November 11, 2020
Bible Reading – Exodus 32
Exodus 32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God…
Once again in Exodus, we see a wonderful picture of Christ and the cross. The Children of Israel deserved the judgment and full wrath of God. Moses, who was sent by God to free the people, goes to God on their behalf to plead for mercy. While we were also deserving the judgment of God, I’m so grateful that Christ came to free my soul from sin and goes to God on my behalf. The children of Israel were not saved on their own merit, but as Moses interceded for them, he reminded God of His own name, His promises, His mercy, and His grace. I am not worthy of salvation, but because of Christ I have a hope in Jesus name! God does not save me for my sake but for Christ’s! Where would Israel be without the intercessory prayers of Moses, and where might I be without the intercession of Christ and others?
“I’m praying for you.” What a simple yet powerful statement. It is perhaps my favorite statements to hear from the mouth of friends, and it is one of the most encouraging statements we can offer to others. In Luke 22:32, Jesus tells Peter, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen the brethren.” How encouraging it must have been to Peter to realize that even when he failed, Christ loved him enough to pray for him. Christ had enough faith, enough love for his soul, and enough concern for his future that He prayed for Peter’s faith to not fail. In II Timothy1:3, Paul reminds Timothy that he prays for him night and day without ceasing! Everyone needs prayer from the “weakest” to the “strongest” Christian, and it would be a tremendous habit to pray without ceasing on the behalf of others.
One of the most Christlike things we can do is go to God on the behalf of others. There comes a time in each of our lives where we have needed and will again need someone to stand before God and intercede for us. And right now in this very moment, there is someone who needs you to intercede for them. Prayer begets prayer! Maybe you have a child who cannot yet know what battles they will have to face, or perhaps your friend is going through dark days spiritually and emotionally. Perhaps you need prayer, and you hope for it from others. Pray for others, encourage them, and know that your reminder to prayer has ignited their prayers for you if they were not already in action. It is almost a certainty that we all know someone who is lost, and we need to intercede for them just as others have prayed for us! While we may be unable to know exactly what someone is battling, intercession connects hurting people with the understanding of God, and it unlocks the mercy and grace of God for them! The seriousness of prayer can be clearly seen in the judgment that was and is withheld. Prayer is not just a nice thing to do. For many, prayer is the 9-1-1 call that will bring the fire department to put out the metaphorical fire in their life. For others, it may be the ambulance that rushes them to a spiritual hospital. We may never know what our prayer does for others, so let’s pray fervently and faithfully!
— Eli Faulds