“Will You Pray for Me?”: The Power of Intercessory Prayer
Intercessory prayer is a simple but profound way to express our care for each other, support our business, and keep ourselves humble.
If you’re not familiar with intercessory prayer, it’s straightforward: You’re praying on behalf of someone else before God. You’re the intercessor for their problems and needs. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Since Abraham, intercession—asking on behalf of another has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God's mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ's, as an expression of the communion of saints. In intercession, he who prays looks ‘not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,’ even to the point of praying for those who do him harm” (2635).
The good news is, you don’t have to tackle intercessory prayer alone. If you’re familiar with any of Our Lady’s apparitions at any point in history, you know she’s always urged us to pray for the salvation of souls, both living and dead. We’re so fortunate, because she’s everyone’s heavenly intercessor before God.
Know that this practice of intercessory prayer covers everyone—family, friends, enemies (that’s a tough one, I know)—and everything. I hope you’re praying for all aspects of your business and even the nation you live in.
For Your Family and Friends
One of my coaches reminded me that the phrase “one another” is right up there with “be not afraid” for most appearances in Scripture. Prayer is about being in relationship with “one another,” including your relationship with God and your relationship to the person you’re praying for.
Sometimes, I may not be in a position, in terms of financial means or talent, to answer someone else’s prayer. But I can always pray for them. Prayer is free, and anyone can do it. If someone shares a worry, need, or a problem with me, I tell them, “I will pray for you.” Then, I do.
For Your Business
My past, present, and future clients are always on my intercessory prayer list. I’ve also added a “prayer request” button to my website. Anyone can submit a prayer anonymously, and I will pray for their intention during my weekly Adoration.
There is also nothing wrong with praying for the success of your business! If we’re successful as Catholic women in business, it’s because we don’t do it alone. Jesus has his hand in all of it, the good and the bad. Many Catholic business leaders have a heavenly board of directors or a patron saint they call upon for their business. Besides praying to fulfill your mission so you can give glory to God, most of us also measure success with dollars. I don’t see anything wrong with doing so, since money gives you the freedom, means, and opportunity to be a good steward of your wealth and share the fruits of your success with others.
How to Do It
Keep intercessory prayer simple, or it’s easy to become overwhelmed. There is a lot to pray for! I bought a flip pad for $1, jazzed up the cover with a sticker, and keep it on my desk. Anytime someone asks for prayer or I feel I need to pray for someone, I write down the prayer intention on the flip pad. (My mom taught me this practice; she would pull out her little notebook before Mass to pray.) Sometimes, I read over each prayer, and sometimes, I place my hand over the pad and ask Jesus and Mary to take care of all the prayers I’ve written down. We can ask for heavenly help, whether it be through a beloved saint or Our Lady.
In the book “33 Days to Morning Glory,” Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, invites us to ask Our Lady to disperse our prayers as she sees fit:
“In regards to others, when we fully consecrate ourselves to Mary, we lose the unconditional right to distribute the value of our prayers and good actions to others. In other words, we give the rights to the grace (merit) of our prayers to Mary. We’re telling her, ‘Mary, I give you the right to distribute the grace of my prayers as you see fit.’”
I don’t know about you, but this practice sounds powerful to me. Even if you haven’t done a Marian consecration, it’s worth simply asking Our Lady to be in charge of the distribution of your prayers. Certainly sounds like it would lighten the load, right?
Most of those prayers on my flip pad are not crossed off yet, which brings me to some thoughts on trust and gratitude …
Trust and Give Glory
Most of the time, you will not know if the person’s prayer has been answered. Trust that your prayers are heard, and give glory to God ahead of time for answering the prayer! Someday, you will find out how all those prayers were answered.
Sometimes, you will know the prayer has been answered. If that’s the case, practice humility, and praise God! Say it out loud to someone, or offer a personal prayer of thanksgiving.
Are you already practicing intercessory prayer? What are your favorite forms of prayer? Join the discussion in the Catholic Women in Business Facebook group.
Liz Montigny is a licensed Ziglar Life Coach for Catholic women to step into their new season of life and act on the dreams God has put on their heart. She lives with her husband and their three boys in Massachusetts where she homeschools, likes to relax with a cup of tea, and enjoys talking about non toxic living and building her theatre ministry. You can connect with her at lizmontignycoaching.com.