The Sweetness of Intercessory Prayer

There’s something incredibly sweet about praying for another person, and it’s a sweetness that cannot be found in praying only for ourselves. It’s as though we empty ourselves of our own needs and desires, if only for a moment, and allow someone else’s trouble to become our trouble. We bring their needs before God—their salvation, their healing, their repentance, their endurance, their comfort. We willingly allow their cares to become our cares as we approach the Lord in prayer.This is what we call intercessory prayer. It’s prayer offered on behalf of someone else. And it’s a beautiful expression of Christian love, if for no other reason than that it most often happens when the one for whom we’re praying isn’t even there to see it or hear it.That person may never know how often you mention his or her name before God. There’s no praise to be had. No pat on the back. Chances are, the one for whom you pray will not be there to give you a hug or say thank you. But you pray because love…