Training for an Intercession "Field Meet"

An Intercessor keeps his or her eyes on God

I am not an athlete.  I don’t run fast enough, throw far enough, or jump high enough to compete in sports.  Yet, I train and prepare like an athlete, as I get ready to head to the mission field to serve in prayer.

How does an intercessor train?  Well, first there is a physical side of being able to serve intensely in prayer on the mission field.  I walk…a lot!  I walk and sing praises to the Lord.  (Let’s exercise those lungs!)  I prayer walk for long periods of time. (I must be able to think intently in prayer and still walk without stumbling!)  I sleep and try not to stay up too late.  I attempt to eat healthy and do a little self-care before a trip to the field to serve.  Before I go, is the time to see to my personal needs.

An intercessor needs to prepare mentally.  Now is the time to live one day at a time.  It is not the time to put things off, but neither is it the time to attempt to accomplish as much as possible right up to the time the flight is leaving.  Packing requires some mental foresight and the ability to happily say, “Sure I would be glad to add another 8 lbs. of “stuff” to my luggage and bring that for you!” and truly mean it. 

It’s time to prepare emotionally.  I leave family behind.  I thank God that my husband often travels with me now, but our children and grandchildren do not.  Family and friends lives will continue while I am away serving the Lord.  The best advice I ever received for this preparation came from my pastor.  He said, “Be where you are.”  When I am in the field, I focus on the prayer work at hand and building relationships with those I am there to serve in prayer.  When I return home, then it is time to focus on my family.

There is a Spiritual preparation for leaving to serve the Lord in prayer on the mission field.  When I go to the field to pray for others and serve them in prayer, I know that I may have personal needs go unmet for a time.  It is a time to trust God to provide for what I truly need and to focus on the needs of others.  It is a time to go where I am asked to go, to eat what I am offered to eat, to sleep when I can and where a place is provided, and to serve those who are in need of prayer even when it is early in the morning or late at night.  It is a challenge and it is the most self-less thing I do; meaning it is the most Christ like work I am blessed to do. It is a time to let the Holy Spirit that lives within me have full reign!

Finally, you guessed it.  There is a preparation of prayer that is vital to preparing to go to the mission field.  Now is the time for much listening in prayer.  I will soon be talking a lot to God on behalf of others.  I will intercede for them with the heart of an intercessor and sometimes with tears.  Now, is the time for me to spend time with God listening, reading his Holy Word, and seeking him with all my heart.  He will prepare me well for he already knows what is coming.  This time with the Lord reminds me just how much I can trust him.

Yes, it’s time to prepare for another adventure with the Lord in Intercession.  An adventure in intercession that will take me far from home, but closer to my Lord.

By Jacqui – One of God’s Intercessors