0He . .
. 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.
(Taken from Oswald Chambers – “My Utmost
for His Highest” March 30)