Intercessory prayer: what does it mean?

For years I felt called ‘to pray for people’. That’s the term I’ve used; it felt comfortable and satisfying. Perhaps it shows my Protestant upbringing; praying for people is what we did and how we talked about (if we ever talked about it). Lately, however, and by lately I mean in the past three days, I’ve been considering the term ‘intercessory prayer’ (which I think of as a Catholic or Anglican term, one often used on the Isle of Iona).

    Here are my thoughts on this beautiful morning as I write and eat cantaloupe . Praying for people is asking for the good, whatever that may be, in a general way. Intercessory prayer, on the other hand, feels more proactive. It suggests that God and I are co-creating, that my prayer makes a difference in a substantive way. Intercessory prayer opens up the possibility of asking God for specific outcomes, which, as I have written about often, I am reluctant to do.

       For sure, I’ll keep writing about his. As we say in the UCC church, God is still speaking. I guess that means that I have to keep listening.

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