There is a growing phenomenon on the Internet these days – prayer networks comprised of ordinary folks who answer emails from around the world. The Prayer Warriors or Internet Intercessors pray on a daily basis for everything from the salvation of lost souls, comfort for the physically ill and peace for the emotionally distraught.
I know, because I am one of the Internet Intercessors. I am a Prayer Warrior for Answers2Prayer Ministries who answers emails and sends encouraging scriptural responses to strangers – people I have never met nor will I ever meet. They are people from all over the globe and now they are a part of my world. I find myself praying for them over my morning coffee as I read my daily scripture. I remember them in my closing prayers at night before I shut my eyes and sleep. These faceless names are very real characters in the play that my Lord has set before me. I often feel as though God himself is sitting in the audience as we perform each act. And when the praise reports roll in, and they often come in waves, I can almost hear His applause, “Well done my faithful servant.”
This all began as a gentle nudging from an inspirational e-zine that I subscribed to that was in dire need for Prayer Warriors to help with the growing demand for prayer requests. When I decided to accept the challenge, I volunteered to answer just two prayer requests per day. It’s been five months and hundreds of prayer requests have graced my email. Some of the requests are for the usual day-to-day blessings of health and happiness. Many requests concern family members with illness and suffering. Most are prayer requests for someone other than the person requesting the prayer and seldom does anyone ever ask for more than they truly need. It restores your faith in humanity.
Why would a person send in a prayer request to a web site rather than take it to a church pastor? Is it because of the anonymity associated with sending something across the Internet? I don’t understand the reasoning, but I do understand the sincerity of these requests as they fill my email on a daily basis. The apostle Paul declared that we are “Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20). Successful ambassadors represent Jesus Christ to others on their home turf – whether it is the local church or the worldwide Internet.
Using the Internet to intercede for others makes me one of the growing numbers of Internet Ambassadors for Christ. I gladly accept the challenge of the Internet prayer networks and encourage others to do likewise. “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” (Colossians 4:3) Perhaps God has unlocked the door to the world through the Internet.
Michele Starkey
Michele Starkey is a brain aneurysm survivor who enjoys writing and sharing stories with others. She is living life to the fullest and serving the Lord as a Prayer Warrior for Answers2Prayer Ministries.