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As an intercessor, you stand in the gap on behalf of others. But chances are you have felt need of being interceded for yourself. You spend much of your time praying, and as much as you love doing that, I bet you’ve wondered: Is anyone praying for me?
Let the IFA community know how to pray for you.
Yes, someone is praying for you. His name is Jesus. He is our great High Priest and intercessor (see Hebrews 4:14–15; Romans 8:34). That’s just a bonus word of encouragement for you; this article is a call to the intercessors who long for connection.
I participate in weekly prayer calls for Texas with my IFA state prayer leader and a handful of faithful intercessors who want to see the Lord move within our state. I’d participated in the past, but briefly and inconsistently. At the beginning of this year, though, I felt the Lord giving me instructions and teaching me that my being more intentional and active in these weekly state prayer calls is important. So, I’ve made that my goal.
Those weekly prayer times have become times of encouragement and hope. I have yet to meet any of these women and one man in person. One day I hope to put a face to their names and their heartfelt, faith-filled prayers. The more often we meet to pray, the deeper the sense of community becomes.
A few weeks back, as we were closing a time of prayer, one woman shared a testimony that moved my heart. She inspired me to write this article. In tears, this woman said: “You don’t know how much this group means to me. It’s so beautiful to feel like I belong.” She went on to reveal how at times she’s felt like people didn’t get her. She felt lonely and longed for connection with others. Here, she felt accepted — by a group of strangers she’d never met before. I was moved as I listened to her pour her heart out to the group. Though she has never met us formally, by the Spirit she feels connected. We are all praying people. We live in different cities. We are of mixed ages and come from different backgrounds, and yet we are connected by Christ and by our desire to pray.
Moved as I was by what that sister was sharing, I began to wonder: How many other intercessors feel this? If you have no one to pray with, I encourage you to join IFA’s state prayer calls. And this is by no means any sort of a shameless plug; I get no pay, no rewards, no bonuses if you do join in. All I get is the joy of knowing that you’re finding like-minded people near you, and that you are, hopefully, cultivating Christian friendships thereby. You were not created to do life alone. That’s why deep down inside, you long to be connected. You were created for a relationship with God, and also for a relationship with other believers. You were created to fellowship with God, and yes, to fellowship with other believers too.
Intercessors tend to be prophetic people by nature. It’s in our DNA. You may have an active dream life. Maybe you see visions too. Perhaps God whispers during your times of prayer. This is beautiful, and, truth be told, it can be a heavy load to bear as well. The supernatural is normal to us, but the natural man does not receive or accept the things of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). In layman’s terms, people find us quite odd at times. Unsaved people don’t understand us. Sometimes they mock us when they hear us praying things that are opposite to what the world is saying. Faith always looks foolish to those who don’t know the power of our God.
Sometimes even other Christians don’t “get” us. They don’t understand why we’re so passionate about certain things. Maybe they don’t have dreams as often as you do. Maybe they haven’t learned to hear the voice of God for themselves yet, and that’s OK. Our assignment may not be the same as theirs, and that’s OK too. Very often we’re left feeling like we don’t belong. We may be seldom seen and heard. And let’s be perfectly honest, if you’re anything like me, you sometimes put your foot in your mouth. But none of this means we should be quick to write off those who misunderstand us or to avoid fellowship with them altogether.
We will certainly deal with being misunderstood and rejected, because that comes with being a Christian. And with rejection come feelings of loneliness and depression. God knows that I’ve battled through some very dark nights of the soul due to intense rejection. That sent me deep into depression, and, as a result, I would retreat inward and isolate myself from the world, and even from other Christians. I put up my walls to keep from being hurt by others, but I ended up actually hurting myself. I find it necessary to share my testimony, especially my mistakes, so that you can know you are not alone. Intercessors, does this sound familiar to you?
Thank You, Jesus, for Your blood that heals us inside and out.
Jesus not only bore our sins on the cross, but He bore our rejection too, so that we could be healed body, soul, and spirit.
He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3).
You need a community, because living in disconnection from the rest of the Body only makes things harder. My former bishop once said that when packs of wolves hunt sheep, they look for the disadvantaged ones first — perhaps the sick ones, or those that straggle behind, or the ones that haven’t stayed close to the rest of the flock, but have strayed away. A lone sheep is a choice target for wolves, because it doesn’t have the safety of the group. That always stuck with me. Isn’t that true of us Christians? Our lives are much better when we’ve got other Christians praying with us and for us, lifting our arms when we’re weary from the battle. When we’re isolated, we are a much easier target for Satan to bully. And it becomes much easier for us to revert to our old unhealthy ways and habits. I speak from personal experience on this.
I often hear people say: “We don’t need ‘church’ — we are the Church.” Yes, that’s true, we are the Church. It’s often those who’ve been wounded by other Christians or who are carrying a feeling of offense regarding another Christian who refuse fellowship. I pray that you’ll find healing, forgiveness, and reconnection. My heart aches for those who desire connection but lack transportation, and also for those who’ve got many health problems and cannot fellowship. My heart desires to see every member of the Body achieve connection, because that’s God’s desire.
Here’s what Scripture says:
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So, we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So, God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:12–27 NLT, emphasis ours).
When we’re alone, we are just one part, but together we make up the Body. Intercessors, we need each other. This is why I wrote this. This is why I’m recommending that if you don’t have a home church now, please consider joining your state’s IFA prayer calls, meanwhile. Similarly, if you lack transportation, or if you’ve got home or health issues that prevent you from physically joining others for fellowship, please consider joining the IFA state prayer calls. If you’ve been wounded or rejected, forgive and move forward. Maybe you would benefit from joining the state prayer calls. The more regularly you pray together with others, the more you will feel a connection to the Church and a sense of belonging. We belong not only to the Lord, but also to one another. We are encouraged to meet together and to encourage one another often because the day of Christ’s return is near (see Hebrews 10:25).
If you can relate to any of this, let’s pray together:
Father, thank You for making me part of the Body of Christ. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for creating me on purpose and with purpose. Thank You for the blood of Jesus, who saved me and cleansed me from my sin. And thank You, Lord Jesus, for carrying not only my sin on the cross, but the sting of my rejections too. Yes, rejection was defeated there, just as death and hell were. I confess that at times, I have rejected fellowship because I myself have been rejected. Help me to reconnect and to find where I belong. I have dealt with my share of rejection, yes, but I refuse to let it hold me back any longer. I want my joy and peace back.
Lord, I forgive _____________ for rejecting me. I forgive _____________ for excluding me. I forgive _____________ for hurting me. I forgive those who have forgotten all about me. You have forgiven me, and You expect me to forgive in turn, as I have been forgiven. I release that pain to You. I release those memories to You. I release my fear of rejection to You, a fear that keeps me from connecting with other Christians. Forgive me when I prioritize less important things above fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe that as I act in obedience, you will connect me to the right people at the right time. Give me Your heart, so that I may love the Church as much as You do. Amen.
Have you been feeling as described here? Look up! Your heavenly Intercessor receives you.
IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Dee from ภาพของSakorn Sukkasemsakorn via Canva Pro.