“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap…”  Ezek. 22:30

Intercessory prayer is a mysterious two way communication with God.

The Holy Spirit has taken my hand.  I know there is genuine love.  Now I need to invite Him into the situation.  Will I speak with my Lord as we dance?  Will I look into His loving eyes to confess, adore Him, thank, or ask something?  Will I listen to Him, so that I can be used by Him in this story of life?

He has taught me how to pray.  He has asked me to keep watch with Him as he struggled in Gethsemane.  I watched him sweat drops of blood over the agony.  Or did I fall asleep too?

It’s a call to talk to and also to hear from, the Holy Spirit of God.  The great I AM.  What a privilege.  I’m like a small child who is learning how to speak.  I get to the end of human understanding.  He intercedes through me in sighs to deep for words.

Sometimes  I go through a list of needs or wants.  It is one sided.  But He still listens.

At times it becomes long and painful.  Tears.  Physical pain.  Desiring healing for someone so badly that it hurts.  Exhaustion.  The dance is long and I get weary.

There are times of exuberant praise.  It’s like swirling around with my dress flouncing around behind me.  There is a bounce in my step.

Days when I have a spontaneous conversation with a best friend.  We laugh.  I think I hear Him speak and I write it down quickly in a journal, like I’ve received a treasured jewel.

A day of unexpected grief.  I drop to my knees in utter helpfulness and dependency.

Urgent times when a friend, or even someone I don’t even know needs me.  My heart goes deep.  I’m commanded to stand in the gap.

Place yourself near this beautiful picture.  Joshua was in the battle against the Amalekites.  Moses was on the mountaintop holding up his staff in prayer. When his staff was raised, they were winning.  When he would tire, the enemy gained ground.  

People were placed in Moses’ life to help.  First they put a stone under him so that he could sit down.  Then in God’s grace, he positioned Aaron and Hur on either side of him to hold up his arms.  The Israelites overcame.

We may be called to be in the valley fighting a war.  We might be on the mountaintop in prayer.  There will be a time when I’m in the valley.  A ‘Moses’ will be called to intercede for me.

These meditations are my paraphrases and thoughts based on the book, “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit”, by Long, Stokes and Strickler.