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Message of the Month  by Pastor Paul March 2019  

ANCIENT PATHS

“Stand in the ways and see

And ask for the ANCIENT PATHS where the good way is,

And walk in it.

Then you will find rest for your souls.”

Jeremiah 6v16

 

Over these next few months we are looking at some of the ANCIENT PATHS which are ‘the good way,” trodden by those from ancient times who have gone before us.  If we focus on these and walk in them the promise is that we will be safe and find rest for our souls...

 

This month we are looking at

THE ANCIENT PATH OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER

 

The best definition of intercessory prayer is to be found in Ezekiel 22:30 where the LORD has been waiting for someone to “stand in the gap” and pray on behalf of those who could not do so for themselves:

 

“I sought for a man among them who would make a wall,

and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land,

that I should not destroy it;

but I found no one.”

 

God was looking for someone who would intercede and pray in such a way that the inevitable judgement would be averted.  Someone who would stand in the gap and cooperate with Him on earth in bringing about a change for the better.

 

The situation could have been turned around if there was just one person who would cooperate with God and start the process of bringing change through prayer. At this point in history no such person could be found and the inevitable happened, but there were other occasions when there was someone who did stand in the gap and intercede.  

 

Let’s look at a few examples of those who stood at the crossroads - took the ancient path of intercessory prayer and made a difference:

The Intercession of MOSES

Numbers 14:1-23

 

When the Children of Israel heard the report of the 12 spies who had entered the Promised Land - they disbelieved the good report of Joshua and Caleb and accepted the bad report of the other 10 spies.  They then complained bitterly against God - remember this was 100’s of thousands of people – weeping and wailing and wanting to go back to Egypt!

 

Then the whole congregation was about to stone Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, and all of a sudden, the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting and God told Moses He was going to destroy those unbelieving complainers!  He wanted to replace them with Moses’ family, but Moses stood in the gap and appealed to God’s great love to forgive the sin of the people (14:19).  Moses interceded on behalf of the people and because of that, although those who rebelled were never allowed to enter the Promised land and had to wander in the wilderness for forty years, the full weight of the disaster was averted.

The intercession of ELIJAH

1 Kings 19:42

 

Elijah Is commended by James in his New Testament letter, for praying for an end to the drought which had caused a terrible famine for three and a half years.

 

We see here that intercessory prayer brought about a change of circumstances. and he says in James 5v16

 

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  

 

A righteous man is one who is right with God:  

  • Whose sins are forgiven and has received the imputed righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:6)

  • Who has no unpardoned or ongoing sin in his/her life (Ps 66v18)

  • Who has no unforgiveness towards others (Mark 11:25)

  • Who is seeking to do the right thing in God’s eyes at all times (1 Thes 4:1)

 

Such a person is qualified to stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of others!

The intercession of Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 20v1-30

 

This is another ancient example of intercession that brought victory over evil and stopped bad things from going any further.  Jehoshaphat, King of Judah was facing an unprovoked invasion by the Moabites and Ammonites so he proclaimed a time of fasting and led the people in public intercession. This resulted in their enemies fighting each other and the only battle that the people of Israel fought was spiritual warfare (in prayer accompanied by praise and worship) which turned the whole situation around and resulted in a momentous victory.

The intercession of Daniel

Daniel 9:1-23

 

Let us observe DANIEL interceding towards the end of the Exile. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken the young Daniel and the cream of Judah’s population into exile leaving Jerusalem in ruins. Jeremiah had prophesied that the Exile in Babylon would last for 70 years (Jer 25v11).  Daniel discovered this 66 years later, as he was reading the book of Jeremiah (Dan 9v2).  So he set himself to intercede and wait upon God in prayer (Daniel 9v1-23):

 

His prayer was based on an understanding of God’s Word (9v2):

  • “I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

 

His prayer acknowledged God’s faithfulness and mercy (9v4):

  • “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,”

 

He repented on behalf of the nation and included himself (9v5):

  • “We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.”

 

Failure to pray and repent before, had caused such trouble (9v13):  

  • “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us;    yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.”

 

He asked all this for the honour of God’s name (9v17-19):  

  • “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

 

Although the predetermined time of exile was drawing to an end it was still necessary to pray – in order that the people would be in the right place to be restored.

The intercession of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:1-11

 

Just a few years later, NEHEMIAH carried on the battle of restoring the people of Israel to the Promised Land after the Exile. The people had been allowed to return by command of King Cyrus but now Xerxes was king and Nehemiah was his closest aide.

 

On learning of the situation back in his homeland Nehemiah reacted with deep concern (1v4).  In fact his concern was passionate – he prayed with weeping and fasting for many days for the honour of God (v5) and for the welfare of God’s people (v6 and 10).  

 

This prayer was the beginning of things being turned around after all those years of desolation. His fervent prayer was heard, and because of that, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in just 52 days against all opposition and dangers.

 

We may not be involved in such momentous events as these - but the principles remain the same. We may need to stand in the gap and pray for a neighbour who is in trouble, or a Christian brother who is backsliding, or a marriage that is in danger, or a friend who is in need.

 

Or as Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:1-4:

 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

 

Prayers of intercession can turn things around, stop bad things from going any further.  

 

The Lord is looking for those who will stand in the gap, cooperate with Him and bring about change.

 

Are we up for it?

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