exhort - urge;

supplications - the act of communicating with deity, especially as a petition, adoration, contrition (sorrow of sin), or thanksgiving.

prayers - a petition to God

Intercessions - a prayer or petition on the behalf of someone

giving of thanks - thanking God however, in this scripture we are urged to petition God on the behalf of family, friends, and the lost; as well as the church, our leaders, our military, our government etc.

Throughout the New Testament, we are urged to petition, pray unceasingly for man.

Some of my riches blessings have been praying for someone that didn't have the strength to touch the throne of God on their behalf. We had a sister in our church who survived cancer and had gone through radiation and chemotherapy. Many times in the middle of the night the Lord would wake me to pray for this sister for I knew she was weak in body.

This past January I had pneumonia and in my weakness I knew that it was the prayers of others that touched the throne of God so I could make it through this sickness.

The desire of my heart and I believe one of the talents that the Lord has given me is to uphold people through intercessory prayer, petitioning on their behalf for a particular need, whether that need be spiritual, physical or financial. My prayer is that the Lord continues to perform His work in me.