Intercessory Prayer is indeed spiritual warfare. In the garden of Gethsemane our Lord sweat great drops of blood as He agonized in prayer. To the saints at Colosse the Apostle Paul wrote that Epaphras was "always laboring fervently in prayer for you" (Colossians 4:12). Our Saviour said, "men ought always to pray and not faint" (Luke 18:1). "To faint" means to give up before the answer comes.
When we start to pray, God dispatches an angel to meet the need or to answer that prayer. Remember, in Daniel 10, Daniel was told by the angel bringing the answer that the Archangel Michael had to come and fight with him and for him because of the prince of Persia. The angel praised Daniel for continuing to pray, persistently, for 3 weeks (21 days). The angel had the answer for Daniel but was hindered because he fought the prince of Persia before he could deliver the answer to the prayer of Daniel (Daniel 10:2, 10-14).
So many times we give up to soon and stop praying before the angel accomplishes his purpose or arrives with the answer. So, the answer may never come. Hebrews 1:14 states, that angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation". After our Lord Jesus had labored earnestly in prayer in Gethsemane, "there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him" (Luke 22:43).
So, let us bring our special prayer request straight to the throne of heaven. Remember, Ephesians 6:18, "praying always with all prayer in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with alll perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
So, may we join those like Epaphras who labored fervently in prayer; "pray without ceasing", I Thessalonians 5:17.
compiled and adapted from various sources.
I am praying for you and your families,
