Excerpt from Healing Power of Intercession Talk by our Mother Foundress
“I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11)
The Lord showed us that intercession is a prayer ministry where there is absolutely no focus on oneself. Maybe this is one of the reasons why there are so few intercessors – it’s not prayer for self in any way. It’s always prayer for others that is directed by Him. It’s more of an interest in the concerns of the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary. Intercession is very selfless, but the beautiful part is that when we forget our concerns, problems, and needs and become interested in the needs of God’s family and His concerns, somehow He takes care of all of our concerns. I don’t know if He calls on other intercessors, or if He’s just so grateful that we can lay aside our own concerns, but we have found that the more we intercede for God’s children, the more He does for us. May it’s because He will never, ever, be outdone in generosity.
In conclusion, there is tremendous power in communal intercession. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in their midst” (Mt 18:20). This gives intercessory prayer another level of power. We can intercede privately, but we have found that it is in communal intercession that the power lies. We have more direction from the Lord and word knowledge operating. So, if you can, always try to find one or two or three prayer partners. It doesn’t take many. Maybe Jesus know there never would be a lot who would gather together to pray. So He said “if only two or three are joined in My Name, there I am in your midst” (cf. Mt 18:20).
So intercessory prayer will always put God into action. It’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God is calling us now to really be “qualified ministers” with Him in this beautiful ministry of intercession. So “fear not, little flock, because it truly has pleased your Father to give you the Kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
“Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather, our qualification comes from God” (2 Cor 3:5)