Today’s study covers three aspects of intercessory ministry; they are – the ability to identify with others; the second is a deep mourning over the destruction and pain caused by sin – this type of sorrow result in the intercessor experiencing agony over the fate of men and women.

The last characteristic, that Selwyn writes about, is authority – an intercessor is a person who has the assurance that the one and only God is listening to their prayers. I do not go so far as to say that an intercessor can command things to be done, as mentioned in the quote by Rees Howells.

I believe that we must always maintain the position that God is our creator and we are the created; we approach His throne both with the assurance that He is good and He has total power over all of creation; and we approach His throne in awe of His majesty and holiness. You can see these two attitudes coming together in Daniel’s prayer. (As seen in yesterday’s post.)

I like the book of Job because it reflects the cry of many – who call out for an answer to the question: ‘Why me?’ In Job 42:1-6 (NIV), we read Job’s final response to God: “Then Job replied to the LORD: ‘I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” 

As we approach God in prayer we must come with an understanding that there are spiritual things that we cannot know; and, God is the one who says: ‘Listen now, and I will speak … ‘  He is, the King of  kings, and we (His friends through Jesus) submit to His Words, yet we have the confidence that His perfect love is directing our steps towards the promised land – an eternal life with Him, in perfect peace and harmony with His will.

It’s interesting , don’t you think – that some Christian people do certain activities to get noticed – what does that say about their relationship with God?

Selwyn writes in today’s study: “There is no human glory or glamour attached to intercessory prayer. Perhaps this is why so few become involved in it. … The preacher, evangelist, organiser, administrator, reformer, social worker, all move in a circle of those who know their fame and may envy their skill. But the intercessor receives no human admiration or applause.”

He goes onto say: “Every spiritual revival that has ever taken place owes more to the ministry of intercession than to any other one thing. (And, God can bring revival again – to any part of the world.) ”

In Daniel 2 verses 17 to 23 (NIV), we read about Daniel’s response to King Nebuchadnezzar’s  command that all the wise men in his kingdom be put to death because no one could tell him what his tormenting dream was, nor give him an interpretation of it. “Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy (in prayer) from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: ‘Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.’ “

In verses 44 to 47 (Daniel 2), we read about the outcome of Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (established by Jesus) that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. [Jesus our King of Kings - will bring all other kingdoms to an end; and, in recent days we have seen an example of how earthly rulers are crushed.]

The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy. Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

I’m using this example to show just how powerful prayer is – that God is involved in all that happens on this earth and that we can trust in His power and absolute goodness. It’s important, I think, that we always remember, like Daniel, to thank and praise God – that He is our God and that He does listen to our prayers and that He will always respond to the prayer of one of His sheep. (His response may not be what we want – but His response will always be perfectly good.]

One, final point – there is no difference between the prayers of Daniel and your prayers – God hears all our prayers; it’s our degree of surrender to God’s love that often makes the difference. Do you agree?

Selwyn continues to discuss the issue of making time available for the ministry of intercessory prayer. He writes: “Time is made, as we saw, by reviewing unnecessary occupations (activities) … There are some things that should not be cut down or cut out, such as time with the family, Bible study and church attendance. You can be sure that when you set about the task of rearranging your priorities, God will not lead you to neglect anything that is essential.”

I agree with the statement that ‘if you put the practise of being in God’s presence, first (through prayer); then all other activities fall into place’, and enough time is found for other activities such as housework and recreational pursuits.

As a person who enjoys their sleep, I found the prayer for today a bit of a challenge – I wonder if Selwyn was smiling when he wrote it: “O God, I must get this business of my priorities right. Teach me to put first things first – even if it means I have to get out of bed an hour earlier. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

In today’s study, Selwyn looks at the importance of reviewing what we spend our time on (before going into details about intercessory prayer) – and, seeing if any time can be saved by scaling back on some of our activities.

He says: “If the pattern of your life at present does not allow for much time in intercession then consider making time. Go over your life in God’s presence to see what things can be adjusted and rearranged. This is something I do constantly, for if I didn’t then I would just not be able to do the things I know God wants me to do.”

Our lives here on this planet are very short; if you take out the time required for the basic necessities of life then there is not a lot of time left over. Consequently, we should be good stewards of this scare resource and review our priorities on a regular basis. For example, it’s easy to find ourselves watching TV just out of habit, and getting little (if any) benefit out of it.

I think, there is a need to be fairly tough on ourselves regarding this issue; and, I think Selwyn is right when he said, ‘go over your life in God’s presence’, because we will need His guidance to show us those areas, where we are wasting time.  As well as reviewing our activities and habits that fill the hours of our day – it’s perhaps a good idea to ask ourselves the question – just before we turn the lights out and go to sleep: ‘Today – what have I done for Jesus, in what ways have I loved my ‘neighbour’, and how can I rearrange my time, to achieve more?

This is an area which I often don’t do very well in – so, it’s often a prayer point for me – how to better organise my time.

Selwyn now look at ‘intercessory prayer. He writes: “Intercessory prayer is the giving of ourselves in passionate, believing and unhurried prayer to the needs of others. … Intercession cuts into our time, makes demands upon our energy, taxes our patience and forces us to rearrange our priorities. A God-given, deep concern for others is the main motivation of those who are willing to become intercessors.”

Jesus gave us a new commandment – ‘to love each other, in the same way that He loves us’. Intercessory prayer is an expression of our love for others – this, outpouring of love can only occur if we have given our hearts to Jesus, so that He can fill our hearts to overflowing, so that we become streams of living water for others.

We all know that there are some people who suffer from various forms of mental dysfunction; in some cases these people hear ‘voices’. I think that a number of people are frighten to put themselves into a position, where others may think they are suffering from some form of mental illness, if they were to talk about their experiences in seeking to hear God’s voice.

It’s strange that the apostle Paul may write about supernatural events and be believed, but nearly two thousand years later on; if anyone talks about their spiritual experiences they are automatically viewed with some degree of skepticism. We, the followers of Jesus, have had the baptism of the Holy Spirit and therefore we can test with God’s help, what is true and what is false. We have the ability to discern what word is from God and what word is from an overactive imagination or damaged mind.

Consequently, I agree with Selwyn when he writes: “Before leaving this issue of listening to God I would like to give you one last word of caution. The matter is one to which I have already referred but it needs to be stressed. God will never contradict His written Word, and if we believe we have heard His voice telling us to do something that is contrary to what He says in Scripture, it is definitely not God’s voice we have heard.”

Also, keep in mind, that Satan can also talk to us and he can even pretend to be an angel;  so, we must be always on guard, and test what we hear against the overall message of Scripture.  Satan can misuse a verse of Scripture, as seen in his temptation of Jesus. Matthew 4:5-7 (NIV): ” … Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” ‘

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

In summary, let me repeat what I’ve often said; Jesus loves you, He will not let you be fooled by foreign voices for any length of time - He will always rescue you. You can trust in His love.

I think the following excerpt from today’s study – is an excellent summary. “The closeness of our walk with the Divine Shepherd determines the degree to which we recognise His voice when He speaks to us.”

As I mentioned yesterday – there’s no mistaking the voice of our creator God -  there is no-person in this world who will not stop what they are doing, to listen to His voice, when He speaks directly to them.

Listen to the clear command issued to Philip, in today’s reading (Acts 8:29): “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” This is a great example, of how God often talks to His people; not in riddles but in precise instructions.

What’s your view?