Our Focus On Prayer- Intercession
(All Christians
should pray for the needs of humanity- that is intercession- standing
in the breech of needs and God.
We share this to
stimulate others to consider God's call to make this ministry your
own as God lays it on your hearts.)
Intercession has been the chief focus
in our daily prayers in the morning for several years. We usually
start out with recalling the innumerable blessings of God in our
lives from birth, and before, of our Christian heritage and down
through our life of the continuous protection of God in health, traveling,
sufficiency, and now in retirement, still being able to live together
in good health. Our house seems to be such a suitable place of
comfort, especially in the winter where we are secure from the
elements. All this wells up in our hearts in praise and thanksgiving.
But soon our hearts' emphasis shifts to
other concerns. Our family is important, and the growing number of
grandchildren who are married and settling into vocations of life;
and those who are considering with whom they will be establishing
life partners. We long that they all seek first God's will for them
in partnerships and establishing a means of support, yet putting
God''s kingdom first and their subsistence security secondarily. We
pray that each new generation will live in the fervor of our
heritage, and even more than ever, committing themselves to service
in the Kingdom, either as a vocation, or as a priority in their
livelihood.
Then there are our Belizean children
with whom we keep in contact at least monthly. For several single
mothers and two couples, all with children. These all we have been in
contact with closely in our years in Belize, some living with us.
Nearly all find surviving economically very difficult. We pray for
jobs for them constantly, that they earn a honest living, and wisdom
to manage their meager income. We pray for the health of the
children, some of which have chronic problems of sickle cell anemia.
We pray for their spiritual growth, pure living, knowing some of
their temptations in their poverty. We pray that they find believers
to stand with them as they are weak in faith and not rooted in church
fellowships. We long for them to raise their children to know God,
however weakly they follow Christ themselves. We pray for the purity
of youth, focusing on education, not to be sidetracked by passions
and immaturity.
We often pray for our own congregation
of worship. Especially toward the end of the week for God to prepare
our leaders to know and share his will for us as a congregation. We
think and pray for all American churches for the same, and that God
would sink deeply into hearts by his Spirit, what he wants his people
to know about his will for their lives. We rejoice in the
faithfulness of the church in reaching out into the world, and pray
this will be magnified.
Everyday we pray for the Middle East
conflict in its various dimensions. For refugees, their security,
provision, hope, their turning to God for help. We hope that they can
re-establish their homes and livelihood- so much for those who have
lost almost everything. That the God of justice would bring justice
to rulers: bringing down the unjust, raise up worthy leaders who care
about their people. That he would curtail evil doers of violence, let
their plans of destruction fail. In His own way bring peace for many.
For visions of God to those who are disenchanted with Islam with a
hunger to know the real God. In his own way, may God hasten the day
of peace among peoples and nations, working together for decent
living for the citizens.
We pray for mission and relief workers
around the globe in troubles areas and elsewhere. For courage
for their daily witness, strength to endure hardship, wisdom
on how to relate in every situation, for rewards in their
work, success so that they can keep on serving with
confidence, for a lengthening of their ministry. For protection
in every way. We pray
for God to call many more into the ministry of the Gospel abroad, for
those in training to be prepared, for the church in America to be
majorly dedicated and grow in vision to carry out the Great
Commission.
In praise we recognize that God is
doing a greater work than ever in establishing his people in great
numbers, like in Ethiopia, Guatemala, and many countries. We rejoice
for the wonderful work he is doing in establishing his people like in
resistant places China and India. We pray that many leaders may be
established and gifted for the many new churches in many countries.
We pray for those churches that grow where there is opposition, for
persecuted Christians that they be strong, and not give up. For
protection of all such believers that they can continue their
ministries.
We pray for a new sense of commitment
and dedication of the church in America. So many gifts, strength of
training, and finances that the church needs to be stewards of, to
dedicate in much greater fashion, all this for carrying out of the
Great Commission. That people free their gifts and resources
sacrificially for the sake of the Gospel.
We feel intercession should be a
calling for many Christians. It's a serious commitment to be involved
as a work God calls a Christian to do faithfully. It is not a casual
or occasional matter. Prayer without ceasing is the motto for
intercession. It is serious business. Abraham challenged, “Shall
not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Moses challenge God that
He would be discredited if he destroyed his disobedient people. We
have pleaded God continually: Do something about all the evil in the
Middle East conflict. Tame town the violence of evildoers, let their
plans fail! Do this in your way, and do not delay, and do it sooner
rather than later. We pray that many in Islam may hunger for real
truth, having visions of Jesus; we pray for a whole new view of Jesus
among Muslims where He is seen as who he really is, the Savior and
Lord of the earth, more than just a prophet. With all this praying,
we notice when we see and read of God answering our pleading for the
Middle East and Islam.
All the works of God are causes for
praise and thanksgiving that he is doing what is right. It is not
clear why or how we are partners with God in him carrying out his
desires for all people. It just seems so definitely that it is our
job to continue this as long as his calling lasts. As we see that
many persons in history have cried out with tears, so we may be
involved in a ministry of intersection daily. God is doing so much;
His task is so great as we see it, he wants our partnership in all
the work he wants done in his Kingdom. He wants to make known to the
world, his wonderful redeeming love for all mankind, to be his
kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
