The Burden of Prayer

My wife Teresa's Mother was a woman of prayer.  I could write a number of examples of her being awakened in the night or remaining awake for hours with the burden of prayer for someone.  One such occasion was a burden in the middle of the night for a missionary and his wife stationed on the other side of the globe in Singapore.  She prayed for them for hours.  She recorded the date and time of the burden and prayer.  This was before the days of social media or email.  She wrote a letter and asked the missionary about the time and date she had recorded.  He wrote back  and said, "Oh yes, that was when my wife was in labor with our daughter.  The Doctor told us that he was concerned that complications required that we make a decision to save either the mother or the child!"  They told the Doctor that they could not make such a decision.   Both mother and child came through the trial without harm!  Praise God for his power and intervention!  Praise God for His praying saints!

The burden of prayer is not intended to cause worry and dread.  Yet, it can seem that way when a believer becomes aware of a concern.  It is troubling because it can come without a shred of physical evidence of anything wrong.  There are times when you can sense a burden for someone without knowing any circumstances or details.  For the new intercessor it can be a troubling pattern of thoughts that is simply cast aside into the busyness of the day.  Each time we neglect the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our thought life we desensitize our spirit man even more.  But when we bring the thing to the Lord in prayer, even without understanding, we qualify for more usefulness to God.  How long should you pray about the burden or what feels like heaviness?  Until the burden is lifted!  That is what past generations of intercessors called "praying through!"  The lifting of the burden could be a momentary thing.  At times it might be a continuing prayer reminder that resurfaces for days in the Spirit.  The important thing is not to just suppose you are having random thoughts.  Your random thoughts may be very strategic leadership of the Holy Spirit enlisting you to enter spiritual warfare prayer on behalf of someone else in need.  Who knows how many others may be fighting the same spiritual battle for the same need you are engaging in prayer?

May we slow down today in our busy lives and keep an open ear to heaven for Kingdom purposes and assignments.