The privilege to intercede for others
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16
God wants you to grow in your faith and one way you express your faith is through prayer. You can do more in a moment when you pray than someone could do in a lifetime. From the text, when you come to the Lord or when you ask leaders or elders in the church to intercede in prayer, you are in a position to receive a miracle. God alone heals and forgives, yet God is giving His children an opportunity to humble themselves to come to God through their elders confessing sins with one another and to lift up prayer requests before God. You are also called by God to intercede for others. This means that you are praying on behalf of others. Asking others to intercede for you in prayer demonstrates humility. So when God tells you from His word to seek out others to pray for you then obey Him. He will raise up someone that could pray for you. Realize the privilege you have when you are asked to pray for others. Interceding for one another in prayer conveys a beautiful image of what the body of Christ should look like. God honors those that are willing to take the time to pray for others. Do not hesitate to ask others to pray for you and when you know of someone’s need, pray for them. The prayer offered in faith is the one that God listens to and not the one offered with wrong motives. When Paul told Timothy in regards to praying, he urged him to call out people to pray having the right attitude before God. “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8). Standing before God on behalf of others in prayer is a wonderful opportunity and a privilege every child of God possess.
Blessings,
