If a friend came to you with a pressing need, would you be secure that your prayer life could make a difference for them? There are two things to consider here:
- Your willingness to step forward in prayer for them.
- Your ability to connect their need to Jesus in prayer, not just to your heartfelt sympathy.
On a recent Sunday morning, I asked the people of Celebration-Harderwyk how it is that we learn to cultivate a prayer life that can connect the needs of our friends and family with the situation-changing grace of the Heavenly Father.
One resource that has been helpful for cultivating my own prayer life in this way is the book Praying for Prodigals by James Bank. He writes:Mark and Luke tell a striking story of Jesus “catching people in the act” of faith. Four men brought a friend who was paralyzed to Jesus for healing. When they couldn’t find a way through the crowd, they climbed up on the roof of the home where Jesus was teaching, removed some tiles, and lowered the man “right in front of Jesus” (Luke 5:19). Mark and Luke both write that “when Jesus saw their faith,” he healed their friend (Mark 2:5, Luke 5:20).
Notice that both Mark and Luke mention more than just the faith of the man who was healed. Jesus saw “their faith,” indicating the faith of his friends. When the man was paralyzed and could do little for himself, the active faith of those around him made all the difference.
When we pray for our prodigal kids, we carry them on stretchers of faith to Jesus. We do the heavy lifting, but they receive the benefit. They may be entirely passive or even actively resisting us, but Jesus sees our faith as we bring them to Him.
Jim Cymbala writes of his daughter Chrissy’s return after a long prodigal season. One Tuesday evening, God moved the church he serves (The Brooklyn Tabernacle) to intercede passionately for his daughter. He came home that evening and told his wife, “It’s over with Chrissy. You would have had to be in the prayer meeting tonight. I tell you, if there is a God in heaven, this whole nightmare is finally over.”
Two days later, his daughter came home to her family and back to God. She asked one question over and over: “Daddy . . . who was praying for me? Who was praying for me?” pp.83-84
Remember that resources like this one are most helpful when they serve as a bridge and not as an end in themselves. It is Jesus who teaches His people to pray. We join him “who lives to make intercession” for His people (Hebrews 7:25) and learn from Him. There is no magic in praying the words of a book like this or being moved by the inspiration they bring. As a bridge to our Faithful Intercessor, we join Him in the work that He is about.
CLICK HERE for the Amazon link to this book and CLICK HERE for a 90-second YouTube introduction by the author.
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