Anyone can pray for others and come to God on their behalf. But some people are gifted at intercession. They have an ear and a passion for the needs of others, and take them before God. An intercessor’s heart is touched for places and for people who are in need, not so much on their side as by their side and on their behalf.
Intercession is trusting God to act, even if it’s not in the manner or timing we seek. God wants us to ask, even urgently. It is casting our weakness before God’s strength, and (at its best) having a bit of God’s passion burn in us.
The Bible has many cases of people standing up for others before God. The most striking example is Abraham. He took the initiative to step forward before God on behalf of his neighbors in Sodom and its area. Moses also stepped in when God was angry, standing in the gap in the most literal sense : offering his own life for that of his nation. (Thankfully, God didn’t take him up on the offer.)
A fine example is the master builder Nehemiah, who prayed to God to bring about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and of his people. As they took their concerns to God, the key motivation behind these giants of faith was compassion. They loved the people, the culture, and the faith with a love like God’s love, and it burned in them so much that they dared to take on God on their behalf.
Jesus was the prime example of an intercessor. He interceded in prayer for God to bless and protect His followers. At the cross, He prayed for forgiveness. Indeed, His whole life, His whole reason for being born, was to be a living intercession, a giving of His life to span the rift caused by our rebellion against God.
This is what we hope to see happening when you, God’s people, pray for our Mission and Missionaries who are in the war front facing the schemes of the evil one every day. The bonds will be broken, doors will be opened, hearts will be melted and God’s kingdom will be established in all our mission fields.
___________________________________________________________________________________
John Wesley said, “Prayer is where the action is.” And so we invite you to take action on behalf of our persecuted family by joining this year's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
on Nov. 13.
Check out our Website for stories of today's persecuted church.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Prayer Requests
Pray the Lord will bring more youth and adults to get involved with international mission outreaches.
Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.
All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated
No comments:
Post a Comment