Prayer...mine is usually fueled by compassion and gratitude. Thankfully, I praise God for His great grace and for His mighty hand in our lives. Then, I am moved by compassion to intercession for those who have great needs...specifically for spiritual needs, knowing that it is God's will that all be saved, and that in seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness brings people in to the blessing place of God.
I have failed miserably when it comes to praying for people with problems that are results of bad choices. Take for instance, someone that is addicted to an illegal drug...although I know that it is God's will for me to pray for these people, they are probably the last people I think about praying for. Today, a friend of mine taught me something about praying for such people.
"They are victims," she said. "They are being controlled by something that is of the devil. They are in the grips of a spirit of addiction. I pray for them because I understand what it is like to be in that position...meth is so addictive, that only Jesus can help someone come out from it." My friend speaks from experience...Christ is not only her personal Lord and Savior, but He was made Ransom for her freedom. She was in bondage to sin and addiction but was made free by the blood of Christ.
God's Word says, "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;" These were the words of Jesus in Luke 4:18.
My friend has a particular compassion for people who are oppressed by the spirit of addiction. She understands the mental and physical affliction and bondage that comes with drug addiction, and she intercedes in prayer on behalf of those who are bound. She prays for them to realize that Jesus is the only Way out and for them to turn to Him for help.
I am thankful to God for the people that He has placed in my life to help me grow spiritually. I also understand that my friend's experiences and testimony is part of her purpose and that He has placed her in my life to help me to see things from another perspective.
May God continually remind me that I am not to pick and choose who to pray for, to help me be more understanding, compassionate...more like Jesus...with a desire for salvation for those who are lost, bound, blind, and broken. May I be more sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in prayer, always seeking the will of God.
Be blessed in Jesus' Name,
Angie
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