January 29
Father, we thank You for Who You are, there is none like You. You care so much about us that You sent Your only begotten Son to die for us that we may live. You abounded Your son on the cross not because of His sin but that through His death You will gain the whole world back to Yourself. Thank You Father, it only take a loving Father to do that. We praise You, we worship You now and forever more.
Beloved, today is another opportunity for us to talk about “Prayer”. Jesus agonized in prayer for us before He went to the cross even why He on the cross, His desire was to save the world according to His father’s will for Him. Likewise, God is also looking for intercessors to stand in gap for the loss souls, can you make yourself available for His use. In book of Isaiah God was looking for who to send, Isaiah made himself available, in Ezekiel, such as that came up again and God could not find anyone, in angry He swore to destroy them.
In our time, God is also looking for intercessors, are you available or entangled to be used by God to save the loss, the perishing ones trooping to hell daily?
There is evidently a ministry of prayer even as there is a ministry of preaching. The teachings of Jesus contained in the parable show us that praying and preaching are integral parts of the plan of salvation.
Preaching is God’s way of speaking to man, and praying is man’s way of speaking to God. Preaching is God’s way of appealing to the will of man, and praying is man’s way of appealing to the will of God. Our Lord’s teachings relating to intercessory prayer are clearly revealed in the Epistles. John’s Epistles reveal the amazing power made available to God’s people through intercessory prayer. Peter assures us that the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers. James said, “… The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up…” The inspired writings of Paul disclose the astonishing possibilities in the ministry of intercessory prayer. In one of Paul’s Epistles the ministry of prayer is connected so closely with the ministry of preaching that it is difficult to tell where the prayer ends and the preaching begins. (Colossians 1:9-17.) Note the boundless possibilities revealed in the prayers of a faithful minister of Christ— Colossians 4:12.
The man said, “… A friend of mine in his journey is come to me…” (Lk 11: 5-6). Our Lord focused attention on the responsibility to pray for others when He uttered the stirring words in this parable. It obviously was not the man’s own personal need that compelled him to request the three loaves; it was the imperative need of the tired traveler that moved him to ask for bread at midnight. No man can be a faithful follower of Christ and not recognize his responsibility to pray for others.
Don’t forget that Jesus prayed with tears for you and I, what are you willing to do for Him? It is possible in the decision you took for Christ, you are experiences some hardship and the devil is urging you to quit. Will you quit or invite God to help you. It was not easy for Christ, is not gonna be easy for you and I either but by His grace, we can make it to the end to earn this “out of the world but made in Heaven CROWN” (Rev 2:10).
Ever heard that Jesus cried? So you are not alone, come let see why He cried and how he handled it.
During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.—Hebrews 5:7
The life of Jesus provides the model for our prayer lives. God is seeking to mold us into the image of His Son (Col. 1:27–28). If we are to act like Christ, our prayer lives must be conformed to His. Many Christians are unwilling to pay the price that Jesus paid when it comes to interceding with God. Jesus’ prayers came with vehement cries and tears and, “because of His godly fear,” He was heard by the Father.
Why then, did the Father refuse His request? It was not due to any sin in Jesus’ life, nor was it because the Father did not love His Son. The Father said no, despite the unfathomable love He had for His Son, because He knew He could not spare His Son and save a world. Likewise, the Lord cannot always spare you and your family and complete His redemptive work in those around you.
Are you willing for God to deny your pleadings? Will you intercede with the Father so deeply and intimately that even in the midst of your tears you are able to say, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done?” The Father will always relate to you out of the context of His love for a lost world. Has God said no to one of your requests recently? Accept His answer. Have you been learning obedience through what you have been suffering (Heb. 5:8)? If you have, God may choose to make you a source of salvation to others even as He did with His Son.
Hard talk but that’s the truth. I encountered some challenges few days ago, I don’t know whether to wept or not but I wept afterall but you know after what seems like justification on my part to have a rethink on my decision, the Lord console me with this very message I am sharing with you. I later released that it was a way the devil wanted to distract me and thank God for His grace and I believe someone was praying for me. Probably, there are issues in your live that you are battling with presently, my dear don’t give up on God for He will never give up on you, just be patient He will send either an answer, a help or a way out, just hang on there as long as take to get a solution.
God Is Looking for Intercessors, are you available or you have excuses. The man said, “… A friend of mine in his journey is come to me…” Our Lord focused attention on the responsibility to pray for others when He uttered the stirring words in this parable. It obviously was not the man’s own personal need that compelled him to request the three loaves; it was the imperative need of the tired traveler that moved him to ask for bread at midnight. No man can be a faithful follower of Christ and not recognize his responsibility to pray for others. The parable reveals that men will come to us when they are convinced of our ability to obtain help for them through intercessory prayer. Come with for revelation:
I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.—Ezekiel 22:30
God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to be intercessors before Him. Intercessors have hearts in tune with God’s heart. They are so acutely aware of what is at stake, for their land, that they will stay before God as long as necessary in order to obtain God’s answer. That is why you do not volunteer to be an intercessor. God enlists you.
Why do we not intercede as we should? Perhaps we are afraid to put God to the test. We worry that God might not answer our prayers. Yet God promises that if we ask, we will receive (Matt. 7:7). We may fail to intercede because we believe the busyness of our everyday lives is more effective than prayer. Jesus warned that apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Without being intimately acquainted with God and His will, all of our labors are futile. Perhaps we fail to intercede because we misunderstand the heart of God. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem as He interceded for it (Matt. 23:37). If we truly have God’s love within us, we will feel compelled to plead with God on behalf of those who face His imminent judgment.
It was the good news that Christ was giving help and comfort to all men that caused the multitudes to seek Him day and night. The disciples had a boldness in their preaching and a power in their praying that drew broken and burdened humanity to seek the Saviour.
Paul expressed his thanks to God for the church when he said, “… From you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”—1 Thessalonians 1:8.
Lost men do not seek Christ by mere chance; He draws them unto Himself through the convicting and convincing power of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit performs His office work in the world through Christ’s witnesses. It is obvious that the Spirit enables the Christians to attract lost men by faithfully witnessing to the Saviour. Our Lord has not commissioned all of His people to preach, but He called all of them to pray John 15:26, 27
Is it possible that we are too indolent and indifferent to pray? Is there no passion for souls? Is there no sincere concern for the lost? Can it be that we are too sleepy to watch with Christ in the Gethsemane of prevailing prayer? Are our physical comforts more important than our praying for others?
Perhaps our Lord will draw some weary wayfarers to our door asking for help through our intercessory prayers. If He is pleased to trust us with such a responsibility, let us not fail to feed the famishing soul. Paul stated this fact when he said. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”—2 Corinthians 3:5.
We are woefully wanting in natural ability to help others spiritually; we have nothing to set before them. Unless we avail ourselves of the abundant resources of Christ through prayer, we will never have anything of spiritual worth to set before a starving world.
Jesus encouraged us to avail ourselves of His resources when He said, “… He will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” We have nothing of ourselves to save a lost soul, but we have a faithful Friend, who will give us as much as we request in intercessory prayer. Jesus would have us understand that our importunate praying can overcome our discouragements and difficulties. He disclosed this fact when He said, “… He from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.” He is not saying that our heavenly Father is unwilling to grant our requests for others. The Master is teaching us not to cease praying when we encounter some opposing forces in life. There are times when it seems that our earnest requests have been denied. Let us keep in mind that our heavenly Father is willing to give the bread of life in answer to our intercessory petitions for others.
Intercession is a lonely business. There may be many days or even years when there appear to be few results for your labor. Yet intercessors can be the only ones standing between a family and God’s judgment, or between an individual or nation and God’s wrath. May God help to stay in the gap for others in Jesus Name. Amen.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
