Worthy Devotions - Daily Christian Devotional » Intercession

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

A foreign soldier was brought before his commanding officer and accused of communicating with the enemy. He had been seen emerging from an area where their troops were known to patrol. The poor man summed up his defense in a few words, stating that he had slipped away to spend an hour alone in prayer. “Have you been in the habit of spending an hour in private prayer?” demanded the officer. “Yes, Sir,” he replied. “Well” said his commander, “never in your life have you been in more need of prayer than right now. Kneel down and pray aloud so that we all may hear you.”

Expecting cruel punishment, maybe even death, the soldier dropped to his knees and poured out his heart to God. His prayer revealed a deep intimacy with God. His earnest fluency, humble appeal for divine intervention, and very evident trust in one who was strong to deliver, told without a doubt that he came regularly to the throne of grace.

“You are free to go,” said the officer. “No one could have prayed that way without a long apprenticeship — soldiers who never attend drill are always ill at ease for the review.”

I heard a statistic not long ago, that the average Christian only spends about seven minutes a day in prayer. We need to practice prayer in our lives that we may be able to endure when trials come our way and stand strong against the enemy and his tactics!

Let’s ask the Lord to help us become disciplined in this area today. There’s so much work to be done!

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Today marks Holocaust Memorial day here in Israel. Each Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel, war sirens blare throughout the whole Land to call us to remembrance. Cars come to a halt, even on the highways. Pedestrians stop where they are and pause for a couple of moments as the sirens ring to remember the 6,000,000 Jews who died and many more who suffered under the Nazi regime during WW2.

You may know that these atrocities and many more over the years were done in the name of Christianity. Hitler himself said he was a Christian as he murdered millions. Years of torture, abuse and murder have taken a toll on the Jewish people. The few survivors of the Holocaust still living have been battered both physically and emotionally. Even their children and their grandchildren are are bruised and lack understanding of God’s great love for them, especially as it pertains to the idea of Christianity.

We need to be praying for the Jewish people. We need to be pouring out much love upon them. That they would see the truth that our God is a loving God. So loving that he would send His one and only Son to die for our sins and theirs. There’s so much work to be done!

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Many of us have conflicts with people we love most. Husbands, wives, children, parents, friends — we complain to the Lord about our suffering and beg for Him to touch and change the situation so that we can be one big happy family again.

Here’s a question. Have we cried out for that person’s heart like the Lord has cried out for ours while we were yet sinners? Have we suffered and bled in tears and intercession? That is what the Lord did for us while we were nailing Him to the cross.

We need to have the same heart for those who trouble us as the Lord has for us daily. He bleeds and weeps over us and intercedes to no end. How much more should we be doing the same?

Lord, help us! Help us to get your heart on the matter! Help us see those who hurt us through your eyes of compassion and see ourselves for what we really are. Help us to weep. There’s so much work to be done!

Galatians 6:8-9 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

A friend sent us this amazing story.

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend’s sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board.

As he turned his back to the pool, on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body was in the shape of a cross. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling, like someone was speaking to him. Instead of diving, he knelt down and finally asked God to come into his life.

As the young man stood in deep reverence before the Lord, a maintenance man walked in and turned on the lights. The pool had been drained for repairs.

Mm. Sometimes we get frustrated. It seems like our words are falling on deaf ears and that our loved ones will never see the truth. But we never know how God is working in those for whom we’ve been praying. He often has a plan we know nothing about!

Let’s not be discouraged when we don’t see the fruit right away. God knows the day and the hour and He will be faithful to follow through. Keep praying. Keep sharing. Keep sowing the seed! There’s so much work to be done!

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Last evening began Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar year. Some of you may know that a lot of bad things have happened to the Jewish people on this date, the first of which was when the spies returned with an evil report of Israel, written about in Numbers 13 and 14. Both the first and the second Temple were destroyed on this exact day, hundreds of years apart. The Crusades began on this day in 1095. The Jews were expelled out of England on this day in 1290. They were expelled out of Spain and Portugal on this day in 1492. And these are just to name a few!

Although these may be days of mourning, we who know our Messiah shall not mourn for long. Joy awaits us in our Father’s arms for eternity. And while we should all be looking forward to that, we need to be crying out for Israel at this time — especially with war on the horizon — that her eyes would be opened to the truth and the everlasting joy we can have in Him!