I traveled to Atlanta over the weekend to be a bridesmaid in my aunt’s wedding. The day of the wedding, I arrived in very casual attire since we were to dress at the church. Well, the seamstress didn’t have my dress completed nor did she have the bride’s dress finished. Since I wouldn’t be participating in the wedding and definitely wasn’t dressed to attend a wedding, I chose to sit on the back pew and intercede and pray for my aunt who is more like a sister to me. Although I wanted her to have the perfect wedding, as most brides long for, it was important to remove my desires as I stood in the gap for her in prayer. I knew God was using each mishap on this special day as an opportunity to take my aunt to a level of faith she would need in her marriage. My prayers had to be about God’s interest and concerns for her. I needed to stay focused and connected to His will and not my own. As I watched my father walk her down the aisle in her replacement wedding dress, I continued to pray. I was overjoyed as I realized I wasn’t chosen to be a bridesmaid, but an intercessor. Although many things didn’t go as planned, God prevailed and the couple was covered in prayer and married. The seamstress was covered also…from angry bridesmaids. Interceding for others is serious business. Whether we are interceding for our children, husband, friends, organizations, church and political leaders, or complete strangers, it is crucial to remove our emotions and judgments and focus on God’s will in the person’s life. My aunt’s wedding may not have started off right, but her marriage did – covered in prayer.
1 Timothy 2:1 (NIV)
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone...
