I Prayed have prayed
Heavenly Father, thank You for the fullness of joy that exists in Your presence. Thank You for the marvelous rewards You give — but the joy of Your presence is the very best reward. Help me receive more of Your joy this year than ever before.
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Have you been bogged down by the challenges of life lately? Have the hard knocks you’ve received over the past few years hurt your faith and your ability to believe God for all things new?

If so, I encourage you today to simply rest in the presence of God, pressing into Him so He can restore your soul and fill you with His fullness of joy.

Let the IFA community know how to pray for you. 

 

Our precious Lord Jesus is our shepherd, and restoring our souls is one of His main tasks as such. King David wrote:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:1–3 NKJV).

Isn’t it amazing that our God stoops to restore our souls?

Our Abba Father is so powerful and holy that He has every right to simply demand that we fall down and worship Him. He owes us nothing, except that He has chosen to obligate Himself to us by virtue of His own promises. Yet, this God — our dear, precious, Heavenly Father; His holy Son, Jesus; and His gentle Holy Spirit — cares about our mind, our will, and our emotions (which together comprise the soul).

He cares so much about your soul that He makes it His personal responsibility to heal you.

Yes — when times are hard (which, let’s face it, is every day!), Jesus Christ takes it upon Himself to heal and restore your mind, your will, and your emotions. And as your shepherd, a big part of how He does this is to help you rest in His presence.

It is in the presence of God that we receive fullness of joy.

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).

And beloved, as an intercessor, you have chosen to make prayer one of your chief pursuits. That means you have chosen the better portion, for in Spirit-led prayer you WILL encounter God’s manifest glory — and you will receive from His presence.

His presence is everywhere, for God is omnipresent. However, there is a special reward that comes when we focus on His presence. When we gaze upon His face and wait upon Him, we receive ALL of His benefits.

What will you receive? We will talk about the rewards of God’s presence throughout this article series. However, first and foremost, you will receive fullness of joy. And “fullness of joy” looks like:

  • rest from all that ails you;
  • hope where you had none before;
  • renewal of peace for your heart.

The fullness of God’s joy will make every wrong thing right.

His joy will put the smile back on your face, the dance back in your feet, and the bounce back in your step. His joy will make you strong when you were weak, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

O beloved, if only I could tell you of the many, many, many times I felt all hope was lost — but in the presence of God, seated before Him in prayer, He made wrong things right and all things new for me. Over and over again He has done it for me, filling me with His healing and life-saving JOY where I had none before. And if He’ll do it for me, He’ll do it for you.

In the presence of God is fullness of joy.

And as an intercessor, you have chosen the presence of God as your portion — so you are entitled, by virtue of His promise, to be filled with fullness of joy, time and time again. Every day, every hour, every second, the fullness of His joy is your portion.

So do you need the fullness of joy today? Go to Jesus in prayer. Sit before our Heavenly Father and pour out your heart to Him:

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22 NKJV). (!)

Rest in His presence, and allow His precious Holy Spirit to minister to you and to heal your heart and soul. Wait on Him, and let Him do His good work in your heart, and you will receive fullness of joy.

Does this word speak to your heart today? Do you need fullness of joy? If so, please leave a comment below — and pray for the person who commented before you!

This article is part of a series. Find the other installments at the links below.

Part 2. The Intercessor’s Joy: Ministering to the Heart of God
Part 3. The Intercessor’s Joy: You Need a Covenant Prayer Partner
Part 4. The Intercessor’s Joy: Ask God for Signs of Land
Part 5. The Intercessor’s Joy: Angelic Encounters
Part 6. The Intercessor’s Joy: Inside Information
Part 7. The Intercessor’s Joy: Reward for Private Prayer

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the author of the ebook How to Become an Intercessor: You Can Shake Heaven and Earth. She is the founder of From His Presence, a ministry dedicated to equipping God’s people in prayer, the prophetic word, living supernaturally, inner healing, and kingdom wealth. Her writing can be found on YouVersion Bible Plans, in Charisma Magazine, and on The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. Download her free prayer tool, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: Canva.

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Suzie
February 27, 2023

Asking for a life of relational prayer with my Heavenly Father. Haven’t been a faithful intercessor but I want to. Beginning with being still in The Lord’s presence. Thank you for praying for me.

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Leslie DeVol
February 9, 2023

Thankyou Father I do need youhealing for my heart and soul and mind thankyou Father for being there for me💕

4
Dorothy
February 4, 2023

God woke me up at 3:00 to pray about satancon. I was so burdened about my own sins and how I sometimes give God’s glory over to satan by my attitudes and frame of mind. I repented and began praying through Psalm 23. My mind is so burdened right now, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray Psalm 23 over and over. Then I read about needing a covenant prayer partner for whom I had already been praying and seeking. Some of the comments in this section were from Psalm 23. Talk about confirmation. God’s Spirit bearing witness with my spirit that I am His child. I know this, but lately, I have not been able to rest in that knowledge. I can’t go into all the reasons why, other than not feeling well this week. God’s promises in Scripture are so precious to me and I have seen Him do mighty things for me, in me, or through me and other prayer warriors as I/we trusted in Him and believed those promises. Praying the promises and thanking Him for what He says He will do is one way I actively trust Him. Praying and believing is what Jesus says to do in Mark 11:24. I am going to pray that God will use His prayer warriors/Intercessors in a mighty way as we pray and praise Him concerning the evil that may take place in Boston, but yes definitely praying for God’s wonderful love and grace to be on full display there. Praying the Lord of the harvest will raise up laborers in Jesus’ Name!

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus’ Name. Thank You for Your Holy Word. Thank You for Your promises. Thank You that You are in Control of ALL things. No one has any power at all except what YOU give., including satan.
Loving Father, when You gather people together to praise and worship You, You do mighty things. I pray in agreement in Jesus’ Name with all Your mighty Intercessors and prayer warriors across the world about the evil gathering in Boston that YOU will get the praise and the glory and the honor for You alone are worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing. Hallelujah! I pray earnestly in Jesus’ Name that the darkness will be overcome with the Light of Christ. I pray that Goodness will overcome evil, Joy will overcome fear, Gladness will overcome sadness, LOVE will overcome hate, and Humility will overcome pride.
I pray that You will do a mighty work and save the souls of Your people whom You loved before the foundation of the world. Thank you for calling Intercessors to pray! Please help us as we pray and praise you to be the light of the world to show the love of Christ to a hurting, desperate, and dying world. Please raise up a mighty choir to praise the Name of the Lord and go before your army of believers who will be victorious by being kind and helpful and honest. Give boldness to proclaim Your Truth. Help us to keep our minds stayed on You! In Jesus’ Name! Amen and Amen

5
Beth
January 16, 2023

What a beautiful article and reminder that our joy is found only in Jesus. So in these crazy days, we must seek the Lord more and more and stay in His presence continuously. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Father, may Your joy and presence be our strength. May we go away with You to the secret place. The place where we are renewed, restored and refreshed by our Savior. Let Your living water pour over us and refresh our weary spirits. May we lead others to Your beautiful living waters of refreshment and renewal. May others know Your amazing grace and perfect love. In Jesus mighty name, amen

4
Malcolm Wayne Puckett
January 16, 2023

Thanks for this article. The needs on our country often overwhelm. BUT GOD! I thank God fir JOY!

4
Connie
January 14, 2023

Praying for the Joy of Lord to come forth in Nation cities,schools, neighborhoods, families ♥️

7
Rich Swingle
January 14, 2023

Excellent, Jamie! I had been planning to interview Fred Defoy about his study on joy (https://ifapray.org/blog/why-joy-matters) for almost a year, but I wanted it to come out in the dark days of January, when people need joy the most, after the Christmas Season has passed. Who knew it would come out four days before your series began! Holy Spirit did!

Between that and My Daily Persuit by A.W. Tozer and now your series I’m finding myself bubbling over with joy again and again throughout the day! Glory to God!

Can’t wait for your next article! Praying many are infused with the joy they need to pray for this ever darkening world!

6
Donald Vader
January 14, 2023

Hallelujah! Praying for the anointing of God with the oil of gladness upon all of us in the mighty name of Jesus and the power of the blood of Jesus upon our lives for healing and restoration and transformation for all His people and bringing revival like we have never seen before! Amen

8
Linda
January 14, 2023

Thank you for this beautiful article. Such a blessing & so needed.

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Judith Brown
January 14, 2023

The joy of the Lord is our strength!! We receive that strength when we bask in the joy of HIS WORD. Read it, hear it, speak it, claim it… It’s the bread of life. Thank you, Jesus,

9
Linda k Rice
January 14, 2023

Joy in the house of prayer precedes the manifestation of the request. As I was told this week. Enter into the joy of your master, Jesus said.

4
Joyce
January 14, 2023

Thank you Jamie, for so eloquently expressing the “JOY” of HIS PRESENCE!!!

7
Steven Morgan MD
January 14, 2023

Amen, refresh us all to keep our eyes on the prize Jesus Christ.

20
Lorraine
January 14, 2023

Father, I thank you for your ever present comforting Spirit. Thank you for giving wisdom to your children for any situation in their lives that would attempt to cause confusion and unrest. Let your Bride be in tune to Your leading and open to new paths to walk in.

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