Learn the power of intercessory prayer
The word “intervene” can be understood as the act of someone who intervenes and, therefore, it is “interchange”. The intercessor plays the defensive role, as a lawyer, a fight, trying to promote reconciliation.
To illustrate, I report of a painful personal experience: in high school where he studied, there was a boy with very effeminate traits. Because of their fragility, many boys harassed him. At the end of a day of school, when we left the school, there were some kids to “get him”, and we, colleagues, we knew that their intention was not good. The boy, of course, tried to escape, but the boys used physical force, pulling him by the arm to get him.
As he was also thin, he did not have the physical capacity against the strength of those evildoers, and my heart broke when I imagined what they would do with the poor boy. My will was to put me in the middle, to intervene in the situation, to use my strength to ward off those boys and protect the boy, standing in front of him. The problem was that, at that time, I had no courage or physical strength, therefore, could not solve anything.
Intercession is essentially an attitude. Faced with the need of that boy, my desire was to put myself between him and his enemies, preventing confrontation. This is the attitude of intercessor: someone who stands in the middle, which involves running the risk that pays the price.
Certainly at that time if I put myself in front of the boys I would get punched and kicked – and whoever is the intercessor receives the same. I would come home with scars and bruises, but victorious, happy to not have allowed that confrontation.
Intercession is a fight with enemies. What those kids wanted to do with the boy is very little when compared to what the enemy wants to do with Christians.
This report is to illustrate the role of “intercessor” because our perception is small when we think of its function. The intercessor prostrates himself before the Lord and pray, but not only that. Undoubtedly, prayer is the most important condition, but it is critical that we understand what should be the true attitude of the intercessor.
The intercessor is someone who “moves to the middle”, noting that the verb itself “move” makes us suppose the action of someone who is moved by the situation.
In the situation of my childhood, my will was shouting: “- No! This boy you do not take! You can hit me, hurt, but this boy you do not take. “
This is the attitude of intercessor: so your heart is touched by another situation that arises in the middle. Bringing the explanation for our everyday life, the intercessor, before the necessity of another person stands between God and the person and plays the role of attorney. Like in front of a jury: the defendant cannot and must not say anything, he should just remain silent, as his spokesman is his lawyer who can and know how to talk. We arrive , however, at the conclusion that, as intercessors, we do not know the place and or how to defend the other person, that is, we do not know what to do.
Monsignor Jonas Abib