Prayer Personalities
This is the third and final class in the three part series on “Prayer Personalities.” In our first two sessions, Nancy Penton laid a foundation and talked about various kinds of praying. Different personalities are attracted to different kinds of prayer, and those different kinds of praying are different kinds of expressions of our love for the Lord. Just as we are multifaceted and diverse in our personalities, we are also multifaceted and diverse in the ways that we pray. Prayer will reflect the way God has wired us. Nancy encouraged us to stretch our understanding for and tolerance of others. We can hear God’s heart, reflect on what He’s saying, and wait on God’s timing to share with others. As has been said many times, we learn how to pray by hearing others pray, and praying with others. The bottom line is that true intercession, regardless of its personality, points to Jesus.
Let’s start with some precious Scriptures that encourage us.
1 Corinthians 12:4 – 11 (NLT) – “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
Where do our personalities reside? Personality is defined as the enduring personal characteristics of individuals. Various opinions are held as to whether that means our personalities are in our souls (which includes our minds) or our spirits. Either way, the Bible speaks to this.
1 Corinthians 14:15 (NIV) – “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) – “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
Romans 12:17b (The Message) – “. . . discover beauty in everyone”
So today, we are going to do a fun exercise to help us discover more about our individual prayer personalities. Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you, perhaps a gentle nudge or prompting. I’ve come up with a quiz to help us discover a little more about who God made us to be, and to become more aware of our prayer personalities. There are no right or wrong answers! I also have blanks for each question where you can jot down the names of people you know whom you believe may have that specific prayer personality. Are there any questions? Then let’s get started!
Question 1 – You hear of a friend who’s had a serious car accident. Do you . . .
a. start cooking a meal to take to the family
b. pick up the phone and call Ralph
c. immediately start praying on your way to the hospital
If you chose “c”, you might be a “crisis intercessor” – these are people who are always “on call” to pray for emergencies of any kind. You can probably tell if you have this kind of prayer personality because everyone else will realize it, so you’ll be one of the first they call when they (or their nearest and dearest) experience a crisis in their lives.
My example: about a month ago, a friend came to pray for Karis the moment he heard she’d had an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, even though she was only in the E.R. for 6 hours!
Question 2 – You scan your copy of “Atlanta Journal & Constitution”, “USA Today”, “Wall Street Journal”, CNN, Fox, BBC . . . and your eyes settle on an article that indicates that a government (either U.S. or foreign) seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Do you . . .
- turn to the sports section instead
- rant and rave about the shortcomings of the government
- pray for the leaders of that nation
If you chose “c”, you might be an “issues intercessor” – these are people who get upset by the news, and knowing that while they might not physically be able to make a difference, their prayers are powerful and effective so they pray.
My example: Nancy P birthed “Pray the News” here because of her heart for global issues and faith that God hears and answers our prayers!
Question 3 – Your boss’s neighbor’s wife’s nephew needs to find a job. Do you . . .
a. call everyone you know to see if they have any work available
b. ask your boss about it every week
c. jot the nephew’s name down on a list you keep inside your Bible to remind you to pray for people needing to find employment
If you chose “c”, you might be a “list intercessor” – these are people who love to pray from a list. They probably have lists of missionaries, sick people, unsaved friends . . . if you ask them to pray for you, they’ll add you to their list!
My example: after being sent out from the Atlanta Vineyard and returning from living in Russia for a year and a half, I met a woman in this church who showed me our prayer card in her Bible and told me she had prayed for us every day! Wow!
Question 4 – At the end of a church service, you feel led to pray for a person you’ve never seen before. Do you . . .
a. ask God to bless them then continue gathering your things so you can leave
b. breathe a sigh of relief as someone else goes over to pray for them
c. begin weeping as you pray without understanding why
If you chose “c”, you might be a “mercy intercessor” – these are people who feel what other people are feeling. Sometimes they feel the heart of God, which helps them pray in a way that brings God’s mercy to situations.
My example: Cascade experienced this numerous times during her recent trip to India, where God gave her His heart for individuals whom she had just or not-yet met, and allowed her to pray for and encourage them in very personal and special ways.
Question 5 – A visitor to your home asks you if you know how many Christians there are in Benin. Do you . . .
a. try to translate the visitor’s dialect into your own brand of English so you can decipher what they just said
b. wonder if that’s the name of the new coffee shop at the mall
c. pull out your map of the world and show them where it is, describing the Fon, Yaruba, and Aja people groups.
If you chose “c”, you might be a “nations intercessor” – these are people who enjoy praying over a map. They are fascinated by how God moves in other cultures, and this fascination results in them praying for countries around the world.
My example: This is very near and dear to me, as one of my favorite prayer resources for decades has been “Operation World,” which gives praise reports and detailed prayer points for every nation and people group in the world!
Question 6 – You’re at a prayer meeting and a minute goes by without anyone praying out loud. Do you . . .
a. flip through your Bible to find a Scripture to go with the prayer you’re starting to rehearse in your mind
b. repeat “yes, Lord” and “amen” over and over
c. begin to get a clearer sense of what God wants the group to pray for next
If you chose “c”, you might be a “prophetic intercessor” – these are people who listen to God as much as they speak to Him. God gives them information and helps them and others to pray on-target.
My example: At a prayer meeting in Russia after we had applied for our residency visas and were waiting for registration papers (normally approved within 3 days but had dragged on to 19 days), someone received specific prophetic direction on how to pray – the next morning, the papers were approved!
Question 7 – You have some coworkers who have not received Jesus as Lord and Savior yet. In fact, they seem pretty apathetic about God. Do you . . .
a. invite them to come to church with you at Easter
b. slip a tract into their briefcase and hope that God’s love will rub off from you onto them
c. pray for them every day
If you chose “c”, you might be an “evangelism intercessor” – these are people who care deeply about others who haven’t accepted Jesus. They pray and pray and pray until unsaved people give their hearts to Him.
My example: George Mueller prayed daily for five unsaved friends – one gave his life to Christ after 5 years; two more repented after 15 years; the fourth surrendered to God after 35 years; the fifth was converted shortly after Mueller’s death, 52 years after he’d begun to pray for his friend!
Question 8 – You have a dream from God involving a leader. Do you . . .
a. try to remember what you ate last night
b. stew about all the decisions they’ve made that you disagree with
c. realize that God wants you to pray for that person, so you pray and then send them a note of encouragement
If you answered “c”, you might be a “special-assignment intercessor” – these are people who are spiritual bodyguards for others, especially leaders. They pray for individuals God puts on their hearts, whether government leaders, pastors, teachers, or someone in the news.
My example: a friend serves as a special-assignment intercessor for several leaders in her world, including the president, her children’s school teachers, and specific leaders of ministries in the body of Christ. 1 Timothy 2:1 – 2 – “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Question 9 – Your friend’s teenage son is facing drug charges and has been kicked out of school. Do you . . .
a. wonder what is happening to the younger generation
b. pray for wisdom and grace for the parents
c. bind the devil from having any influence over that teenager in the name of Jesus
If you answered “c”, you might be a “warfare intercessor” – these are people who understand that the devil is out to kill, steal, and destroy. They like to uncover his evil plans, then through prayer, stop him in his tracks.
My example: a friend regularly and strategically goes into places “saturated with darkness” which in reality means “lacking in light” (since that is the definition of darkness – the absence of light), and prays for the work of the enemy to be dislodged and for God’s Kingdom, power, and presence to come!
Question 10 – You visit someone recovering from surgery with the intent to pray for them. Do you . . .
a. pray silently while you visit with them
b. pray with them as you’re about to leave
c. pull out a guitar and sing Psalm 103
If you answered “c”, you might be a “worship intercessor” – these are people who bring God’s joy, comfort, and hope to situations when they sing their prayers instead of saying them.
My example: I often don’t know what to say to someone in times of emotional distress, and often just sing a prayer or psalm or hymn or chorus. Worship is all about directing our hearts and minds to who God is, and there’s something about music that reaches and calms the deepest recesses of our beings.
Question 11 – Your church is planning to send a missions team to another city. Do you . . .
a. sign up to be on the prayer team that supports them
b. attend a prayer meeting to bless them before they go
c. organize the prayer team and prayer meeting
If you answered “c”, you might be an “administrative intercessor” – these are people who organize others to pray. They inform others of prayer needs, set up prayer meetings, organize prayer chains, and so on. They work to help others pray more effectively.
My example: I met a woman at a prayer conference who mobilizes intercessors whenever there’s a national disaster or situation, in order to focus intensive prayer on that situation – http://www.christianemergencynetwork.org/
Question 12 – You aren’t sure which kind of intercessor you are, because so many of the kinds of intercessors mentioned in the previous questions apply.
You might be a “flexible intercessor” – these are people who use a variety of prayer styles. They move from one to another, depending on where God needs them at the moment. A great list of resources and ministries is provided by the National Prayer Committee – http://nationalprayercommittee.com/
I am convinced that many believers become intimidated in prayer because they know someone who has a particular prayer style that is very different from their own, and compare themselves unfavorably. God made you the way you are and I want to encourage you to just be yourself in prayer, as in every other area of your life. God has gifted each of us with unique traits and attributes, gifts and graces – let’s approach His throne of grace with boldness and be ourselves, embracing our own prayer personalities! Our various flavors of how we pray blend together to make a delicious aroma that ascends to the Father. God says in James 5:16 (The Message) – “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” Loud or quiet, weeping or stomping, whispered or sung, let’s go for it!
