that you can’t stop short at praying. If
your prayer has any passion in it, any sincerity, it will promote you to
action.
If a man prays for his friends, for those dear
to him, he is certain to be concerned about them and active in his concern. If,
habitually and fervently, he prays for his country, he will be a conscientious
and loyal citizen, making a worth-while contribution to the life of his time.
Are you fortunate enough to have the assurance
that someone is praying for you? It is a heartening, steadying, fortifying
influence. (I miss the comforting knowledge of this fact my late father
afforded me – yet I firmly believe he is still faithfully at it!)
When we pray for others we are not inducing God
to interest Himself in those for whom we pray. We are giving proof to God of
our interest in them, are submitting that interest to Him for purification and
are thus making ourselves sensitive to His guidance and receptive of His power.
More than that, besides opening the sluice gates for the divine grace to pour
into our minds, we are charging the environment of our fellows with a
spirituality that makes it easier for them as well as for us to know and do the
will of God.
While we are thinking about ways to unleash the
power of prayer, there is this to bear in mind: it may be that often we
do not pray for people and causes simply because we do not care enough for
them; because we are so pre-occupied with our own pursuits and pleasures;
because we lack imagination as well as affection.
In the epilogue of Shaw’s Saint Joan the
chaplain says that he has been saved: “Saved,” replies the bishop, “by the
sufferings of Christ.” “No,” says the chaplain, “saved by seeing a young woman
actually burned to death. One had to see it to feel the horror of it.”
Whereupon the bishop asks a searching question: “Must then a Christ perish in
torment in every age to save those who have no imagination?”
If we have imagination, if we
care enough, if we love people and cause enough, we instinctively turn to God
on their behalf, and seek the reinforcing of our love by His. Prayer is love raised to its greatest power; and the
prayer of intercession is the noblest and most charitable kind of prayer
because in it love, and imagination, reaches their highest and widest range…
My prayers are for you all, this especially Holy Week ~ Stafford
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