Many churches have intercessory prayer ministries, sometimes with dedicated prayer rooms. People of the church and surrounding community request prayer, and God touches the hearts of some people to volunteer to pray as a part of that ministry on a regular basis. If we’re not careful, the rest of us breathe a sigh of relief, thinking we’ve got prayer covered.

Somehow the mind set creeps in that intercessory prayer is a service we perform, a choice we make--like choosing to be Sunday School workers, or to sing in the choir. Some people come to the church and are part of an intercessory prayer ministry that is an area of service that is above and beyond the call of personal intercession. But it doesn’t replace it; we all have the privilege of praying for others.

We don’t have to be especially equipped. We just have to be willing to begin. We have to be disciplined enough to set aside time for prayer, and organized enough not to forget to pray for people as we intend. One thing I’ve learned over the years is not to trust my memory. If someone asks me to pray for her, ideally we pray then--in person or on the phone.

The important thing is to do it. What if we all assume someone else is praying, and no one is? What if God had the perfect answer waiting, and nobody asked?