Laboring in Prayer: Part 1
Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED article, the only weekly article that still doesn’t understand why “abbreviation” is such a long word.
Here’s a question that I answered recently. It’s a question I’ve never heard any one address. I hope you find it beneficial. I’ve got more to say about the subject so consider this article part 1 of 2.
Part 2 will drop next Thursday, God willing.
Question: “In the New Testament, interceding for others is described as “work” in some of Paul’s letters. He talks about “laboring” in prayer. If prayer is simply communicating with God, just like talking to a visible human, why is it labor and described as work?”
Answer: There are different kinds of prayer in the New Testament. There is petition (or personal prayer), there is intercession (praying for others), and there is thanksgiving, praise, and fellowship (or devotional prayer).
Beyond those there is something called supplication. In the New Testament, the Greek word translated supplication refers to specific, earnest requests made to God in times of real need, whether for one’s own needs (petition) or for the needs of others (intercession).
There is also “the prayer of faith” which operates with petition and intercession.
The prayer of faith can be broken up into what I call receiving prayer, persistent prayer, and authoritative prayer. Three different expressions of the prayer of faith. (I will discuss the differences in an upcoming episode on the Christ is All podcast that will release sometime in the future.)
There is also the prayer of consecration, which is different from the prayer of faith, although all prayer works by faith. (Lots of confusion has arisen when the different types of prayer are mixed up, but that’s another conversation that I’ll address on that upcoming podcast episode.)
Prayer as Work
In this piece, we’re focusing on the question, “How and why can prayer be work and labor?”
When speaking about intercession, Paul uses strikingly physical language. In Colossians 4:12, Epaphras is described as “wrestling” (agonizomenos, the Greek word for an athletic contest) in prayer.
In Romans 15:30, Paul urges the Romans to strive together with him in prayers.
In Colossians 2:1, the apostle speaks of his great agōn (struggle, contest) for the churches he hasn’t even met. This is the same root word that gives us “agony.”
It is a deliberate metaphorical description. Paul chose the language of labor and contest specifically. I call it “travailing prayer” based on Galatians 4:19.
Why Is It Labor?
I think there are six reasons why Paul described this form of prayer as work.
The Attention Problem
The earliest spiritual teachers identified the core difficulty: the human mind is perpetually restless and scattered.
To hold another person—their needs, soul, and situation—before God with sustained, undivided attention requires enormous effort.
The mind naturally drifts. Consequently, what makes intercession “labor” is the sheer difficulty of genuinely directing your whole attention away from yourself and toward another. It is, in a sense, the opposite of the ego’s default setting and natural pull.
Spiritual Opposition
Paul’s “wrestling” language can be understood in light of Ephesians 6 (”we wrestle not against flesh and blood”). Intercession involves actual spiritual resistance. Bringing someone before God can provoke opposition in the unseen realm.
So the “work” of prayer is partly the work of persisting despite the absence of visible results. Persistently praying for someone whose situation doesn’t change, whose illness continues, and whose choices remain destructive is labor. It requires volitional endurance that’s taxing.
The Engagement Problem
Real intercession requires us to genuinely feel the weight of the other person’s need. To let their situation matter to us before God, not merely reciting their name or circumstance.
This is emotionally and spiritually costly. It involves allowing another’s suffering to touch us.
Eugene Peterson made a similar point. He said that casual prayer is easy, but intercession that comes from deep solidarity with someone else’s pain is not. You and I can’t really intercede for someone we don’t care about. And caring can be tiring.
Faith vs. Appearances
Faith lays hold of what we cannot see. “We walk by faith not sight,” said Paul. Prayer is labor because it requires sustained faith in the face of contrary evidence.
When you pray for a sick person who keeps getting worse in the natural, or a prodigal who keeps running, believing that God hears is a genuine act of will that resists despair and doubt.
Some have called this “the wrestling of faith” or “the fight of faith.” It’s standing on the prayer (and God’s promises) despite outward circumstances.
Representation and Solidarity
There is a priestly nature to intercession. The intercessor stands between God and the person prayed for, bearing that person before the throne somewhat like a priest bears God’s people.
This “standing in the gap” (a phrase from Ezekiel 22:30) involves real spiritual identification with the other person’s need. It is work because you are, in a sense, carrying someone else.
The Self-Emptying Element
Real intercession requires a kind of self-emptying. You have to temporarily set aside your own preoccupations and agendas to make “room” for another person before God.
This is a form of the kenosis (self-emptying) that Paul describes in Philippians 2. It runs against the grain of normal self-centered consciousness, which is why it takes effort.
If you aren’t making intercession a regular part of your weekly rhythm, I would encourage you to start. Nothing gets done without intention. And when it comes to prayer, the biblical record is clear that God moves when we pray.
Through intercessory prayer, He has given us the high honor of participating with Him in bringing His will to pass in the earth.
Stay tuned for Part 2 next Thursday.
A Word for Writers and Authors — Whether You’re Just Starting Out or Already Published
One of the questions I receive most often from readers goes something like this: “Your books have inspired me to write one of my own. Where do I begin?” Or “I’ve already published a book (or several), but I can’t seem to get it in front of readers. What’s the secret to actually selling copies?”
I’ve addressed both of these questions from my experience of writing over 20 books and working with 5 major publishers along with a great deal more in my online training called SCRIBE. The training opens once a year, and once you’re in, it’s yours for life. You work through it at your own pace, and you gain access to a community of 100+ fellow authors who’ve been through the same training. It’s as much a helpful network as it is an online training. One of my other presenters is a NYT bestselling author, and she gives her insights and experience also.
Candidly, I wish this existed when I was starting out. It would have saved me years of missteps, discouragement, and lost time.
To read full details and hear from others who’ve gone through it, visit ScribeOnline.org and add your email to the waitlist. When the enrollment window opens again, you’ll be the first to know. Just keep an eye out on your email inbox so you don’t miss the dealine.
