We never pray alone

Romans 8:26 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

I count it all joy to be able to write for this prayer blog for our young people in TRAC who are growing in their walk with the Lord & blessing the world through a deepening prayer life. As Henri Nouwen puts it – “A spiritual life without prayer is like the Gospel without Christ.”

The above Bible verses assure us that God Who is the “author & perfecter of faith” is the initiator & enabler of prayer. It is God’s committed & passionate pursuit of us that calls us to prayer; God’s desire for us, not so much our desire for Him, is the root & basis of prayer. The desire for communion with God is a God-given desire; hence our hearts will remain restless until it has found full & satisfying union with our Maker & Redeemer. Hence the need to pray, & to pray unceasingly. In the wider sense of the word, to pray means to live & think in the presence of God – in our daily life. It is the raising of one’s heart to God.

What we commonly call intercessory prayer is quite simply God’s call to His people to interpose for another – to take up the cause & concern of another in prayer to Him. We may “step in” or take up various causes for others such as healing, direction, blessing or any other grounds for the bestowal of God’s favor. In the above verses, we see the power given to us to fulfill God’s desire & call to a deeper level of intercessory prayer experience. Intercessory prayer is a staple & necessary feature of church life in the New Testament church life.

Romans 8:26 tells us that to interpose in prayer for others, is an invitation to pray with the Holy Spirit. We are not doing this alone, albeit we have a role to play. The Spirit invites us to look to Him even as we begin with placing intercessory prayer itself in the setting of our relationship with Him. We turn to Him by asking how am I to pray for this situation? How is this cause to be taken up with God? Prayer is not a lonely journey undertaken by me alone & dependent on my own effort to make it work. In matter of fact, prayer is the work of the Spirit inviting me to join Him in interposing for others. At the height of my weakness, when I am confused & bewildered & do not know what to pray, I am all the more reminded that I must intentionally depend on the Spirit. I must remember that I will be helped & guided in praying – as I join Him to take up the cause for another person or party. We need not let any situation intimidate, overwhelm & defeat us in prayer, as we do not pray &…walk alone.

Earlier this year, I was praying for a “tough case” in which a couple who loved & served the Lord have serious marital problems & needed help (we find such paradoxes exist). But one party was stubbornly resisting seeking help. During a group prayer, I felt the Spirit leading me to pray using 2 Cor 10:5 for that resistance to be broken as we interposed for this couple. That very day I received news confirming that, that resistance was broken, as now both are open to others helping them. I continue to learn what it means to “join the Spirit” in prayer; to so live that, He can pray through me!

May each of you find the joy of “praying in the Spirit”, as the Spirit prays through us. Let us also gather with others, whether in smaller “where 2 or 3 are gathered in My name” situations or in larger settings – but always being active participants, not passive by-standers, in joining the Spirit in interceding for others in every gathering. This is a key feature through which God honors the Korean Church. It was an unforgettable experience for me on the 13 April 2008 when I worshipped with at least 4000 youths in the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea. This was their regular Sunday Youth Service in the afternoon. When it was time to pray, no one was a spectator (unlike going to a football match in a stadium where a passive 4000 watch 22 active others producing all the action “up front”) – the church reverberated with an unforgettable volume of passionate prayer offered with outstretched, lifted hands that ascended to heaven for at least 15-20 minutes! That is why they are so fond of “all praying aloud in one voice”.

When we humbly but passionately join the Spirit in intercessory prayer, we shall witness God’s visitation in a powerful way in our life, in the church & in this land, Malaysia (especially at this time of our country’s history). We shall experience what the apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 2:9 – “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Ong Hwai Teik
President, TRAC