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"He . . . wondered that there was no intercessor
. . ." - Isaiah 59:16
The reason many of us stop praying and become hard toward God is that we only
have an emotional interest in prayer. It sounds good to say that we pray, and we
read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial— that our minds are
quieted and our souls are uplifted when we pray. But Isaiah implied in this
verse that God is amazed at such thoughts about prayer.
Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other.
Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of
Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying (see Philippians 2:5 ).
Instead of worshiping God, we recite speeches to God about how prayer is
supposed to work. Are we worshiping God or disputing Him when we say, "But God,
I just don’t see how you are going to do this"? This is a sure sign that we are
not worshiping. When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic. We throw
our petitions at His throne and dictate to Him what we want Him to do. We don’t
worship God, nor do we seek to conform our minds to the mind of Christ. And if
we are hard toward God, we will become hard toward other people.
Are we worshiping God in a way that will raise us up to where we can take hold
of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the
ones for whom we pray? Are we living in a holy relationship with God, or have we
become hard and dogmatic?
Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be
that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy
relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession,
remembering that it truly is work-work that demands all your energy, but work
which has no hidden pitfalls. Preaching the gospel has its share of pitfalls,
but intercessory prayer has none whatsoever.
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