Praying for others - intercession. I'm writing this on the afternoon of Café Church in August in which the focus was intercession - praying for others in need. During our ordination service in July, Bishop Viv reminded us of the different facets of a deacon's role. At one point she declared: deacons are to 'bring the needs of the world before the Church in intercession'. Intercession was described by a former archbishop as 'coming before God with people on your heart'. I like this little phrase, because no matter how huge a problem seems, how ill a friend is, or how complicated someone's situation has turned out, it reminds us that we can simply place needs before God without giving him exact instructions on how to solve them. A friend who has a distinct calling to pray for others once told me she prays for someone 'with or without information'. Our heavenly Father knows our needs. So why bother praying, since God knows our needs? Richard Foster, author of 'Celebrating Discipline', explains that prayer changes us. He says: 'Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us'. The more we pray, the more we gradually adjust what we ask God for. When we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit in us, our will becomes aligned to God's will in prayer. I wonder if you too have discovered this? Jesus's example prayer - the Lord's Prayer - contains two of the most vital requests in prayer: 1) Give us today our daily bread and 2) Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. 1) changes all who have more bread than they need by inviting them to share it. In 2) 'as we forgive' invites us to let go of past grievances and this transforms our relationships and brings us peace of heart. At Café Church, led by Mark and Chris, conversations emerged aound the tables about our own experiences of intercession. We acknowledged the need to be honest before God in prayer - which might mean expressing difficult feelings - such as anger over a desperate situation. As Mark reminded us, a read through 9
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