Lately, it seems like the list of needs I am interceding for has grown … a lot.
People around me are in difficult circumstances and my heart has been feeling heavy for each of them. Slowly, discouragement and defeat began to move in and take residence in my mind. I began to wonder if my prayers were even making a difference.
I brought this struggle to the Lord. And then, I was sent a reminder.
While my parents were at my home last week, my oldest daughter proudly showed them group photos of her graduating class. After the oohs and aahs, my mom looked at us and said, “I didn’t even think I would be here to see my first grandchild graduate from high school.”
You see, when my oldest was in kindergarten, my parents were involved in a fatal car accident while they were on vacation in India. As a result of this accident, my grandmother had transitioned to eternity and my mom was left in critical condition.
We all felt helpless being so far away when it happened. But we prayed. And it wasn’t just my immediate family praying. The list included my extended family, friends, acquaintances, church members, and countless brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe.
As those prayers went up, my mom experienced a miracle. Not only did she recover, but my parents made the trip back home where they were greeted by streams of loved ones. During each visit, not only was their home filled with flowers and homemade treats, but there were also songs of praise and prayers of thanksgiving.
The circumstances my parents faced seemed just as challenging as the paralyzed man we read about in Luke 5:18-25. Because he could not walk, he had no way to get to Jesus. Yet, he needed a miracle. We read how he had friends who carried him on a mat to Jesus. When they arrived at the house where Jesus was, there was a crowd and therefore, no room for them to enter. Rather than giving up, they persisted. Verse 19 says, “… they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Talk about loyal friends!
Verse 20 says it all: “When Jesus saw their faith …”. This passage ends with the man standing, taking his mat, and going home praising God.
Dear Friend, our intercessory prayers do make a difference! God sees every tear and He hears every cry. He moves on behalf of His children in ways that we cannot even fathom. So keep going to the Lord and taking those needs to Him in prayer. Stand in the gap for your loved ones. “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” (James 5:16 AMPC)
~Joyce
