In Scripture, we see the following clear prophetic images of intercessory prayer:

• 1 Timothy 2:1-2 encourages believers to pray for all people, including leaders, so that they may lead peaceful and godly lives. 
• James 5:16 emphasises the power of righteous people’s prayers, stating that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” 
• Daniel 9:4-19 Daniel prays identifying with the sins of his people, saying: O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
• Abraham’s prays in this way for Sodom
• Moses intercedes for Israel
• Ezra, identifies with the sins of his people
• Elijah, asks God to reveal himself to the people
• Nehemiah, identifies with the sins of his people
• Jesus, before going to the father, intercedes for his followers
• Stephen prays for his murderers, at the point of his death
• Paul prays in this way as he writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.

Ultimately, Jesus is the image of an intercessor. The Bible teaches that Jesus intercedes on behalf of believers before God (Hebrews 7:25), serving as a mediator between God and humanity. We follow the example of Jesus in interceding for others.

Intercessory prayer involves bringing the needs, concerns, and challenges of others before God. This can include prayers for healing, guidance, protection, salvation, reconciliation, and other specific needs individuals or communities may have. This practice is based on Jesus’ teaching that whatever is asked in His name will be granted (John 14:13-14).

We are doing this at Creation Fest in three ways:

• Group Intercession: Coming together to pray for specific needs or situations. This communal aspect reinforces the sense of unity and shared responsibility within our community.

•  Faith and Trust in God’s Will: Intercessory prayer involves a deep trust in God’s wisdom and sovereignty. To believe that God hears and answers prayers according to His will, even if the specific outcomes may not always align with our expectations.

• Persistency: We are encouraged to be persistent in our prayers, trusting that God’s timing and purposes are perfect (Luke 18:1-8). This is why we are making time each week to do this.

In the words of Walter Wink:

“Intercessory prayer is spiritual defiance of what is in the way of what God has promised. Intercession visualises an alternative future to the one apparently fated by the momentum of current forces. Prayer infuses the air of a time yet to be into the suffocating atmosphere of the present. … History belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into being. … Even a small number of people, firmly committed to the new inevitability on which they have fixed their imaginations, can decisively affect the shape the future takes. These shapers of the future are the intercessors, who call out of the future the longed-for new present.”

So what are we praying for? What do we want to see, what are we believing for, what are we brave enough to call out of the future into the new present?

• Creation Fest (summer gathering)
• Glow
• Youth
• Church
• Community
• Friends who don’t yet know Jesus
• Family

We pray boldly, listening,  as we feel led, not being afraid of silence and wait for prayers to form, but speaking out in faith, in authority, and in the knowledge that God IS listening.

So join us in praying that God open our minds and hearts to pray boldly for a fresh vision of his love and future in 2024.

With joy, 

Paul Worth 

Creation Fest Event Lead