Latest / In His Circle / Seedlings: The Quiet Ministry of Intercession| Ep 37

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Seedlings: The Quiet Ministry of Intercession| Ep 37 · In His Circle

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to In His Circle Seedlings, where we take a few minutes to plant one small seed of faith that just might grow into something beautiful.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Tiffany Windsor and I'm so glad you're here.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: The Quiet Ministry of Intercession.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have a confession.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I'll be halfway through the grocery store reaching for a bag of organic avocados, and suddenly someone pops into my mind.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I saw them, not because they texted me, not because Facebook reminded me it was their birthday.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now years ago I probably would have thought, huh, I wonder why I thought about them.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: But over the years I've started looking at those moments differently.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now when someone's name suddenly comes to mind, I stop.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes right there in the fresh organic produce section, and I pray.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now if anyone walks by, it probably just looks like I'm standing there comparing local grown tomatoes.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: But really, I'm having a conversation with God.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the older I get, the more convinced I become those little interruptions may not be interruptions at all.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're invitations.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: There are some ministries everybody notices.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Teaching, singing, leading Bible studies, those ministries are wonderful.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: People can see them.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But today I want to talk about one of the most powerful ministries that almost nobody sees, the quiet ministry of intercession.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: This morning during my prayer time, one thought just kept coming back to me.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the most powerful prayers we'll ever pray are the ones we pray for someone else.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: The more I sat with that, the more I realized something.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the most meaningful things we'll ever do may never be seen by another person.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody hears the names you whisper to God.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody sees the tears behind those prayers.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody knows about the conversations you have with the Lord while you're folding laundry, driving down the road, or lying awake at two o'clock in the morning.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: But God sees every single one.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to believe He treasures them.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: One of the greatest expressions of love isn't always doing something for someone.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's quietly carrying them to Jesus over and over and over again.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Not because we have the power to change someone's heart, but because we know the one who does.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now if you're anything like me, you like to fix things.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: If somebody you love is hurting, you immediately become a detective.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: What did they say?
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: What happened?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: What can I do?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I should send another text.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I should explain it better.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I should make a spreadsheet.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, that sounds like me.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Don't laugh, I'm sure some of you have actually considered making spreadsheets.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: We replay conversations, we rewrite emails that we never send.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: We practice speeches in the shower.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody or is that just me?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Before long we're carrying a burden God never asked us to carry.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's a huge difference between loving someone and trying to become their savior.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Only one person ever had that job, and thankfully it's not us.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Intercession quietly says, Lord, I love this person deeply, but you love them even more.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Those words change everything, because suddenly I don't have to orchestrate every outcome.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have to convince them, I don't have to heal them, and I don't have to rescue them.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: I simply place them into the hands of Jesus.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Every morning there are names that come before the Lord family, friends, people I've known for years, and sometimes people I've never met.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I pray for wisdom, protection, healing, provision, open doors, courage, but if I'm honest, my deepest prayer usually isn't about any of those things.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: My greatest prayer is that they would know Jesus more deeply.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because when someone begins walking closely with him, everything else begins changing too.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe not overnight, but over time.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Some prayers are answered quickly, those are the beautiful moments.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Others I've prayed for years.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have too.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a prodigal child, a struggling marriage, a friend battling illness, someone trapped in addiction, someone who has wandered away from God.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we quietly wonder, Lord, are you even hearing me?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: He is every single prayer matters, not because we're remarkable, but because our God listens.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Second Chronicles tells us the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I love that picture.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: God is actively looking for hearts that trust Him.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: He isn't distracted, He isn't overwhelmed, He isn't behind schedule.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: While we're praying, He's already at work, maybe not according to our timetable, but always according to His perfect wisdom.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Here's something I've discovered.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Intercession doesn't just change the person I'm praying for.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: It changes me.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's softened my heart, it's taught me patience, it's taught me compassion.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's reminded me that his love is bigger than mine.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: His wisdom is greater than mine.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: His timing is better than mine.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I started praying for someone else only to discover God was doing his greatest work in me.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's why this ministry is so quiet.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody applauds a faithful prayer life.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody hands out trophies for praying over someone's future, but heaven notices, and I have to believe those quiet prayers matter far more than we realize.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: James tells us the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: The power isn't in the person praying, the power is in God who hears every prayer.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So today if someone's name suddenly comes to your mind, don't brush it aside.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it isn't random, maybe it's a holy invitation.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Stop, pray, bless them, and trust them to God, and then leave them there.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Don't pick them back up five minutes later, carry them to Jesus.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Then trust Him to do what only He can do.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Because the safest place for the people we love has never been in our hands.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's always been in His.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a Circle Sister Prayer for you.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting us into the quiet ministry of intercession.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that we never pray alone and never pray in vain.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: When someone comes into our hearts today, help us recognize it as an invitation to partner with you instead of carrying the burden ourselves.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Teach us to faithfully pray, faithfully trust, and faithfully leave the outcome in your hands.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Strengthen those we love, draw them closer to you, and remind us that you love them even more than we do.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name, amen.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: This story today is what I call one of my seedlings, just little God moments and little lessons that start as tiny seedlings in my heart and over time grow into stories I get to share here with you.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to connect, leave a comment, or share your own God moments, come join us on Substack.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Inhiscircle.substack.com.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find articles, the In His Circle podcast, and a wonderful community of women growing in faith together.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can join us for free or subscribe for expanded content.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Before I go today, you know I think Heaven is going to surprise us one day.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think we'll discover that some of our biggest kingdom victories didn't happen from behind a microphone or on a stage or because someone had thousands of followers.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think we'll discover they happened in quiet kitchens, on early morning walks, in parked cars, and beside beds, where ordinary women quietly whispered someone's name to God.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Never underestimate what God can do with a whispered prayer, because sometimes the greatest ministry you'll ever have is one that nobody sees.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep spending time in God's Word, keep talking with Him, and keep taking that next faithful step.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're all learning to walk faithfully one step at a time.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Tiffany Winds, and thank you for joining me in his circle.