Monday, March 22, 2021

A shining intercessory prayer

 READ: Deuteronomy 9, 10; Psalm 81; Mark 13:1-23

SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 9: 18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger.
19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me
 

OBSERVATION: Here Moses recalls his intercessory prayer that he made for the Israelites, after they sinned against the Lord in the matter of "The Golden Calf." He fasted for forty days and forty nights for the second time. In the first time,  he was with the Lord, and the Lord spoke to Moses regarding the Law, the work of the tent of meeting and so on. In the second time, when he went before the Lord, Moses was pleading for the sin Israelites committed against the Lord. We read his powerful interceding prayer in Deut. 9: 26-28. When the Israelites sinned and angered the Lord, Moses could had accepted the promising offer of the Lord to make him great. But, Moses prayed for the atonement of their sin and said that " please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written" (Exo.32:30-32).  As we read in Deut.9, he prostrated before the Lord.  Moses humbled himself before the Lord with fasting for the Israelites' great sin. God answered his every prayer for the Israelites, this includes his prayer for God's presence to come with them. Surely, God answers our prayers. An amazing and interesting event in this intercessory prayer narrative is Moses's "face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord"  and he was not aware of it (Exo.34:29). An intercessory prayer not only brings answers, it changes the praying person to be a radiant person as well. 

APPLICATION: I have Jesus who intercedes for me always (Heb.7:25). This encourages me to be confident in the Lord God. However, what would/should I do, if I am placed in Moses's place.  When I see mistakes, spiritual fall, disobedience, and sins in the church, Christian organizations, and in individuals, what I do? Whoever it may be, whatever it is, whether great or small, I need to pray for those people/things. 

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for answering our every prayer. Give me a heart to pray and to intercede for others. O Jesus my Lord, instead of accusing  people, help me to pray for them compassionately, by remembering your atonement sacrifice on the cross.  Amen.

- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573

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