A Leader's Story

When Jenny first told me she felt that God was calling her to intercede for me and for my ministry, I was delighted - it felt very supportive and encouraging. But soon I found myself asking, "What's wrong with me, that I need this extra prayer?", and, "What has God got in store for me that I need this?" The one question that I didn't have to ask myself was, "Isn't my own prayer life adequate prayer support for what I am doing?" Realistically I was spending less time in prayer than I felt I should, and there seemed little chance that it would change. Time was precious, having a full time job, running a church plant in my spare time, and having a two year old daughter around the house meant that my prayer time got squeezed. The only way I was going to pray more was to sleep less, and being honest, sleep was the higher priority for me!

I also knew that prayer was the one thing that I could not pass over to someone else to do instead of me. E.M. Bounds wrote, 'The preacher must pray, and the preacher must be prayed for' - having someone to intercede for me was a very precious increase in prayer support, but it could never replace my own prayer life. I was encouraged by a survey which showed that the average pastor in the US spent twenty two minutes each day in prayer ( a recent UK survey showed that the majority of British ministers spend less than ten minutes each day in prayer). Twenty two minutes seemed like a reasonable target, and by taking opportunities where I can find them, my daily prayer time probably averages around that. Some days I can find an hour for prayer, other days it's a quick ten minutes between meetings or whilst travelling.

I certainly didn't realise just how much intercessory support would transform my ministry - in virtually every aspect. Since Jenny and one or two others have started praying regularly for me, I have found it easier to trust God and to step out in faith, knowing that the prayer cover is already there. It hasn't always been easy. Many of the pictures or words the Lord has had for me have been the opposite of what I might have expected. The very first picture might have been one of glorious encouragement and blessing, but it turned out to be one which led me to deal with a couple of aspects of sin in my lifestyle - areas where I wasn't putting God first. Having this intercessory support has taught me a number of things. I've felt more able to share openly my own needs - initially a sense of embarrassment, and a feeling of not wanting to make myself seem important, restricted what I was prepared to share.

I've felt God speaking to me very clearly through others. If someone is devoting significant time in prayer for you, and feeds back to you what they think God might be saying, you have to take it seriously. They may or may not be right, but at the very least, it warrants serious consideration. One thing that I have greatly valued, is that Jenny seeks to pray through what she feels is God's agenda for me, and not simply stick to topics I share as needs for prayer.

It's led me to do things differently - I had an important meeting, and had several papers to take in with me to present my case. Without knowing my plans, Jenny told me that after she had prayed, she felt that God was reminding me of the need for humility and to go in prepared to listen. I left my papers in the car, and had a much more positive meeting than might otherwise have been the case!

The prayer support has been a precious gift from God, and I thank Him for it, as well as being truly grateful to Jenny and others who intercede on my behalf.