The Intercessors

I have never known a time of such burgeoning need as there is in our world today. Not just in the lives of those who have never received Christ, but even in Christian families. With so many frantic requests in my mail each day, continually I ask myself, how is it possible to respond adequately? 

My mind turns to several organizations which handle such requests by mail or phone, then to a number of prayer groups. But, my thoughts protest, these groups usually respond with a single petition and probably with little sacrifice or thought or time given. Surely, such a one-time intercession falls far short since so many of these pleas for help come from sufferers obviously needing sustained prayer over a long period. 

Then I remembered how I had first been taught about the awesome power released when a group of people covenant together to pray about a specific need for a stipulated length of time…. On November 10, 1953, I was about to leave for Hollywood for two months of daily script conferences as 20th Century-Fox began work on making my book A Man Called Peter into a motion picture. 

On November 1, I sent a letter to 1,800 friends who had written me after reading A Man Called Peter, asking them for two months of specific prayer that this movie would be protected from “Hollywoodizing” and would be God’s project all the way. 

The response was overwhelming. I heard from almost all of them. And seldom has a wave of prayer been so gloriously answered! Hollywood proved no match for our sovereign, omnipotent God: A Man Called Peter was Fox’s biggest box office picture for 1955; far more important were the lives inspired, even turned around by this movie. 

To this day I keep meeting men who are in the ministry because of having seen this portrayal of Peter Marshall’s life. For me, this experience was an unforgettable lesson in the power of concerted intercessory prayer. 

As I prayed and thought about all this, a vision began taking shape in my mind. One part of the vision was a picture of a growing number of Christians—the elderly, the handicapped, and those in nursing homes or institutions of some sort. 

In the letters I receive from some of these, they are forever asking, “How can I make the remainder of my life count for something? I’d like to serve Jesus in some way but I’m so limited in movement.” Or “All around me in the nursing home there are such needy folks—needier than I am. My heart goes out to them. Yet how can I help them? Do you have any suggestions?” 

Recently, two parts of the vision began coming together. On the one hand, there are hungry, thirsty, frightened sheep who have lost their way and are reaching out, frantically asking for prayer. On the other hand are all those Christians whose intense heart’s desire is to be of help, but who feel shunted aside by life. 

In the vision I saw need and supply coming together. And I was reminded all over again that in God’s providence, His way is always good news for everybody.    

The passion of Jesus’ heart has always been “feed My sheep.” Those asking for prayer often feel so lonely and isolated. They have such desperate need of knowing that somebody, somewhere cares about them. On the other side, the elderly, the ill, the handicapped have time on their hands—time to care, time to write letters, time to telephone, time to pray. 

During this same period, certain books and pamphlets have come into my hands stressing the fact that intercessory prayer is the most important work there is in the kingdom. In fact, so important that the Pioneer and Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ Himself, “ever liveth to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25). 

Having accomplished our redemption on His stark Cross, the glorified Lord’s chief work before the Father’s throne is intercession for us. He is our perfect High Priest (Hebrews 2:10, 17, 18). But to complete His work, He also needs some of us on earth to share His concern, His passionate caring. And to be His hands, His feet, and His voice in co-intercession. Only then is the circle completed from heaven to earth, and back to the Father’s throne again. 

But let’s admit it, intercession is work. It means caring about others as much as ourselves, as well as sacrificing our time. 

And if I am anything like the typical Christian, I know all too little about the how of praying for others. So in my vision I saw that some teaching about intercessory prayer would be necessary, including fresh insights and discoveries. All of that would, in turn, take regular communication through something like a monthly mimeographed or printed newsletter. 

“It seems like a big order, Lord,” I protested. 

“Are not My dreams always big ones?” came the gentle reply. 

And the dream lingered on and on. It would not leave my heart. Even the name was deposited there. Simply, "The Intercessors." 

As we took first steps towards setting up the mechanism to do this work and enlisted the services of people with the gift of intercession—prayer warriors—I remember the chapter of the name in Betty Malz’s book Prayers That Are Answered. She described one prayer warrior named Old Warhorse Buckland as the person her family called on for prayer help in every emergency. 

One day the “Old Warhorse” came to dinner, arriving in a small car. Betty’s Dad hurried down to the street to help her out of the back seat, and she tottered up the porch steps. She was small-boned, small in size and plainly dressed. 

Betty was terribly let down until she looked into her face. Gray hair; firm, resolute chin; patrician nose; character lines creasing her forehead like rivulets. But it was her eyes that held Betty. They flashed determination, tenacity, power. Flecks of fire seemed to emanate from the gray irises of her eyes. 

Betty trembled when Mrs. Buckland took her hand, but the elderly woman’s voice was gentle. She told Betty that as a girl she had been plain; she couldn’t sing, play an instrument or even sew well. She was too small for sports. But she did love to read. 

Stories of courage fascinated her. She fantasized about riding horses to battle. As an American Joan of Arc, she vanquished the forces of evil in every skirmish. When she became an all-out believer, she transferred her battle to the spiritual realm. And then came the discovery: God had given her the gift of prayer power for others! 

Over and above knowledge or experience, the Good Shepherd looks for those with the heart’s desire and the willingness to tithe some time each day for the prayer-effort on behalf of His lost, hurting sheep. 

All of us agree that the world is at a crisis stage. Why should we Christians lie down and allow such a massive assault of evil to invade our families, our society, or our country? 

God has freely given us the total victory of the power of the Cross through the weapon of prayer. Isn’t it time that we covenant together to pick up that awesome weapon and use it to His glory?

Editors note: Catherine Marshall founded "The Intercessors" with her husband, Leonard LeSourd and today, "Breakthrough Intercessors" continues the work she began.