Touch through intercession!
Verse for Today: Thursday, October 04, 2012
Genesis 18:22 – The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
God expects His children to have spiritual burden for His other children. This burden is ultimately God’s own burden which is sensed by His children for their fellow brethren. Such burden is evidence that we have the same attitude towards the household of faith just as God has. God wants to translate His burden for the backslidden and the coldhearted to our hearts so that we would intercede for their souls. This spirit of intercession is the prime evidence that we love them and do not want them to continue in their spiritual slumber. When the two angels turned to Sodom, Abraham knew that God was about to pour our His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. He knew that it will turn against his backslidden brother Lot and his dear family. Abraham knew well how Lot blew earlier opportunities to come back and continue to be in fellowship with Abraham in Hebron. But these opportunities that Lot lost didn’t deter Abraham from pleading again for Lot’s soul and that of his family. Abraham was unwilling to move away from the presence of God because of his burden for Lot and his family. He wanted to continue to intercede with God to see how Lot’s life can be spared. He bargained with God on a five-round intercession. It shows the confidence Abraham had with God and the knowledge he had about the attributes of love, compassion and mercy that governed God’s character. Abraham is a great challenge to us today to intercede for our dear ones in our families, churches, neighborhoods and nations. But in order to intercede with confidence, we must develop an intimate relationship with God so as to enjoy the freedom to continue to pray for our dear ones whom we love. Abraham could have identified several reasons why Lot could be forgotten. He had many faults including materialism, craving for prominence and utter disregard for bringing up his family in the ways of the Lord. His wife too had poor vision about spiritual matters. Yet, Abraham prayed for Lot and powerfully interceded for him and his family.
Dear friend, are you burdened about your backslidden and coldhearted brethren? Are you concerned that they wake up from their spiritual slumber? Are you willing to stay in the presence of God and plead with Him until you get an answer? Intercession is a long and hard task which requires a lot of patience, as can be seen in the way Abraham interceded for Lot and his family. It is based on our burdens for others whom we love. We ought to love them especially because our God loves them and would not want anyone to perish. He alerts and energizes our hearts to intercede for others whom He loves and wants to return to Him. Intercession demands discipline in prayer. A large part of the ministry of Paul was intercession for a vast number of believers and churches. Our God is patient with us when we intercede for others. Abraham’s intercession for Lot and his family found favor in the eyes of the Lord who pulled them out of the city of destruction. Their ultimate failures were due to the callousness of their hearts and they would have only themselves to blame. Abraham did his part in bringing Lot and family from the enemies and pleaded with God for their safety. Subsequently Abraham continued his sojourn with the Lord and was able to see generations by faith in accomplishing God’s plan for his life. He continued to serving the Lord and the Lord rewarded him with all the blessings of the heavenly places. He enjoyed special blessings from the Lord as in the case of Job who interceded for others. Today the passionate intercession of Abraham challenges us to stay in the gap for others. As we pray for others, the Lord shows compassion to us so that we would continue to enjoy His favors according to His measure of grace.
Job 42:8b – My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.
Thought for Today
Intercessory prayers of God’s children extend the compassion of God to those who have repeatedly rejected His love.
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