…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit… —Ephesians 6:18
{CHAMBERS} “As we
continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to
God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we
ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with
those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct
answer to our prayers. […] Identification with God is the key to intercession,
and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with
others, not because of sin. […] God gives us discernment in the lives of others
to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.”
{ELGIN} Jesus said that we should pray that the will
of the Father be done, not our will. That
suggests that there is a possibility that what we think is best is not necessarily
what God thinks is best. Out thinking
needs to be in alignment with God. His
view is eternal and ours is often worldly, the temporary. That is not to say that we should not pray
for the sick or the downcast, the Bible tells us to. So how do you know when it is right to pray
for relief for someone else? It requires
discernment … spiritual discernment, which only comes from having the right
relationship with the Spirit of God. We
see someone struggling with life and we pray that God will give them relief. It may be that God is allowing that struggle
so they might find eternal relief. Matthew
25 says that we should be sensitive to those who are afflicted and take action
to help them.
When people would come to see us in Mississippi asking for
immediate help … money in other words … we would never refuse them water or
food .. but we often refused them money .. not always .. why? Because there was a small voice telling me
that something was amiss. It is not
wrong to be heartbroken over a child that has taken the wrong road and is
dealing with the consequences of their choices.
But, it is another thing entirely to find relief for them when their
heart is still unrepentant and far from God.
The father never went looking for the Prodigal son, but there was not a
day when he did not hope to see his son returning in repentance. A pastor once said “Sometimes people don’t
know Jesus is all they need until Jesus is all they have.” Perhaps you have a child like that or know
someone who is struggling … go to the altar … seek God in the matter .. and
pray that His will be done … to give a cup of living water is better by far than
giving someone a cup of water only for them to be thirsty again. You must have
faith. And if you have faith, then you
must walk in it.
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