“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God–it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” James 5:16 AMP

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the power of prayer, and I’ve seen it up close and personal in my own life, especially over the last few years. What I’ve come to realize is how important it is to pray, not only for those you love and treasure in your life, but also for those with whom you are struggling or at odds. According to faithgateway.com, saying prayers of intercession is a way we build bridges between God and those for whom we pray. The greatest example of intercession is the life and death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everything He did was on our behalf, and in His wake He left us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, who constantly stands at the ready to intercede for us.

“And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:27 AMP

Something I came to realize a long time ago is one very simple equation: service begets love. From the moment a woman learns she is carrying a child, her life becomes about service to that child. For the first several months of the child’s life, the mother is literally living for him or her every moment of the day and night. They begin watching what they eat, what they drink, and what they do. They make trips to the doctor and begin creating a space in the home that will belong to the child. By the time that little one exits the womb and enters the world, there has been so much focus on serving the needs of that child, an astonishing amount of love already exists at birth. But it doesn’t stop there…parents continue to serve and care for the child as it grows and matures, and as that happens, the parent’s love grows and matures in tandem.

That is just one example of how service is the most direct route to love. As a nurse, I find that I have a great deal of innate love for the patients I serve. I am an animal lover to the core and am very aware of how dependent our pets are on us and our willingness to serve them every single day. We make sure they always have food, water, exercise, and a place to use the bathroom. We take them to the vet and bathe them. We provide them with beds to sleep in at night, and all of the love and attention they can handle. No wonder we love them so deeply. Our relationship with our pets is one of service.

While working as a supervisor with a wonderful team of nurses, my main focus was one of, “what can I do to make their lives better at work?” When I first took the position, the team was weary, overworked, disheartened, and felt left behind in the grand scheme of things. There were a number of changes being implemented, and they were already stretched to their breaking points. Yes, there was a need for someone to come in and handle all the bits and pieces of supervisory level tasks, but there was a much greater need for the team to feel seen, heard, and appreciated. There were many things that I couldn’t do for them, circumstances that were well beyond my control. However, I did my best to make sure they knew their plight was understood and that I was constantly doing whatever I could to make things better for them. I quickly grew to love each and every member of that team a great deal, and I miss working with all of them to this day.

Prayers of intercession are just another way of serving each other. I believe that is part of what makes prayer on behalf of others, especially those with whom we are at odds, so valuable. In choosing to pray for them, we are choosing to serve them, thus we will grow to love them, regardless of whether or not they accept that love. And all of that together is what gives us the strength to forgive them, even when they refuse to forgive us.

When you tell someone you will pray for them, please make sure you follow through. I think it is far too easy for us to say, “I’ll be praying for you,” because we want to make them feel better, or appease their angst somehow. But that is one promise you don’t want to make without following through, because just as you are telling them you’ll be praying for them, you are also telling God that you are willing to intercede on their behalf. That is one promise it is truly important to keep…and if you’re not willing to keep it, then don’t make it in the first place!

“First of all, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth.” Timothy 2:1-4 AMP