Thoughts for Life: #19 Interceding for Those Who Can't Pray for Themselves

Alvin Vandergriend- Several recent polls in North America show that about 80 percent of the population do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. That means people do not regularly have access to God's throne of grace. They may try to pray, but they cannot get through to God, since access to the throne is only through Jesus Christ. (Google image, Man looking up and praying)

That is a horrible, hopeless state to be in—cut off from the one who is the source of all grace and blessing. That was the state in which Elphaz and his friends found themselves, at least temporarily, when God came to them and said, "My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer." This was God's way of saying, "I won't listen to your prayers. You don't have access. You'd better get Job to pray for you." (See Job 42:7-9 below)

The word for intercession in the original language of the New Testament means "having freedom of access." It was originally a technical term that meant meeting with a king in order to make a request. In the Bible intercession means "making a request of God on behalf of others."

The privilege of access is given to believers not simply so that we may ask for ourselves but also so that we may ask for others, especially those who have no access. God has so much to give them but, having determined long ago to give in response to asking, He withholds His gracious giving until we intercede.

When believers begin to pray seriously for their neighbors, things begin to happen. When members of a church in Bakersfield, California, planted several Lighthouses* of Prayer in an apartment complex to pray for those who lived there, the manager became a Christian, drug dealers moved out, crime rates went down, many tenants started going to church, several Bible studies started, and ten people made commitments to Christ.

The difference was so evident that the police, discovering the reason for the changes, asked the church to consider planting similar Lighthouses* in other complexes.

What do you think God wants to see happen in the lives of the people around you? Are you willing to be the one to intercede so that God will accomplish His will in your neighborhood through your prayers?

*A Lighthouse , as referred to in this devotional, is a person, family, or small group that commits to praying for, caring for, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with their neighbors, co-workers, friends, or family members.

(pp. 52, 53 in Love to Pray- 40 Day Devotional for Deepening Your Prayer Life by Alvin Vandergriend)

Let's pray-

Father, help us imagine what it would be like to be a non-Christian with no one to be praying for us, and what it would mean, as an unbeliever, to live or work near a believer who would regularly pray for you.

May we realize that prayer, and the blessing from God that comes through prayer, is a gift we can give to non-Christians around us. We ask that You impress upon us that we have the awesome privilege of access to Your throne, opened up for us through Christ's blood that was shed on Calvary.

We confess our failure to use this privilege of access to You on behalf of unsaved persons we know. We ask for forgiveness through the grace You give us, and ask that You help us become faithful intercessors with Your constant help.

Please make clear to us what You want to accomplish in the lives of the non-Christians You lead us to pray for, and to help us wait patiently for Your answers.

We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

Job 42:7-9 "The Lord . . . said to Elphaz the Temanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends . . . (v. 8) Go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly . . . (v. 9) And the Lord accepted Job's prayer."

1 John 2:17 "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

2 Corinthians 2:15 ESV "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."

Today's guest post:

A Sweet Aroma

Maureen Lewicki- "As I planted my freshly purchased annuals, I wondered which flower had such a sweet aroma.
I sniffed each one as I dropped them into their new mud homes, but I never found that lovely spring messenger. My work finally done—and my grass-stained knees creaking—I gathered my garden tools and wandered over to a bed I had not tended. I wanted to at least peek at my project for another day. The aroma greeted me again, growing stronger as I approached.
Tucked in among the Hosta, the plant that can overpower a garden, rested some tenacious Lilies of the Valley, barely peeking out from among the giant plants. They stood unassuming and small, but sent out a large and inviting fragrance as a message of their presence, even among the giants that squeezed them. I wanted to stand near the flowers, look closely at their blooms, and inhale their fragrance.
I want my fragrance to send out a message of the hope and peace I have in Christ, even if I am nestled among giants who don’t know Him. Like the lilies, I want to be unassuming and make no excuse, except that my hope is not my doing and that anyone can have that same peace. I want my trust in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice to be so fragrant that anyone without that hope wants to ask me how they can have it.
I pushed the Hosta leaves aside, cupped the little flowers in my hands, and breathed deeply, in no rush to leave them.
Yes. I want to be like the lilies and have a fragrance of hope that draws people closer and makes them want to tarry long enough to find out what gives me hope and peace. As they tarry, I pray they will embrace my hope and carry the fragrance of Christ with them to others.
What kind of fragrance are you emitting?"
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

Quote for today-

- Oswald Chambers- ""We can choke God's Word with a yawn; we can hinder the time that should be spent with God by remembering we have other things to do. 'I haven't time!' Of course you have time! Take time, strangle some other interests, and make time to realize that the center of power in your life is the Lord Jesus Christ." [pp. 189, 190) MY UTMOST for HIS HIGHEST, updated edition by Oswald Chambers].