Intercessory prayer has never been my thing.
That is to say, I have never been very “good at” intercessory prayer (praying for others). I know how important it is, and how much gets accomplished when we simply hold others in God’s presence and ask him to act, but I’ve never had that natural ability or inclination to regularly pray for others, to my shame.
But because I have come to see it as one of the most important things I do as a pastor and church planter, I realized I needed to learn how to do it. I found some “training wheels” recently: a prayer form that I have begun to use that enables me to pray for others with regularity and consistency. The prayer form is taken from Ruth Haley Barton’s excellent book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, which she adapted from the Iona Abbey Worship Book. Perhaps it could be something that helps you pray for others more consistently as well.
Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those who suffer pain and ill health…
(silence to allow the names and faces of those you know to come to mind, and then pray)
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those who suffer in mind and spirit…
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence the suffering people of our world, and the places where people are experiencing hurt and division—including places of heart
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those experiencing grief and loss…
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those who need wisdom for their next steps…
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those people and situations that seem broken beyond repair…
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those whose needs are not known to me but who are known by you, and those for whom I have been asked to pray…
And I name in my heart all those who are close to me…
…may they know the deep peace of Christ.Glory to God, from whom all love flows,
Glory to Jesus, who showed his love through suffering,
And glory to the Holy Spirit,
Who brings light to the darkest places. Amen.
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