INTERCESSORY PRAYER

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:1-4).

Devotion 11 of 17

WHEN INTERCESSION DOES NOT WORK

Let none suppose that intercession is always in order. There are times when no one can effectively intercede for certain individuals. This means that intercession, like all expressions of faith, is ultimately subject to the will of God. The deciding factor in any situation is what the Lord desires, not what we want. It is possible, for instance, for God to be so provoked by rebellion that He will not hear even the most powerful of intercessors. We have examples of divine affirmation on this subject. "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee" (Jer 7:16). "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble" (Jer 11:14). "Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good" (Jer 14:11). Three times God forbids the mighty prophet Jeremiah to pray for His people. They had passed over a boundary that thrust them into a dreadful condition. When I read such passages, I fervently desire to avoid such a state. There are some people who do not dare to imagine God is capable of such iterations; but He is! With startling resolution, God says, "I will not hear thee in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble." The Lord shared further with Jeremiah the seriousness of Israel's condition. "Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth" (Jer 15:1). Two of the mightiest intercessors to ever live! Yet, even they could not cause the mind of the Lord to be turned toward His people! That generation would be abandoned because of their stubbornness and rebellion! Truly, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). There comes a time when even intercession cannot correct a situation. If you are going to intercede for another, do not allow yourself to tarry while the situation grows worse! God also spoke to Ezekiel about the hopelessness of Israel's condition. "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD" (Ezek 14:14). The thing to be seen here is not only the tragedy of Israel's state. Also see the reliance of God upon key spiritual people. Noah, Daniel, and Job--singled out of the entire human race because of their power with God, and representative of three distinct gnerations. It makes me wonder if Noah's family did not owe their salvation from the flood to the walk of Noah. He is, after all, called "the eighth person" (2 Pet 2:5). The way I see this text, if that generation of Israel was retrievable, God would have relied once again upon powerful intercessors. Suffice it to say, God has not changed! PRAYER POINT: Father, I desire to avoid a state where prayer would not avail for me. Enlarge my heart, lavish your grace upon me, and shed your love abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. Thus will I not only abide in your love, but will also be usable for the recovery of those who can be retrieved.

-- TOMORROW: SUPPLICATE FOR THE SAINTS --