When I was a child
When I was a child, I remember having a burden for many friends at school. I wanted them to know Jesus. I was pretty vocal about being a Christian, but I remember the Lord impressing on my heart to pray for them. I wrote about 15 names in my diary along with all the members of my family and begin to pray every day for their salvations and for any needs I knew they had, mainly healing. They were simple prayers, but I was faithful and prayed daily. At the time, I had never heard of the term “intercessor”.
When I got really involved in church in my 20’s, I was too afraid to pray out loud. I was pretty shy so the idea of actually stepping out to pray in front of people was horrifying! I was so inspired by the passionate prayers of the saints but just to scared to pray out loud. Then one meeting, I felt the urge to pray. You know, that terrifying moment when you have to step out of your comfort zone? My heart was pounding in my chest. What if I sounded stupid? What if I didn’t make sense? I could hardly formulate my thoughts, but I took the plunge, opened up my mouth and prayed. I have no idea what I said or if
it made sense, but it didn’t matter. I was obedient to the Holy Spirit’s urging! Fast-forward to today and you can hardly get me to be quiet!!
God doesn’t answer our prayers because of our eloquence, He answers our prayers because he loves to partner with His people to see His purposes and plans come to pass. I have a passionate desire to see God pour out His Spirit in an unprecedented manner in my Region, Province and Nation. My journey in prayer has led me to become an intercessor at House of Prayer Edmonton (HoPE). There, I have learned the power of using the Word of God as an anchor for prayer. Jesus says that when we ask for anything according to His will, it’s “yes and amen”. (1John 5: 14-15). The Word of God is most definitely His will. When I anchor my prayers in the scripture, I can have confident assurance that I have what I ask for! I also lean heavily on the Holy Spirit. I often ask God, “What’s on Your heart today”. He says in His word that because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we can actually know His thoughts (1 Cor. 2:11-16). I want to know what’s on God’s heart and then pray it back to him. It’s pretty exciting to stand in the gap and contend for Canada and the citizens of this Nation! Some meetings are so full of power that I feel its time well spent. It’s always a rich time with God in the place of intercession.
Maria Collette