Here’s the latest satellite image.  Looking at this sure makes me feel small.

Update: I just saw this tweet, and decided to add the widget:

CDCemergency RT @CDC_eHealth: Hurricane widget provides important, timely tips when #Earl makes landfall. Add it to your page/blog: http://is.gd/eRB7f

We’ll see how it works.

Saturday update: The CDC widget is history, along with Hurricane Earl. Massachusetts was barely touched, so all is well. Thanks for the prayers.

The Word for Wednesday (WFW) is a once-a-week opportunity for Christian bloggers to collectively share what the Lord is working in their hearts. If you’d like to participate, click the WFW tab above.

Note to regular readers: I will resume my End of the Age review of the Olivet Discourse as the Lord leads. Today I’m off on a more topical issue.

The National Day of Prayer

In 1952 Congress, at the request of Billy Graham, established the National Day of Prayer where people were asked to “turn to God in prayer and meditation.”  In 1988, they set the first Thursday in May as “the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.”

On April 15, 2010, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional on this basis:

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic.

“In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray,” Crabb wrote.

In her ruling, she stated that the issue would not go into effect until it has been through the appeals process, and Obama dutifully issued his proclamation.

My first response to all the backlash Crabb’s ruling generated was, “So what?” Do we really need – or want – Obama (or Bush or Clinton or ?) to tell us when and what to pray?  Would the lack of a presidential proclamation prevent us from praying?

When I read Crabb’s reasoning, I tended to agree with her.  If the President can call us to pray on a particular day, hosting special events for that purpose, could they not also try to direct us to non-biblical acts?  This, in fact, is already being attempted, as the New Apostolic Reformation of C. Peter Wagner joined forces with the Christian Right  in what was dubbed “A Cry to God:  May Day 2010” at the Lincoln Memorial.  As Herescope documented, this was less than biblical:

One of the most amazing aspects of the May Day event, planned in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial on May 1, 2010, is its Official Program stating the “Prayers of Repentance for the Seven Mountains of Culture.”[3] Many good-intentioned believers are being led into this event because they support its conservative political ideologies and moral overtones. They support Israel and they are against abortion. But do these folks also support the Seven Mountains of Culture Mandate? And are they fully in agreement with the esoteric theology of these spiritual warfare prayers and the Dominionist goals of the NAR leaders of the May Day event?

I’d encourage you to read that article and follow the links it contains, as well as this article and this one.  There is a long-planned co-opting of Christianity being implemented, and discernment is required.

All of this has led me to reflect on the larger issue of America as

A Christian Nation

“America was birthed in prayer and founded on the Bible,” said Shirley Dobson, chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, on Thursday.

A solemn mood prevailed at this year’s National Day of Prayer, as speaker after speaker lamented what they perceive as an attack on our Christian Nation, but … does it really matter?  Can any man-made law make us Christian or prevent us from being Christian?  Can any nation actually be Christian?

Before everybody gets in a dither, let me state that I agree with Dobson’s statement.  I’ve learned a lot from my friend Hercules Mulligan, and I agree that, by and large, the founders of America were Christian and attempted to base our government on God’s law.  But that does not make us a Christian nation.

Jesus told Pilate this:

My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” (John 18:36)

Nowhere in scripture did Jesus attempt to change the worldly governments.  Nowhere in scripture did Jesus tell his disciples to change the worldly governments. In fact, history has shown that since Constantine tried to establish the first “Christian nation,” nothing but disaster has resulted.  Every government that has tried to enforce Christian principles wound up killing in Jesus’ name and desecrating His name – and America is no exception.

A Young Soldier

Realnews.com, in a follow-up to the Wikileak Collateral Murder video (which has over 6 million views to date),  has posted Part 1 of an interview with Josh Stieber.  Go here to watch the whole interview or read the transcript.

Josh Stieber enlisted in the army after graduating high school. He was deployed to Baghdad from Feb 07- Apr 08 with the military company shown on the ground in the Collater Murder video. Upon his return from Iraq, Josh was granted conscientious objector status.

So who is this young man?  What was he thinking when he enlisted?  Here’s part of the interview.

STIEBER: I grew up very religiously and very patriotic, in a selective sense that, you know, I only wanted to hear things that I wanted to hear and only things that I thought would make my country look better and make my beliefs look better, and I wasn’t very interested in understanding other perspectives. And the vision I had of my country was that, you know, we were going all throughout the world doing, you know, all this great stuff and helping people in need. And, you know, after 9/11 I was obviously affected by that and wanted to protect the people that I cared about, and, from everyone I trusted, was told that the military would be a good way to do that, and then was also told, you know, there’s this country Iraq that’s getting oppressed by this horrible dictator who’s also a threat to us, and if we can get rid of him, not only will we be keeping ourselves safe, but we’ll also be helping this other country in the process.

JAY: How interwoven were your beliefs in America and what America stands for and your religious beliefs?

STIEBER: They were pretty closely intertwined. I went to a religious high school. And one example is, in a government class that I was in at this religious high school, we read a book called The Faith of George W. Bush. And people like that were held up as, you know, these—these are people that are fighting for God’s will here on Earth. So religion was very interwoven with a sense of nationalism.

So what happened to change his beliefs?

JAY: So you go to Iraq. You join, you go through boot camp, and you’re sent to Iraq, and you’re still more or less the same mindset. Tell us a little bit about boot camp and the kind of training that takes place to prepare you for war. I mean, your religious training is supposed to be about love thy neighbor, and then you’re sent to war. So how do they get you ready for that?

STIEBER: Yeah, I guess that’s where I started to see, maybe, some of these contradictions, just by the kinds of things that we did on a regular basis in basic training, whether it was the cadences that we sang as we were marching around, some that even joked about killing women and children.

JAY: Like what?

STIEBER: One that stands out in my mind is—it goes,

“I went down to the market where all the women shop
I pulled out my machete and I begin to chop
I went down to the park where all the children play
I pulled out my machine gun and I begin to spray.”

JAY: That’s as you’re marching.

STIEBER: Right.

JAY: So this is, like, an authorized chant, you could say.

STIEBER: Yeah. I mean, the training, they focus on the physical aspect, or, you know, they say that’s the challenging part, but then they slip all these psychological things in along with it.

JAY: Well, that’s got to be shocking for you to hear that the first time.

STIEBER: Yeah. And so I started writing home to religious leaders at my church, saying what I’m being asked to do doesn’t really line up with, you know, all these religious beliefs I had. And I would get letters back with explanations that I needed to have more faith in God, or this is just how the military works.

JAY: They would write back and defend a chant like that, that it’s okay to go down where the kids are playing and start to spray? They would defend that?

STIEBER: They would either defend it or say that ends justify the means or say, you know, maybe you personally don’t say chants like that and just march silently, but you still go along with the whole system.

If these are the words taught by a “Christian Nation,” it’s no wonder the Muslims hate America.  And it’s no wonder that they hate Jesus.

I’ve taken some liberties with the following scripture, but based on Matthew 5:43-48 when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, I don’t think He will object.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love for Muslims,
I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge;
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love for Muslims,
I am nothing.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor,
and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love for Muslims,
it profits me nothing.
Love is patient,
love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness,
but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-7)

Individually, the Lord will test each of us in different ways, but our underlying challenge will be the same:  to represent our Lord and Savior through it all without sinning.  Weak as our flesh is, the only way we can win this battle is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

With this in mind, I did a search for power and Spirit and was a little surprised at the number of verses that came up.  As you read through some of these, take note of just what it is the Holy Spirit empowers people to do.

On the other hand I am filled with power– With the Spirit of the LORD– And with justice and courage To make known to Jacob his rebellious act, Even to Israel his sin. (Micah 3:8)

“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
(Luke 1:17)

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. (Luke 4:14-15)

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:18-19)

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:14-16)

for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

As a result, here is my prayer for the new year:

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:17-25)

I say her long-term status will be determined by God, so yours prayers are greatly appreciated.

Doris, at our family reunion Oct. 2009

My mother-in-law, who has to be the sweetest lady I’ve ever known, had a stroke today.  All we know at this point is that she’s in the hospital and she’s alert, but she can’t speak.

Your prayers would be appreciated.

And Bishop Gene Robinson, the vocal gay activist from New Hampshire, has already told us about his prayer:

Robinson doesn’t yet know what he’ll say, but he knows he won’t use a Bible.

“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation.”

I would expect nothing different from Robinson, but every time I hear a “Christian” watering down a prayer so that it won’t offend any people, I wonder why they’re not more concerned about offending Jesus.

So If you want to join me in being politically incorrect, go watch the video, and we can pray together.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The Bible is full of promises that we can cling to when things get rough. When we need encouragement, we often quote these verses to one another, or even to ourselves. Here are some of my favorites.

(Deuteronomy 31:6) Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

(Isaiah 43:1-2) But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”

(Psalms 91:4-7) He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.

(1 Corinthians 10:13) No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

(Revelation 21:1-4) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And then there are the verses that we all know by heart.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

(Psalm 23) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Comforting words. Strengthening words. Words we can cling to through our darkest hours. With all the things happening in our lives and in our country and in the world today, we would do well to make ourselves familiar with all of God’s promises. In the days ahead, I think we’re going to need them.

As the Holy Spirit leads us to the strength and comfort we need, though, we would also do well to remember that many of God’s promises are conditional. No, we don’t always like to hear about the conditions God puts on us, but we need to hear all of God’s words, not just the ones that make us feel good. So I’m going to read a few of these, also, and I ask you to focus on the conditions that God gives us, rather than just the promise.

(Matthew 6:14-15) For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

(1 John 1:9-10) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

(Deuteronomy 4:29) But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

(Psalms 37:4-6) Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.

(Isaiah 58:10-11) And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

(Acts 3:19-20) Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.

(John 15:1-7) I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

And now we return to our scripture for today, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God has been bringing this last verse to my mind over and over again lately, and He’s been impressing a couple things on me. The first is that this verse is not written to the people who don’t know the Lord. It’s not written to the atheist or the agnostic. It’s not written to the thief or the murderer or the adulterer. God addresses it to, “My people who are called by My name.” It doesn’t call the ungodly to humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways – it calls God’s people to humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways.

The second thing that struck me is the power He has given us. Have you ever thought about that? God has put the fate of our nation in our hands. If we humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, then God will heal our land. We are responsible for what happens to America – not the politicians in Washington, not the gamblers and crooks on Wall Street, not the thieves or the murderers in our midst. God’s people. Christians. We are responsible. Given the state of our country, I’d say we haven’t been doing a very good job of it.

And this verse doesn’t tell us to be activists and try to change what everybody else is doing. It doesn’t recommend that we personally fix all the problems that exist, because only God can do that. No, the only thing that we need to change is us. We need to humble ourselves. We need to pray. We need to seek God’s face. We need to turn from our wicked ways. And then … God will heal our land. He promised.

There’s an old song by Michael Card that’s based on this promise. Having been inspired by Jayme’s example, I made it into a movie and you are now going to see the premier.

Lord, have mercy upon us and show us our wicked ways, that we may repent. Humble us, Lord, that our pride may fall away, and we can pray and seek Your face with honest hearts. And as we respond to Your call, Lord, we remind You of Your promise and ask You to heal our land. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State

Special thanks to Abraham Lincoln Online.Org

I’m going to share a little of what God has taught me over the past few years about intercession. It’s not a complete instruction manual, by any means, but it’s three principles that God has worked into my own heart.

1) The first principle is that God hears and answers the prayers of the righteous.

1 Peter 3:12: FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE UPON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.[1]

James 5:16: The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.[2]

Well, that sure leaves me out — and the rest of you, too.

Romans 3:23: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.[3]

1 John 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.[4]

So if God hears the prayers of the righteous, and we’re all sinners, then what’s the point of praying? The point is that Jesus made us righteous when we received the forgiveness of the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:30: But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.[5]

So does that mean that once we receive Jesus into our hearts we can do any old thing we want, and God will still answer our prayers? As Paul would say, “God forbid!” No, there’s a key to maintaining our righteousness before God, and Jesus related it in a parable in Luke 18:9-14:

And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”[6]

If we put a couple of the previous verses in context, they support this idea of confessing our sins.

1 John 1:8-10 says this: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.[7]

James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.[8]

We don’t keep our right standing before God by doing everything right, because we can’t. Our flesh is weak. We keep our right standing by confessing our sins. Now, our flesh doesn’t much like this idea, because confessing our sins is … well … humbling. It’s especially humbling if we confess to another person. I’m not suggesting we set up a booth like the Catholics do, but I do think we could be more honest with each other. Instead of trying to make ourselves look good, we should humble ourselves, which makes Jesus look good. And the more humble we are, the more glory goes to the Lord. The more humble we are, the more righteous we are. And God attunes His ear to the prayers of the righteous.

2) Another principle of intercession is sincerity. There are several verses in the Bible that talk about seeking God with a whole heart. Jeremiah 29:13 is one:

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.[9]

If we’re honest with each other, we’ll admit that some of our prayers are more heart-felt than others. Baby Lily, for instance, was easy to pray for. Whose heart isn’t touched by a little baby struggling for life? It’s a little harder to pray sincerely for the obnoxious drunk who kicks the dog and beats his wife. We might even have to confess to God that we hate this guy. We definitely have to forgive him before we can honestly pray for him.

Mark 11:25: And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.[10]

Luke 6:28: bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.[11]

One example of this kind of prayer is found in Romans 9:1-3. Paul, who had been beaten and stoned and persecuted for years by other Jews, said this:

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.[12]

Sometimes we can’t offer sincere prayers because it might cost us something. A short time after Tom and I were married, we were in a Christian bookstore and he saw a book he felt led to get for me. It’s called, “Rees Howells, Intercessor” by Norman Grubb, and it’s one I treasure. It tells the story of a man who was one of the key players in the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905. He later went on to be a missionary in Africa, and later still he started a Bible college. But the service to God that he loved best was intercession. Here’s one story that has always stayed with me.

When the tubercular woman died, she left four little children. It was such a test for her husband that he fell into bad habits through drink, and much neglected them. Mr. Howells one day was burdened about this. The Lord showed him plainly that something would have to be done for these children. The Lord asked Rees what He should do with them, but Mr. Howells gave Him no reply. The Spirit said, “Unless you give Me an answer, they will have to go to the workhouse.” Then He asked, “If anything happened to your brother or sister-in-law, would you allow their children to go there?” “Certainly I wouldn’t,” answered Mr. Howells. “Why do you answer Me so quickly about your own fold,” the Lord said, “yet you have nothing to say about these four little orphans?” “Well, of course, blood is thicker than water.” “Yes, but spirit is thicker than blood!”[13]

After some more internal struggles and many prayers, Mr. Howells eventually found his heart overflowing with love for these children, to the point that he wanted to raise them as his own. Only after he reached that place did the Lord send them to stay with the mother’s sisters.

Too often, I think, we pray sincerely for God’s blessing on others as long as it doesn’t cost us anything. If God wants to use us to bring the blessing, we have a harder time.

James 2:14-24 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.[14]

3) The third principle I want to talk about is praying God’s will. Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread. He did not tell us to pray for a new BMW with a sunroof. James tells us this in chapter 4:1-3:

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

I think the same principle applies when we’re praying for others.

I took a quick tour through the New Testament and looked at prayers of intercession. Here are some that jumped out at me.

John offered this prayer in 3rd John 1:2:

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

I think we’re pretty good around here about praying for good health and that people may prosper. I think we’re not so good about praying that their souls may prosper. Almost all the prayers that I found relate more to our spiritual condition that to our natural condition. I’m going to finish by sharing a few of them. Let us pray:

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.[15]

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.[16]

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.[17]

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.[18]

To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[19]

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.[20]

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.[21]

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Benediction: Lord teach us to confess our sins, that, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we may be accounted righteous and humble before You, that our prayers may be effective. Pierce our hearts, Lord, that all our prayers may be sincere and honest, whether we pray for friends or enemies. And help us, Lord, to pray for Your will in all things, focusing more on the eternal soul, and less on the natural man. Through Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord and Savior, Amen.

[1] 1 Peter 3:12
[2] James 5:16
[3] Romans 3:23
[4] 1 John 1:8
[5] 1 Corinthians 1:30
[6] Luke 18:9-14
[7] 1 John 1:8-10
[8] James 5:16
[9] Jeremiah 29:13
[10] Mark 11:25
[11] Luke 6:28
[12] Romans 9:1-3
[13] “Rees Howells, Intercessor” by Norman Grubb, p.91, Christian Literature Crusade, Ft. Washington, PA
[14] James 2:14-24
[15] 1 Thessalonians 5:23
[16] Colossians 1:9-12
[17] Ephesians 3:14-19
[18] Ephesians 1:15-19
[19] 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
[20] Philemon 1:4-6
[21] Hebrews 13:20-21