Blog 13 - Intimacy Before Strategy: The Heart of Powerful Prayer

Imagine walking up to a stranger on the street and asking for a favor—the likelihood of getting what we want is slim to none. There is no history and no favor with a stranger. But when we approach God, Jesus has opened the door between us and the Father and cleared us of all wrongdoing that could separate us from Him. We are put right with God through our union with Christ.

In light of this truth, God is always ready to listen. Prayer that gets things done flows out of our intimacy with God. This intimacy is essential for hearing His voice and praying according to His will. Strategic intercession requires this foundation - we must know His heart to pray His strategies effectively.

In this episode, we're focusing on building that intimacy through contemplative prayer, laying the groundwork for prayer that truly moves mountains.

The Heart of Prayer

So, let's define contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is a Spirit-led, deeply intimate form of prayer where we intentionally quiet our mind and heart to focus on the presence of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister and speak to us. It is less about speaking to God with words and more about being with God, often in stillness, surrender, and awe of His presence. This Spirit-led connection forms the foundation from which all effective strategic intercession flows.

Think about it - how can we pray strategically if we haven't first learned to hear God's heart and strategies? Crisis prayer, while valid, often keeps us in a reactive mode. Strategic intercession flows from a place of intimate knowledge of God's will gained through contemplative prayer. This is why your relationship with God is more important than any work you do for Him, even intercessory work on your knees. Our service should be an overflow of our love for Him, an expression of our sonship, not an attempt to win His approval.

 
Strategic intercession flows from a place of intimate knowledge of God's will gained through contemplative prayer.
 

A baby born into a relationally healthy family is loved unconditionally. We are born into the family of God, loved unconditionally.

In the Amplified Bible, Romans 5:8 reads: "But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Colossians 1:21-22 reads: "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

Ephesians 1:4 tells us: "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."

The Reality of His Love

When we carry a different countenance than being loved unconditionally into our prayer closets, it affects our experience of God.

Imagine you show up at your aunt's house for a family gathering. You feel a little uneasy. You know up front she doesn't approve of your job choice. And you didn't take your nephew under your wing, and she has an opinion about that, too. Plus, that thing that happened last year? (Whatever that was...)

But you're family. So there you are at the table. It's a bit exhausting because you’ve got to watch yourself and put your best foot forward. To be above reproach, to guard against silent criticism. So you show up just enough and allow the busyness of life to excuse your absence the rest of the time.

Oh, to just be loved. As is. To not be second-guessed, to be seen in the best light, to be given the benefit of the doubt. And even when we do genuinely fall short, to have our audience be so partial to us, they offer nothing but eyes of love... a deep acceptance. This is the kind of connection our soul craves.

 
It doesn't matter what you've done, how badly you've messed up, how many mistakes you've made, how young you are inside, or how broken you are; Jesus clears you of all that.
 

This is the kind of connection Jesus offers us. But we are so unaccustomed to unconditional love that we may come to Him as though He is like the aunt I just described. Most of those who love us in this world also judge us. And we may show up for God in similar ways as we might show up for the aunt, with reserve and out of duty, putting our best foot forward and trying to stay in God's good graces.

We are all familiar with John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

But we oh so easily lose sight of the very next verse:

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

It doesn't matter what you've done, how badly you've messed up, how many mistakes you've made, how young you are inside, or how broken you are; Jesus clears you of all that. It took His blood to do it, but now you are clean, perpetually clean before God. You are wholly loved, accepted, and supported. That love you crave is found exclusively in Him.

Making Jesus Our Boss

Just acknowledging God for who He is is not enough to pass from death into life. If you think about it, the demons know who God is. The Bible even says they tremble knowing who He is. But they do not willingly submit to Him!

Do we?

We are mistaken if we think knowing who He is is enough.

• Luke 9:23 reads: "And He said to all, 'If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'"

• Galatians 2:20 tells us: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

• Romans 12:2 instructs: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

You are being transformed into the likeness of God, but it's a process, not a zap! How He sees you as completely innocent is indeed a zap! But, maturing requires yieldedness and submission to a process. It requires abiding in Him and being present to Him.

 
You are being transformed into the likeness of God, but it's a process, not a zap!
 

There are theological terms to describe what I'm sharing with you. The “zap,” being instantly seen as holy by God, is called "positional sanctification." The process of becoming holy is called "progressive sanctification."

Romans 8:1 declares, and this is key to understanding our position before God:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Not only does God see us as innocent in His sight, but He also empowers us to live uprightly. If we are not interested in living uprightly, we need to go back to square one, which is making the decision that God is our Boss, and not just our Friend whose opinions we can take or leave.

Jude 1:24 assures us:

"To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy."

This verse reminds us that it's His power working in us, not our own efforts, that keeps us standing in His presence.

Intimacy: The Foundation of Strategic Prayer

Completely loved, accepted, and free from judgment, we come to Jesus and steep, like a tea bag in hot water, in His transformative presence. This is contemplative prayer, something we crave once we understand just how welcome we are and how much He loves us. Like laying palm branches before a king, we surrender our agenda at His feet.

This past fall, Chuck and I went out camping. I told him I would leave for an hour to give him some one-on-one space with God. I, too, wanted to sit with God. I ended up seated by a small waterfall alone, and before I knew it, two and a half hours had passed! Time dissolves when we're simply being with Him.

 
It's simply about God...being with Him. Experiencing His goodness and love. It's about connecting with Him.
 

Contemplative prayer doesn't have an "I need this" agenda. It's not about our job, our finances, the current war, or the latest threat to society. It's not about our sons or daughters. It's simply about God...being with Him. Experiencing His goodness and love. It's about connecting with Him. This Spirit-led connection becomes the foundation from which we can hear His strategies and pray them effectively in strategic intercession.

Finding Him in Our Brokenness

The irony is that when we are wrecked, disillusioned, or feel faithless, is often when we discover this way to connect with God. We can run out of things to pray when we are in excruciating emotional pain, positioning us to experience His unconditional love and faithfulness to us.

2023 was a very difficult year for me. In June of that year, I had a stroke, and two days out of the hospital, we received news of a terminal diagnosis for my husband's precious momma. We were very close to her and loved her dearly. Post-stroke neurology and situational depression left me in shambles.

In July, I was sitting on the porch facing the beach. I was reading something lovely about the goodness of God, and in utter brokenness, I said out loud, "God, I just don't believe anymore." Sometimes, in our despair, we say things we don't really mean.

It wasn't storming outside. I looked up, and there was the most spectacular rainbow filling the sky. Rainbows are a sign of the promises of God. I heard God's message loud and clear. He answers my faithlessness with His promises. I was overwhelmed by His unconditional love for me, even as I struggled to keep my heart in alignment with His.

That is who He is.

In silence, I steeped in His goodness and love on that porch overlooking the sea and sky. That's contemplative prayer. And in the moment, He rescued my heart. This form of contemplative meditation can be profoundly impactful, aiding in connecting with God and recognizing that we are not addressing some lofty Entity but One Who became flesh like us and is right here with us. Immanuel: God with us!

Practical Ways to Enter His Presence

Just as we would remove our shoes when entering someone's home, we learn to leave our agendas at the doorway of His presence. Sometimes, I create worship playlists on Spotify to take me into His presence, to remind me who He is, and to stay there. The songs are about Him, sung directly to Him. Other times, I simply use my instrumental playlist and allow the music to help facilitate the presence of God to wash over me as I focus on Him. I love 2 Kings 3:15. It describes the prophet Elisha asking for a musician to play, which helped him hear from God.

Here's the passage: "'But now, bring me a musician.' And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him."

Sanctified imagination can also be a powerful tool for experiencing the here-and-now presence of God. Consecrate your imagination to God, and then invite Him to interact with you. Visualize being in His presence, whether in your current reality or in an idyllic setting like a riverside or pasture. Take the time to feel His presence and love. Talk with Him like He is literally standing there, and listen for His responses. Melt into the goodness of His presence.

Transformed by His Presence

Being with God transforms us. His goodness, love, and open arms make us hungry for more of Him and for being with Him. When we spend time in His presence without agenda, we begin to hear His heart more clearly. This intimate connection becomes the foundation for strategic intercession as we learn to pray from His perspective rather than our own.

Philippians 2:13 affirms: "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."

In conclusion, we're no strangers to God. When we move in close to Him, He draws near to us. That is His promise. And when we are close, we will learn His heart, and become able to pray strategically from His heart. To God be the glory!

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