Message #5 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Intercession - Our Responsibility"

by Kaye Johns

Most of us are pretty good about praying for our closest family and friends on a fairly regular basis, but what about our church? Our community? Our country? Are we too busy? Too tired? Does God understand?

Samuel, in his farewell speech to the people of Israel, made clear that’s it’s a sin not to intercede for others when he said, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." [1 Samuel 12:23]

Samuel wasn’t talking about an individual; he was referring to his prayers for the whole nation. We sin today if we fail to pray for our country and our leaders [1 Tim 2:1]. And how much greater the sin, if it’s someone we know and love and fail to lift in prayer?

Isaiah tells us how God feels about the need for intercessory prayer: "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor." [Isaiah 59:16, KJV] That’s King James. Hear it from the New International Version--"He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene." [Isaiah 59:26]

God is appalled when we fail to pray for others. It doesn’t say He was upset when He couldn’t find someone to intercede who wasn’t too tired or too busy. He expects us all to intercede--and when we don’t, we sin.

Pray with me now -- Father, protect us from the deception that because we’re busy doing good things and too tired to pray that You’ll excuse us. Keep us from that presumption, in Jesus’ name, amen.

ã 1999 PrayerPower Ministries, P.O. Box 1368, Dallas, TX 75380-1368, 1-800-949-PRAY.
May be copied for personal or church use; please include PrayerPower name, address and phone on copies.