Sliding to Disaster
Indeed prayer does change the world, but even
more so it changes me!
A real prayer warrior is one who is
willing to forsake his own interests and is able to love those he prays
for with sacrificial compassion.
One of the earliest examples of
such intercessory prayer can be found in the person of Moses.
Israel had sinned greatly against God by making a golden calf and
worshiping it. Moses was coming down Sinai with the Ten Commandments in
his arms, broken before he was able to deliver them to the Israelites.
How wishy-washy any of us can truly be!
Then Moses heard God say:
"Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I
may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." (Ex 32:10
NIV)
For some reason, Moses' heart melted at those words.
Although a great promise was given to him, with God promising to make a
"great nation" from his descendants, a promise anyone of us would jump
at, he set his self-interest aside. In all modesty he focused on the
rebellious people in front of him who had forsaken the God who had so
miraculously rescued them from Egypt.
For forty days and forty
nights he pleaded with God for their sake. 40 days and 40 nights! Would
we even last one day? He truly loved those people in front of him! He
didn't want them destroyed, though at times he sure got impatient with
them!
"I lay prostrate before the LORD those forty days and forty
nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you. I prayed to the
LORD and said, 'O Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people, your own
inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of
Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and
their sin.'" (Deut 9:25-27 NIV)
Moses had a heart for God, a
heart all of us should have, if we truly want to experience God fully
like he did. He was reflecting the love that He had encountered in God
himself, a love way beyond our understanding.
"For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the
present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love
of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39 NIV)
He
was so filled with God's love that he was willing to sacrifice himself
to save these rebellious people: "Perhaps I can make atonement for your
sin." (Ex 32:30 NIV)
"Now, please forgive their sin - but if not,
then blot me out of the book you have written." (Ex 32:32 NIV)
Only one other person I know of in the Bible was willing to sacrifice
himself in favor of erring children: the apostle Paul!
"For I
could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the
sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel." (Rom
9:3-4 NIV)
These two pioneers knew about intercessory prayer and
were willing to sacrifice their own lives for those they prayed for.
They are the ones who fully demonstrated the love Jesus encourages us
all to cultivate: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved
you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for
his friends." (John 15:12-13 NIV)
Their prayers changed the
world, and it changed them as well.
If we can pray with fervor
for personal needs and see God in action, imagine how much more we would
experience Him if we prayed with sacrificial love for others! No
mountain would be too big to be removed!
Like the time when I was
facing black ice on the road during the winter two years ago. The thing
with black ice is that it is not visible, therefore, I was unaware that
I was heading for disaster. I was approaching a stop sign at a busy
intersection. My anti-lock brakes engaged, vibrating as they always do,
but the distance to the stop sign was too short for the brakes to be
effective on ice. I was sliding straight into the intersection, where
heavy traffic was zooming by, and none of them were paying any attention
to my predicament. There was no way to avoid being hit!
The
anti-lock brakes were still engaged when I cried out, "Lord, help me!"
Barely were these words out of my mouth when I felt a force act against
the advancing van, and we stopped right at the stop sign. Not one inch
further. I couldn't stop thanking God.
Imagine if we
interceded with that same fervor for the needs of others! That is what
dedicated prayer warriors do. God is still looking for Moseses and Pauls
who, by relying only on our loving God, will revolutionize the world
with their passionate prayers. Will you be one of them?
Rob
Chaffart
What Does it Take to Become a Prayer Warrior?
Today's Bible Verse:
"Now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the
book you have written." (Ex 32:32)
What Does it Take to Become a Prayer Warrior?
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