Dear Partner,

Over the years I have heard many messages and read many books about intercessory prayer. It is amazing how many different "opinions of man" one can learn that way. The older I get the more reluctant I am to read books "about" the bible. I much prefer to simply read the bible itself while trusting the Holy Spirit to teach me what I need to know from it. The results have been amazing. I recently did a study about intercession directly from the Word of God. Look at what I found (remember that Jesus is the Word made flesh):

A Centurion came to the Word and received healing for his servant. Mat 8:5-13

A Canaanite woman came to the Word & received deliverance for her daughter. Mat 15:21-28

Jairus came to the Word and received healing for his daughter. Mark 5:22-43

A man came to the Word and received healing for his lunatic son. Mark 4:23-24, Mat 17:14-21

Men brought their palsied friend to the Word and received healing for him. Mark 2:1-12

They came to Jesus (the Word made flesh) in order to receive their miracle. Jesus said that after His resurrection we would no longer come to Him for miracles, but rather to the Father:

John 16:23-27   And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

This is very similar to Jesus' exhortation concerning prayer in Luke 11 … "Father give us the daily bread … so we can give it to give to our friends." Jesus said not to quit but to ask, seek, and knock and IT SHALL BE DONE! That is called … Faith!

Mar 11:24   Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

We are to believe we receive when we pray! Our job is to believe we receive when we pray. His job is to see to it that we have it. God is no respecter of persons. If these people could come to the Word and receive healing for their loved ones, then we can come to the Father in the name of Jesus and receive healing for our loved ones. We believe we have received healing, deliverance, and restoration for them.

Most of the books I have read about intercessory prayer over the years seemed to weaken my faith, not strengthen it. They would be filled with reasons why a person might not be healed when we prayed for them. All kinds of reasons were mentioned such as;

1. Maybe they were in unrepentant sin.
2. Maybe they were harboring unforgiveness toward others.
3. Maybe they were lazy and didn't want to get healed and have to hold a job.
4. Maybe they had no faith.
5. Maybe this and maybe that … on and on and on … and on.

But read again those instances of intercession from the bible I listed at the beginning of this letter. We are not told a single thing about the Centurion's servant. We don't know if he was young, old, an Israelite, a pagan, a bitter person, a forgiving person. In fact, we are not told anything about the Canaanite woman's daughter, Jairus' daughter … or any of the people being prayed for in those instances.

What about the faith of the afflicted? In each of these examples from God's Word, information concerning the faith of the person being prayed for is conspicuously absent. Why? So we would learn the lesson loud and clear … God wants to heal the sick and to deliver the oppressed. He is looking for SOMEBODY to have faith so His power can flow. If He can find somebody who will make intercession for them AND NOT QUIT, He will heal the afflicted and deal with them about correction AFTER they are healed. Look at this example;

John 5:14   Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Jesus healed him first and THEN said, "Sin no more." Let us be a people of faith. God is looking for people who have faith when they pray so His power can flow. Don't be timid when it comes to making intercession. Let us be like these people in the gospels who boldly came to God and received healing and deliverance for their loved ones.

Sue and I love you and appreciate you.   We thank God for your generous and giving heart.   God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

Back « to the Resource page or on to the Next letter » Feb 2011

 
Email     or     Print