1 Timothy 2:1 "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
(Excellent series given by Dan in Calgary, Canada)
On September 23, 1857 a prayer meeting was held at noon on Fulton Street in New York City. Initiated by Jeremiah Lanphier who felt impressed to start such a prayer meeting as the outcome of many weeks of asking God in prayer what he was to do to reach the thousands of people in the poor, lower ward of the city. The first meeting only had six attendees, and those individuals arrived thirty minutes late. However the meetings quickly gained attendees and attention. Soon other churches were doing the same thing, and a great revival began that quickly spread to many parts of the world.
1Tim 2: 1, 2 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” (Read more scriptures on Intercessory Prayer.)
Sidlow Baxter:
"Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons—but they are helpless against our prayers."
E. M. Bounds:
“If men would pray as they ought to pray, the marvels of the past would be more than reproduced. The Gospel would advance with a facility and power it has never known. Doors would be thrown open to the Gospel, and the Word of God would have a conquering force rarely if ever known before.”
This is a shorter list of quotations on the need of intercessory prayer and the results that come from such praying.
This is a very special list of quotations on intercessory prayer, for each quotation is preceded by an appropriate Bible verse. This a great source of quotations for church bulletins and prayer meetings.
The following are articles or talks on intercessory and prevailing prayer by Spirit-filled men and women of prayer.
"Prayer not only puts us in touch with God, and gives knowledge of Him and His ways, but it imparts to us His power. It is a touch which brings virtue out of Him. It is a hand upon the pole of a celestial battery, and it makes us charged with His secret life, energy, and efficiency." (Read more on Intercessory Prayer from A. T. Pierson)
"The purpose of our praying is not to force or coerce his will; never that. It is to free his will of the warping influences that now twist it awry. It is to get the dust out of his eyes so his sight shall be clear. And once he is free, able to see aright, to balance things without prejudice, the whole probability is in favor of his using his will to choose the only right." (Read more from S. D. Gordon's essay on praying for our loved ones.)
"Many people would be greatly surprised if God did answer their prayers. I remember hearing of a very eloquent man who was leading a meeting in prayer. There was not a single definite petition in the whole. A poor, earnest woman shouted out: “Ask Him summat, man,” How often you hear what is called prayer without any asking! “ Ask, and ye shall receive.” (Read more from Moody's Prevailing Intercessory Prayer.)
" The most crucial problem of foreign missions is how to lead Christians to use what Dr. Arthur H. Smith of China has characterized as “the deeply buried talent of intercessory prayer.” Without doubt the flood tide of superhuman power is held back from the missionary movement owing more largely to this cause than to any other. The evangelization of the world is not primarily a matter of numbers, wealth, knowledge, and strategy, but of the unhindered working of the Spirit of God. Such divine manifestation has been associated invariably with prayer." (Read more from this interesting article on intercessory prayer and missions.)
Andrew Murray: Elijah the Intercessor
"How often believers seek power in prayer, that they may be able to get good gifts for themselves. The secret selfishness robs them of the power and the answer. It is when self is lost in the desire for God's glory, and our life is devoted to work for God, that power to pray can come. God lives to love, and save, and bless men: the believer who gives himself up to God's service in this, will find in it new life in prayer...." (Read more on Elijah the Intercessor.)
"Are you willing to offer yourself for this holy work? You know the surrender it demands—nothing less than the Christ-like giving up of all, that the saving purposes of God’s love may be accomplished among men. Oh, be no longer of those who are content if they have salvation, and just do work enough to keep themselves warm and lively. O let nothing keep you back from giving yourselves to be wholly and only priests—nothing else, nothing less than the priests of the Most High God. The thought of unworthiness, of unï¬?tness, need not keep you back...." (Read more of what Andrew Murray says about those who pray intercessory prayers.)
McClure's book makes a powerful and instructive appeal for prayer! I only have three chapters here but you will be blessed in taking the time to read them. (Read the chapters for yourself.)
"Intercessory prayer—to prevail—is to be unselfish. All prayer says, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." We are never to pray for things merely pleasing to us, irrespective of their relation to that holy will of God which embraces all His creatures as well as our particular selves. Pure and devoted souls will not obtrude their individual interests as imperative, among counsels that pertain to all humanity. No one of us should ask God to make the day clear for him or her—unless a clear day is best for all the interests of God's will."
In this excerpt from A Plea for Intercessory Prayer, McClure speaks of the God-given talent of intercessory prayer that has been given to all believers. This is one of the better chapters I have read on the subject.
"A powerless Christian ought to be considered as great a misnomer as a powerless thunderbolt. If the talent of prayer should be cultivated as assiduously as the talent of business is cultivated, the result would be that numberless people who never can be forceful in speech, nor bounteous in beneficence, nor energetic in evangelism, would become as effective forces for the world's help as any men and women who have ever lived."
McClure points out five groups of people we should be praying for.