Praying daily for people takes time and organization. It is so
easy to tell someone you will pray for them, and then
completely forget to do so. It can get boring to pray for the
same people and the same needs every single day unless you
believe that every single prayer that you pray is making a
difference in their lives.
In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,
Intercession is not general and vague but very concrete; a matter of
definite persons and definite difficulties and therefore of definite
petitions. The more definite my intercession becomes, the more
promising it is. Finally, we can also no longer escape the realization
that the ministry of intercession requires time of every Christian. 10Persistence in prayer, he believed, is not a matter of intellect
or spirituality. It is a practical matter, a sacrifice of time—which
anyone can give to God and on behalf of others!
Wesley Duewel also believed that intensity in prayer was
integral to seeing more power released in answers to prayer. He
wrote in his passionate book Mighty Prevailing Prayer:
“Instead of giving up, we move into ever more determined
intercession until we prevail.” 11 Of course, he admits that
“prevailing prayer is holy work, fervent labor.” 12 Duewel
actually pleaded for more people to become mighty, prevailing,
persistent, persevering prayers, blaming the powerlessness of
the church on its lack of praying men and women. He wrote,
“God’s cause creeps forward timidly and slowly when there are
more organizers than agonizers, more workers than prevailing
prayer warriors.” He challenged his readers: “We need prayer
warriors who pray as though God is God and as though Satan
is Satan.” 13
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