A mother woke up at midnight with no reason but a heavy urge to pray for her son in school far away. She prayed for 2 hours, then went back to sleep. The next day, her son called: “Mum, I almost passed out last night, but God delivered me.” We must not joke with prayer burdens.
Friend, don’t joke with prayer burdens. God gives prayer burdens (Jeremiah 20:9). There are times you pray because you want to, and there are times you pray because you need to. Learn to tell the difference. Prayer burdens are not optional. There are a “must” (Job 32:18-20).
Prayer burdens usually signal an emergency that needs immediate attention (Matthew 26:38-39). At those moments, a part of God’s will and purpose is hanging in the balance. If you don’t pray at the time, it may never come to pass, or it may be altered in ways you will never know (Matthew 6:10).
Prayer burdens also exist to cancel the devil’s plans (Luke 22:31-32). To ignore them is to give the enemy free access. Most prayer burdens are not even for you. They are for someone else, a group, a city, or a generation (Genesis 18:17-33). That’s why prayer burdens are for selfless people.
To receive a prayer burden from God is a privilege. It means He trusts you to carry part of His plan on earth (Genesis 18:17-19). It means you matter in heaven’s economy. Don’t treat it casually. God doesn’t need us, yet He chooses us. That He would call on you among many others should humble you deeply (1 Kings 19:18).
God gives burdens as He wills, but you should also ask for them (Zechariah 12:10). Pray that God will recruit you into His army of kingdom intercessors that heaven relies on to fulfil His eternal purpose. When prayer becomes a burden, everything else takes second place (Acts 10:9-20). You need to yield your comfort to God’s purpose.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria