Thoughts for Life: #18 The Scope of Intercession

Alvin Vandergriend- E. M. Bounds said, "Prayer can do anything God can do." That's true because the only power in prayer is the power of God. What's more, prayer can reach anywhere God can reach. And God is everywhere, so His power can reach to every corner of the earth through our prayers.

Two phrases in the above verses emphasize the broad scope of prayer: "for everyone" and "all men [people]." Because God wants all people "to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth," He urges us to pray for everyone. (Google image,) African American man praying)

Ole Hallesby in his classic book Prayer grasps the heart of Paul's injunction: "It is our Lord's will that we who have received access to these powers through prayer should go through this world transmitting heavenly power to every corner of the world which needs it sorely.

Our lives should be . . . quiet but steadily flowing streams of blessing, which through our prayers and intercessions should reach our whole environment" (p. 64).

When I sit in my favorite chair for my morning devotions, I imagine my prayers ascending to the throne room of heaven, and I imagine God, in response, moving His hands in the places where my prayers direct.

I imagine His power being released on the west coast as I pray for family members, in our nation's capital as I pray for government officials, in foreign lands as I pray for mission enterprises, and in the homes and hearts of my neighbors as I pray for them.

My prayers can release a blessing or bring change anywhere in the world without my moving from that chair. What an awesome power God has given us!

Though God would have us pray broad intercessory prayers, our prayer responsibilities start close to home. Our first responsibility is for immediate family members, then relatives and friends, then the spiritual family in which God has placed us, and then beyond that to our neighbors, community, nation and world.

If our prayers focus only on those who are nearby, we have not caught the scope of what God intends through prayer. If they focus manly on those far away, we may be guilty of failing to provide for our immediate families and of denying the faith (1 Timothy 5:4, 8).

(pp. 50, 51 in Love to Pray- 40 Day Devotional for Deepening Your Prayer Life by Alvin Vandergriend)

Let's pray-

Father, we ask that You help us imagine our prayers transmitting Your heavenly power and blessing to people in every corner of the world. Help us think of those people and places as we pray for them.

Remind us that folks are experiencing the joy of being saved and coming to a knowledge of the truth as a result of our prayers. We praise You for the privilege of praying for folks the world over!

We commit ourselves afresh to making our requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving . . . for everyone. This includes kings and those in authority. May Your truth be preached in the ends of the earth, and that they will turn to Jesus, as all families of the nations will eventually bow down before Him. (See Psalms 22:27).

Today's Bible verses-

Psalms 22:27 (CSB) "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before you."

Romans 12:21 NIV "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good."

Romans 8:28 (HCSB) "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose."

Quote for today-

Alexander Maclaren- "When we are save by faith, we mean, accurately, through faith. It is God who saves. It is Christ's life, Christ's blood, Christ's sacrifice, Christ's intercession that saves. Faith is simply the channel through which there flows into my emptiness the divine fullness."

Words of wisdom-

- When we cleave to Christ more closely, love Him more heartily, live to please Him, copy Him more exactly, and confess our faith in Him more boldly, religion like this will bring its own reward. There'll be a crown of glory that fadeth not away in the world to come, too!

Our Ambassador to Israel, Michael David Evens' comments:

"God's ability to work in and through our lives is far beyond anything we can imagine. Prayer opens doors to blessings and answers that we cannot even conceive."

Jeremiah 33:2 & 3 "Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it: the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer you, and shew you great and mighty things, which you know not."