Intimate Intercession: The Sacred Joy of Praying for Others

This book challenged me to examine my prayer life and put forth the effort to go deeper with God. After reading it myself I bought 3 additional copies for friends. The four of us have begun meeting weekly to study scripture together and practice intercessory prayer.

Vintage Rhodes...her best work, in my opinion, since Contemplating the Cross. It is SO important to come to these faith "ah ha's" on our own...during quiet moments with God, in prayer, in peaceful conversation with HIm...and Tricia is a master of facilitating these opportunities....Don't be afraid of it if you are a first time Rhodes reader...you will have a great time!

Tricia McCary Rhodes shares this vision of intercession with readers in Intimate Intercession. She defines intercession as "to stand in the gap between God and needy people, our hearts bonded to theirs as we plead their cases in prayer, regardless of what they have done or haven't done to deserve His intervention." (8) After defining intercession, Rhodes discusses the calling to be an intercessor, the relationship between God and the intercessor, the importance of faith, the role of obstacles, abiding in Christ as the root of successful intercession, and the heavenly vision. Rhodes uses personal anecdotes, stories, and quotations to get her message across in a friendly conversational style. She ends each chapter with a biblical prayer and a prayer by a Christian leader, such as Saint Patrick, Mother Theresa, or Charles Wesley. Rhodes offers much wisdom and encouragement on intercession. However, a few times her using her own stories comes across as almost "holier-than-thou," such as one account where God revealed to her how He sees a friend of hers that she considered not spiritually balanced. God showed her a vision of how differently He sees her friend. When she shared with her friend what God had shown her, their relationship was healed. Rhodes goes on, "Intercession that does not spring from this kind of intimacy with God will lack both power and joy." (56) Her points are good and true, but the average reader will think, "Yeah, like God shows me this type of thing. I might as well as hang it up." The book may appeal more to charismatic reader than to others because of its emphasis on spiritual warfare, but it offers many important ideas to ponder. I especially enjoyed the biblical and historical prayers she includes. -- Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com

Pastor's wife and author Tricia McCary Rhodes opens her text on the discipline of intercession with a statement both thoughtfully profound and utterly simplistic. "Intercession is a spiritual discipline fraught with paradox." She goes a step further and describes what many praying Christians give pause to wonder at: "...the cornerstone of intercession is the act of pleading someone else's case before God in prayer." Rhodes understands that the art of intercession has been too often positioned far and above most believers' confidence levels, so they retreat from this significant act of service feeling inadequate for the task. And there's the whole issue of God's sovereignty: where exactly does prayer enter in if God is already controlling events past, present and future? Understandably, there are those intimidating stories of Christian "saints" and mystics who seem to commune with God on a higher plane than most. Yet Rhodes's call for prayer is persuasive and her argument compelling as she unveils the mysteries of intercession, creating both a desire and joy to bow before God's throne to plead for the well-being of another soul. Writes Rhodes, "If you are a Christian, you are, by your very nature, an intercessor. When God saved you, He filled you with the life of Christ who is always interceding." Rhodes calls fellow Christians to willingly and enthusiastically "stand in the gap" and pray fervently for others. She includes poignant prayers within each chapter and encourages readers to "practice prayer" by reading them first silently, then aloud, journaling key thoughts and writing one's own prayer before offering it aloud to the Lord. The author eases readers into this spiritual discipline with good, common, everyday examples from her own life --- both the successes and the struggles --- that help to amplify the nitty-gritty of praying from one's heart and soul. Specifically, readers will learn more about the holy calling as apprentices to the school of prayer --- drawing closer to Christ as believers lift up the needs of others, gaining insight into life as an intercessor, praying from the trenches of pain and heartache, enduring and persisting in prayer until answers come (or when they don't), and developing a mindset focused on eternity and God's heavenly kingdom. One of the most powerful pictures of the importance of intercession that Rhodes presents in her text is mirrored by Christ's own example where the book of Hebrews states, "Christ ever lives to make intercession for us." Rhodes offers this wondrous truth to fledgling, untried intercessors and seasoned pray-ers alike. Christians are never more like Christ than when they carry another's burdens in prayer, begging God to bring his "kindness to bear on the disrepair in their lives." Rhodes's entire primer on intercession is lovely, inspiringly presented, and all the more palatable because of its plucky honesty. Intercession is not for the weak-kneed --- but then again, maybe it is.

I've enjoyed every one of Tricia Rhodes' books and Intimate Intercession: the Sacred Joy of Praying for Others was no exception. Like At the Name of Jesus and Contemplating the Cross, it has a level of depth and passion that I often find lacking in popular Christian books. Like many believers I have been intimidated in the past, by the idea of interceding for others in prayer. There's just something about the word "intercession" that insinuates the need for a special theology degree or audible calling from God Himself. But Tricia's book reminded me that not only are all believers equipped to be intercessors for other, but that it is a privilege and a joy. The book filled me with a renewed appreciation for the gift of prayer; the God of the universe not only hears me, but He wants to hear from me. Through prayer we are able to part of His eternal plan. What an amazing thought! I was drawn to approach the throne more often for the needs of others and the world as a whole instead of my own. Examples from the author's personal experiences with both answered prayer, and times when God seemed to have her on hold, encouraged me to reflect on similar experiences in my own life. Intimate Intercession covers the definition of intercessory prayer, the calling on believers to pray, and experiences on the journey of prayer. As she typically does in her books, the author includes a section in each chapter that encourages reflection, journaling, and prayer. However this time there are few or no Scripture passages to look up. Instead she concludes each chapter with a printed prayer from Scripture and the prayer of a believer from the past (such as Augustine and St. Patrick), a touch that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend this unique book on prayer. I may very well change your prayer life.