Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Tuesday Prayer

I once envisioned intercession as bringing requests to God that God may not have thought of, then talking God into granting them. Now I see intercession as an increase in my awareness. When I pray for another person, I am praying that God open my eyes so I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person....

In short, prayer allows me to see others as God sees them (and me): as uniquely flawed and uniquely gifted bearers of God's image. I begin seeing them through Jesus' eyes, as beloved children who the Father longs to embrace. I know that God wants their marriages to grow stronger and their children to stay out of trouble; God wants them healthy, and strong to resist temptation, capable of reaching out to others in need. I bring those prayers to God because I know God wills the very same thing.

What I desire in the people I pray for, God desires all the more.

Philip Yancey Prayer: Does It Make a Difference?

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