THE CALL TO PRAY – THE CALL TO THE URGENT!
THE CALL TO PRAY – THE CALL TO THE URGENT!
“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles
7:14
“And He spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to
pray and not to faint…” Luke 18:1
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for
all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of
the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4
INDEX:
- PRAYER IS ALWAYS NEEDED AND INCALCULABLY IMPORTANT INDEX:
- REMEMBERING THE URGENT, WE MUST NEVER FORGET:
PRAYER IS ALWAYS NEEDED AND INCALCULABLY
IMPORTANT
We are admonished in the Word of God to pray
at all times and without ceasing Luke
18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17. There are critical times in our personal lives,
in our society, or in the world in general where there is a desperate need to
pray, and to pray with intensity of purpose. As life goes on smoothly our
regular prayer life may seem sufficient
to us and perhaps rightly so, but as disciples of Jesus we must be ever ready
to step up to the plate and engage in serious prayer and intercession for the
needs of others, and the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
REMEMBERING THE URGENT – WE MUST NEVER FORGET…
…WE ARE IN A BATTLE –
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Ephesians 6:12,18.
This verse is so well known that we can tend to forget it in our daily natural lives and disarm ourselves, rolling with the punches of the enemy almost complacently, or responding in the flesh instead by the Word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit. What is more is that we can be so caught up in our own personal lives with all its struggles, responsibilities, and even pleasures, that our senses become dull to the struggles in the world around us. Because of this our prayer life remains regularly casual while extremely serious situations are subtly unfolding and gaining ground. Jesus said to keep your armor on, watch and pray.
This verse is so well known that we can tend to forget it in our daily natural lives and disarm ourselves, rolling with the punches of the enemy almost complacently, or responding in the flesh instead by the Word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit. What is more is that we can be so caught up in our own personal lives with all its struggles, responsibilities, and even pleasures, that our senses become dull to the struggles in the world around us. Because of this our prayer life remains regularly casual while extremely serious situations are subtly unfolding and gaining ground. Jesus said to keep your armor on, watch and pray.
…THERE ARE THINGS ONLY GOD CAN DO
Working miracles, saving souls, and the like,
we must keep in mind, are obviously things which only God can do; however, by
attempting to respond to this understanding we often take one of two
directions:
- We jump into well-meaning action
and spend all kinds of energy, time, and maybe even money trying to get God to
do His part, but to little or no avail. In the end we may simply give up, move
on and forget about it, or perhaps become bitter.
- The other position we might take
is, “Well, there is nothing I can do about it.” Or “That is not my problem or
my concern.” and consequently we do nothing.
Friends, we are workers together with Him. We
do our part and He will do His. And if the only thing we can do is pray, then
let’s put our heart into it with faith, and give God our best. “And shall not God avenge His own elect,
which cry day and night unto Him, Though He bear long with them?” Luke 18:7. God, through His Word and Spirit will guide us
as to what to do, or not to do. If He gives no direction then we wait patiently
holding to the promises of His Word. That is faith, “…That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:12
…PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING –
Again, while we are consumed in our own personal
lives, and pursuing our own interests and concerns, we can easily turn a blind
eye to the sufferings and the hardships of the people in the world around us.
We have the treasure of Christ within us and yet we are so preoccupied that we
give little attention or effort to reaching out to those around us. True, we
cannot respond to everything we see and hear. Even Jesus only did what He heard
and saw from the Father, but how many times to we miss opportunities of faith
where we can help and bless others for Jesus’s sake? We must be so careful that
we do not become callous and heartless. “…For
I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes
and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you
came to visit Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him,
‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give You
something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or in
prison and go and visit You?’ The King
will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these
brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:34-40.NIV
…THE BELIEVERS ARE STRUGGLING –
“As we
therefore have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially to them who
are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10
“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resists steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions, are accomplished in your brethren
that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
“But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called
“Today,” lest anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews
3:13
Dear friends, God our Heavenly Father
has given us the divine commission to care for and love one another as He has
loved us. While in this world we are pilgrims and strangers, as well as enemies
to the powers of darkness which are constantly and relentless trying to take
ourselves and our fellow believers out (even those who do not attend the same
church as we do). We need to be ever ready to stand for them, encourage, them,
and pray for them. We all need each other’s backing and support. It starts with
you and I!
…THERE IS A DAY OF JUDGMENT – PEOPLE
MUST BE SAVED! –
This world is not our home, we are all passing
through, and Jesus’ great commission to reach all people with His Gospel will
not end until He returns. Our cares and concerns, though important, must never
cause us to lose sight of the need for all people to come to Jesus Christ to be
saved from their sins and get right with God our Heavenly Father. He is not
willing that any perish but that all men may come to the knowledge of the truth,
1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9. We are a
functioning part of His plan to reach this world. Let us stay active in
whatever seemingly insignificant capacity He has given us. Let us keep the fire
burning day and night as we anticipate His return by not letting our love for
others grow indifferent and cold.
THE CALL TO PRAYER AND INTERCESSION!
“…The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and
have vexed the poor and needy; yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in
the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found
none…” Ezekiel 22:29-30.
In this passage of the Scriptures, the Lord is
describing the deteriorating behaviour of the nation. The corruption was to the
point where He had to step in and bring judgment. He searched for a man, who could intercede for
the people, but there was none worthy (not even Ezekiel or Jeremiah), so He
poured our His wrath and cleaned house.
In the following passage many years earlier,
the Lord is speaking concerning much the same issues, but with regards to the
deep corruption and backsliding of both the Northern tribes of Israel, and
Judah. His elaborate description of their fallen ways gives us not only a candid
glimpse of their situation, but the timelessness of man’s depravity and our
need for a Saviour. This passage is prophetic of the Lord Jesus Christ and our
need for salvation by the Lord’s direct intervention. Leaving the details out, please note how the Lord describes the
depth and seriousness of the corruption, “…and
judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off: for truth is
fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth fails, and he the
departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased
Him that there was no judgment (justice), and He saw that there was not man,
and wondered that there was no intercessor;
therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him and His righteousness, it
sustained Him…” Isaiah 59:14-16. Though referring to Israel at that time,
it is also a prophetic picture of Jesus Himself stepping into our world making
righteousness, justice, truth, and especially salvation available to all and
any who would receive Him. The magnitude of our desperation was a task that
only God Himself could undertake, which He accomplished through His Only
Begotten Son. Not only did Jesus purchase our eternal salvation, but now He ever
lives to make intercession for us, Hebrews
7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost them that come
unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.”
THE
MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION
Until Jesus returns, the war for the
salvation of souls, the upholding of righteousness and truth, are still needing
God’s divine intervention in each generation and place. On the one hand there
is the continual need to preach and present the Gospel to every person on
earth, and on the other hand the need the keep alive the faith of Christ Jesus
wherever His is named. To this day we all need God’s sovereign intervention. We
CANNOT do this on our own. In our
societies where we see immorality, corruption, violence, idolatry… growing, with
fewer and fewer people following our Lord Jesus Christ, saints struggling, and sinners
perishing, we are desperately needing to humble ourselves and pray, and seek
His face… How can we stand back and not care or do nothing? How can we watch all
this and not cry out to the living God our Saviour? As in those days, so it is
today, we need to PRAY! In the Old Testament, the Lord referred to three men
whom He actually qualified as intercessors who could save others through their
righteousness; Noah, Job, and Daniel (perhaps there were some others like
Moses, but He referred to only these three) Ezekiel
14:12-21, and yet in this passage there is a point where a society's sin had gone so
deep that even their intercession would not be sufficient to save anyone else
but themselves by their righteousness. We in this generation have the Perfect
Intercessor Himself, or Lord Jesus Christ, living in our hearts, Who can
intercede through us for the salvation and deliverance of the people of our
generation “And in the same way the
Spirit also helps our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we should,
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words: and
He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because
He intercedes for the saints according
to His purpose.” Romans 8:26-27 NAS
ARE ALL CALLED TO BE INTERCESSORS?
Obviously not as far as a specialized ministry goes. As already mentioned, the Word
of the Lord crying out for an intercessor came through both Isaiah and Ezekiel,
yet neither of them themselves were acknowledged as suitable intercessors for
the need of the day, but both were men of prayer and faith. We may not have
that ministry in particular, but we are all told to pray and intercede, and by
the Spirit of Christ in us we can boldly come to the throne of grace to find
mercy and grace to help in the time of need. 1
Timothy 2:1-4, Hebrews 4:16
“IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?”
This statement from David who, at that time
was still a shepherd boy, cried out to the soldiers of Israel who were
terrorized by Goliath. And today, do we not have a cause, a huge cause? How
many more souls will perish, babies be aborted, children be abused, families be
destroyed and on and on, before we stand up and fight for this generation.
IT STARTS WITH CARING, MAY HIS LOVE
PREVAIL IN US!!!
We in ourselves may not be able to do much,
but we can do something. I heard a little story some time ago of a man walking
along a beach after a storm. Hundreds of star fish were laying on the sand
dying. He saw a boy picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean.
He said to the boy, “What difference will that make, there are so many?” The
boy answered, “It will make a difference for this one,” as he tossed it back
into the sea.
The apostle Paul, referring to Timothy, his
young helper said this about him, “For I
have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state, for all seek
their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Philippians 2:20-21.
Do you see that caring for the wellbeing of God’s people is the heart of Jesus?
He also spoke of Epaphras, who always laboured
fervently for them in prayer… Colossians
4:12
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
God told Gideon, who doubted his own ability
to deliver Israel from the Midianites (and in himself he was right), “Go in this your might…have not I sent
thee?...Surely I will be with thee.” Judges 6:14-16
Thankfully, it does not depend on
what we can do, but what He can do through us. But we need to step out in faith
as He directs.
THE AWAKENING FROM WITHIN
It is so easy to be oblivious as to what is
happening in the world around us and continue to live haphazardly as if all is
well and is as it should be. We can be so accustomed to the wickedness and
corruption we live in that we can become presumptuous, even as Lot was was
while living in Sodom. He barely escaped the destruction that was pending and
still lost loved ones in the fire. It was his Uncle Abraham’s intercession that
brought about his deliverance. What does it take for us to wake up in our hearts - personal disaster?
WHAT IS REQUIRED IN US?
- BEING TENDER TOWARD GOD AND HIS
WORD
When the priests found the book of the Law of
Moses while cleaning out the temple that had been abandoned by the former king, they read it before King Josiah. Upon
hearing the commandments, warnings, and judgments of the Word of God, Josiah tore his cloak and wept as
he realized how badly the Laws of God were and had been broken by His people,
and how much danger they were in.
As we read the Scriptures of both the Old and
New Testaments we may be shocked, if not horrified, about how far we as a
people have wandered from Jesus Christ and the grace of God, and how much
danger we as a nation and every precious soul are in.
IS IT TIME TO ACT?
“…Behold now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:2
“Say ye not, ‘There are four months, and then comes harvest.’ Behold, I
say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white
already to harvest.” John 4:35
These passages and others not only proclaim
that it is time to win souls, but that we are still in the day of the
dispensation of Grace through the Gospel. Jesus is still building His church,
He is still preparing His bride for His return, therefore, He is still hearing
the prayers of His people and ready to move on our behalf as we cry out to Him
for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done.
HUMILITY AND BROKENNESS
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
Remember the parable Jesus taught about the
Pharisee and the publican who went up into the temple to pray, and how the
Pharisee basically boasted before God about how righteous he felt he was, and
how he despised the publican because he was such a sinner? Did God accept his prayer? “And the publican, standing afar off, would
not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be
abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:13-14
A beautiful example of intercession we can see
in the Scriptures of the Bible is Daniel interceding for his people the nation
of Israel when he saw according to the prophetic writing of Jeremiah the prophet
that the time had come where God would return His people back to their land. Let
us look at some of his prayer; “O Lord,
to us belong confusion of face…because we have sinned…we have rebelled…we have
not obeyed…we have done wickedly…for we do not present our supplications before
You for our righteousness, but for Your great mercies…And while I was speaking
and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people, Israel…”
Daniel 9:8-20. Daniel fully identified himself with the people of Israel for whom he was praying, sharing the guilt of their fall with them as well as his own sin. He came before the Lord in humility and as one with them that needed God's grace and mercy. Are we any different?
We certainly do not present ourselves before
God in prayer and intercession as if we are perfect, righteous, and guiltless.
Only Jesus is. Nor does this act of ‘humility’ justify us, but in fear before
God, knowing that we are all responsible before Him (both in what we do, and
what we fail to do) do we present our pleas for ourselves and for those around
us. Speaking of Jesus, Who, during the days of His life here on earth, “…He had offered up prayers and
supplications with strong frying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him
from death, and was heard in that He feared.” Hebrews 5:7 Do we need more examples?
THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY
In the Old Testament, under the Law, the
Levitical priests ministered for the people before God. Only the High Priest
could enter before the the Lord within
the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for himself and the people in
the presence of the Lord. This Jesus did for us when He entered heaven itself
before the Father… What I would like to point out here is that on the robe the
high priest wore, it had on each shoulder a stone, and on each stone were inscribed
6 of the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Furthermore, it had on it a breast plate with
12 different stones, one for each tribe. So as the High Priest, he shouldered
the responsibility of the children of children of Israel and also carried them
over his heart. Jesus Christ is our High Priest
Who had done and does this for us continually, but there is a principle and
example here for us as a nation of kings and priests to follow. We are to
represent the people before God in a similar manner. When we assume some of the
responsibility for our brothers’ welfare, we are taking on the heart of Jesus
as truly one of His disciples, and carrying their needs and concerns before the throne of God Almighty. That is so unlike Cain who said to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9
BROKENNESS
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalm 126:5
Brokenness is something that God does in our
heart when we allow or rather take on His concern for the wellbeing of those
around us, sharing in His love. When we stand for them in Christ and bear the
burden of the concern for their salvation and troubles, our heart becomes tender to their
plight and our responses follow.
FASTING AND PRAYER
"When I wept, and chastened(humbled) my soul with fasting..." Psalm 69:10
The aspect of fasting and prayer is huge and critical in the prayer life of any believer, and especially in intercession. Fasting is a strong expression of humbling ourselves before God because it takes a sincere level of self-denial, and if in earnest, is placing the needs of others before our very need of sustenance. Fasting in itself does nor necessarily mean we are praying, but went we are praying and fasting together, our commitment to the cause of our prayers is likely far more apparent. On the other hand, if we assume when we fast that we are sort of twisting God's hand, that is contrary to the obedience of faith. But if carried out in humility and love, we are touching the heart of the Father. Please note that prayer and fasting has been a big part of the service of faith since the very early days of the prophets and priests and on to the church, where Jesus Christ Himself carried out the supreme 40 day fast, aside from a multiple of other undisclosed occasions. How urgent are the needs? How much time do we have? What else can be done? What is the Holy Spirit saying? What are we prepared to do? Please consider prayer with fasting as a critical role in your intercessions before God Almighty, Who "resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
CONCLUSION - I
myself have only touched this, but have become convinced that the need is
urgent and the time is now for us to humble ourselves before our Heavenly
Father on behalf of the precious souls of this generation and plead for Him to
pour out His Spirit on us again.
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