Two revolutionary principles for prayer

If you drove by the Oregon City splash pool any day last week you probably saw a woman perched on the side wearing an army-green hat, hunched over, completely engrossed in a worn paperback while offering an occasional glance up to make sure her children were alive.

That was me.

This book, Rees Howells, Intercessor is just crazy. This simple man’s radical faith in, obedience to, and intimacy with God makes me want to pursue Christ like never before. If ever there were a story that pierces through the lukewarm, apathetic, consumeristic religion of our day, this is it.

Though God gave Howells many challenges and principles to follow in pursuing effective intercessory prayer, two of them have stood out to me:

1. Only ask God to do through another what you are willing for the Lord to do through you. 

“This is the law of intercession on every level of life: that only so far as we have been tested and proved willing to do a thing ourselves can we intercede for others. Christ is our Intercessor because He took the place of each one prayed for.”  (93)

Howells makes it very clear that we are never to intercede for someone’s sin. That was done, once and for all, on the cross. And Jesus is the ultimate intercessor, as He lives to make intercession for us. But the gist of this is that we cannot pray, “Father, please provide groceries and gas money for my friend who is in need,” unless you yourself are willing to be that answer to prayer. That doesn’t mean God will ask you to do it, necessarily, but unless we ourselves are willing to be the answer to that prayer, it doesn’t make sense to pray that someone else would.

2. In order to truly intercede for someone we must identify with them.

For Howells, this meant that during a season when he was called by God to intercede for widows in India who were destitute, the Lord called him eat as they ate–one meal every two days. He had to give up all other food, living on the same sustenance of those he was praying for.

Now, we read that and think it’s crazy. Why? We ask. Why would we do that? God is God and He is able to do His work whether or not we suffer. But being an intercessor means we are allowed to be part of God’s work, and part of that work is working empathy in us, so that we are allowed to feel the suffering of others. Can you imagine how much passionately Howells prayed for their relief since he actually felt their pain and hunger as well?

Why on earth would we do this? Why would we be willing to suffer so much just so that we can identify with others?

Because of love: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Because that’s what Jesus did for us. 

Not ready to live on one meal every two days or go without running water? Relax. God will make it clear how you can identify with who you are praying for. It might be so simple as going to your friends’ house and caring for her children for a day. You will better understand her needs and challenges (and she’ll have a blessed break!). Or living on a food-stamp budget and pray who are struggling to keep food on the table. Or going without water for a day and pray for those who live that way.

Start by asking God for a prayer burden (Father, what do you want me to pray for?) and then

• Ask God to make you willing to be the answer to that prayer
• Look for ways to identify with their situation