When God’s Heart Becomes Our Heart
As I have grown in my understanding of prayer, one of the biggest shifts God has made in my life has been changing the reason I pray. For many years, like most believers, much of my prayer life revolved around my own needs, my own questions, and the people closest to me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing our needs before our Heavenly Father. In fact, Scripture invites us to do exactly that.
But over time, I began to notice something changing. The more time I spent simply enjoying God’s presence, without an agenda, without rushing through a prayer list, the more I found Him gently placing people on my heart. Sometimes it would be someone I hadn’t spoken to for months. Sometimes it would be a nation or it would be someone sitting next to me in church.
There were occasions when I had no idea why I suddenly felt compelled to pray for a particular person. I simply knew that the burden did not originate with me. It felt as though, for a brief moment, God was allowing me to feel what He felt. That changed the way I understood intercession.
I realised that intercession is not first about carrying people’s burdens. It is about sharing God’s heart as Scripture says,
“The Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26–27)
Long before we ever think to pray for someone else, the Holy Spirit is already praying. We are simply invited to join Him.
What Is Intercession?
I used to think of intercession as a special ministry reserved for a few gifted individuals who spend long hours in “prayer” sessions, fasting for long periods of time and all. But Scripture paints a much broader picture. Paul writes:
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:1)
Intercession simply means standing before God on behalf of someone else. It is bringing another person’s situation into God’s presence. Not because God has forgotten them, but because He delights in partnering with His children. One sentence from my notes captures this beautifully:
“Intercession is the heartbeat of God expressed through His people.”
The more we know Him, the more our hearts begin to reflect His. Jesus Himself is the main intercessor. Before going to the cross, He prayed:
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me.” (John 17:9)
Even now, Jesus continues to intercede for us:
“… It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)
Intercession has always been part of God’s heart. When we intercede, we are simply joining Jesus in what He is already doing. One of the most moving verses about intercession is found in Ezekiel.
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land… but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30)
Standing in the gap does not mean trying to persuade God to care. He already cares. It means making ourselves available so His compassion can flow through us. An intercessor becomes
a bridge, connecting heaven’s mercy to earth’s need.
When Worship Becomes Intercession
One of the biggest discoveries I have made is that the deeper our communion with God becomes, the more naturally we begin to carry His heart for other people. I didn’t always understand this.
In fact, God had been trying to teach me this lesson long before I recognised what He was saying.
Many years ago, during an altar call at church, someone came over to me and shared a simple word. They said:
“God is saying you are a worshipper.”
To be honest, I didn’t know what to do with that. Growing up, I thought a worshipper was someone who could sing beautifully, lead people in slow songs, and usher a congregation into God’s presence. I did sing in the praise and worship team, and I have always loved singing. Even now, I often find myself turning songs into prayers during my quiet times with God. But I never saw myself as that kind of worshipper. I remember thinking, “Perhaps one day God will give me the confidence to lead worship.”
Looking back now, I realise that I completely misunderstood what He meant. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that people who lead worship through music are not worshippers. Many genuinely are. But it is also possible to lead worship simply because someone is musically gifted. Worship is much deeper than music.
When the Pieces Began to Fit Together
Years later, another person shared a picture they believed God had given them and we agreed that it was for my husband and me. They said something like this:
“I saw two people. One always sits on the edge of their bed talking and praying to God. The other sits by a window talking and praying to God.
God wants them to know that He sees them. He knows them. The way they live and devote themselves to Him is exactly what He is asking of them. He says, ‘Don’t dismiss yourself as meaning nothing or achieving nothing. Your faithfulness and your relationship with Me are what I seek.’
‘Know that I love you and am delighted with you. When I think of you, I smile.'”
At the time, my husband and I were living in a tiny studio apartment. There wasn’t much space.
Every morning, he would sit on a chair by the small desk next to the window for his quiet time. I would sit on my side of the bed. Those had become our places of communion with God. As soon as those words were spoken, I knew they were describing us. When I mentioned it to my husband afterwards, he immediately agreed. It was such a personal reminder that God saw our ordinary moments of faithfulness. Not the public moments or ministry, not achievement but simply two people making time to be with their Father.
Around that same period, a friend said something to me that connected all the dots.
She simply said:
“The way you live your life is worship to God.”
Suddenly everything made sense. What she said and my own growing understanding of prayer connected all the dots. Worship was never primarily about singing. It was about a life wholly devoted to God and communion with Him. It was about continually turning my heart towards Him throughout the day. It was about loving Him with no strings attached. And when worship becomes a way of life, something beautiful begins to happen.
When Worship Naturally Gives Birth to Intercession
As I spend time with Him simply because I love Him, not because I have a list of requests to get through, I find that He gently begins to bring people to mind. Sometimes it is someone I haven’t spoken to in years. Sometimes it is a family member or it is someone sitting across the room whether in church or at work. Half the time I don’t even know why they have come to mind and instead of immediately launching into prayer, I simply ask,
“Father, what is on Your heart for this person, how would You like me to pray for this person?”
Because the conversation began with Him, I don’t have to strive. There is no need to manufacture compassion neither do I have to search for words. We simply continue our conversation, only now it is about someone else.
I have come to realise that this is what intercession often looks like. Not carrying people because it feel like God is “too distracted” to see their situation, but joining God because He already sees them and cares. Not trying to persuade Him to intervene, but allowing Him to share His heart with me about that person/situation and to work in partnership with Him as He deals with the situation.
The more I worship, the more I discover that intercession is simply worship overflowing. It is love for God becoming love for people. It is communion becoming cooperation with the Holy Spirit. It is making myself available so that the One who “always lives to intercede” (Hebrews 7:25) can pray through me.
That has completely changed how I see intercession. It is no longer another spiritual activity to add to my day. It is simply the natural fruit of walking closely with the Father.
I will conclude with this:
There is a difference between a worshipper and an intercessor.
A worshipper comes into prayer simply to spend time with the Father, to love Him, to behold Him, and to minister to His heart. And in that place of intimacy, He begins to gently remind us of what and who to intercede for.
In those moments, we realise that Jesus is the ultimate Intercessor, and our role is to yield, to make ourselves available for The Spirit to pray through us.
So while we come for worship, intercession often flows naturally as a result of communion with Him.
It’s not always about striving, but about abiding, where prayer becomes less of a task and more of a response to His presence.
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for inviting me into a life of worship and communion with You.
Teach me to remain close enough to hear Your heart and sensitive enough to recognise Your leading.
Make me a willing vessel through whom Your love, compassion, and prayers can flow to others.
May I never strive in my own strength, but simply yield to the work of Your Holy Spirit within me.
Let my life be an act of worship, and let my prayers become an expression of Your heart for Your people.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. ❤️
Last modified: 13/07/2026