DRAWING NEAR
February 11
The Joy of Intercession
"Always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all"
(Phil. 1:4).
Intercessory prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of a righteous
person.
There's the story of a special nurse who knew the importance of
intercessory prayer. Each day she used her hands as instruments of
God's love and mercy toward those in her care, so she found it
natural to use her hand as a scheme of prayer. Each finger
represented someone she wanted to pray for. Her thumb was nearest to
her and reminded her to pray for those who were closest and dearest.
The index finger was used for pointing, so it stood for her
instructors. The third finger was the tallest and stood for those in
leadership. The fourth finger was the weakest, representing those in
distress and pain. The little finger, which was the smallest and
least important, reminded the nurse to pray for her own needs.
Undoubtedly that nurse knew the joy of praying for others. Paul knew
it too. Given the same circumstances, a lesser man would be consumed
with his own well-being, but Paul modeled what he teaches in
Philippians 2:4: "Do not merely look out for your own personal
interests, but also for the interests of others." Such an attitude is
the heart of effective intercessory prayer.
Those who lack the joy of the Holy Spirit often harbor negative
thoughts toward others, which debilitates compassion and hinders
prayer. That's tragic because intercessory prayer is a powerful tool
in the hands of righteous people (James 5:16).
Analyze your own prayers. Are they generous with praise to God for
His goodness to others? Do you pray for the needs of others? Practice
doing so, and the joy of intercession will be yours.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Pray for specific people and specific needs. Thank God for what you
see Him doing in the lives of others.
For Further Study:
John 17 is Christ's intercessory prayer for His disciples, including
us (v. 20). After reading that chapter, complete the following
statements:
Eternal life is . . .
Christ's mission on earth was to . . .
The world's reaction to Christ and His followers is . . .
The best way to convince the world that Christ was sent by the Father
is to . . .
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
James 5:16 (NKJV)
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
John 17
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:
"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may
glorify You,
2 "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should
give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which
You have given Me to do.
5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the
glory which I had with You before the world was.
6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out
of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have
kept Your word.
7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are
from You.
8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and
they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from
You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom
You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified
in them.
11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and
I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You
have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.
Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except
the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world,
that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them
because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but
that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the
world.
19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be
sanctified by the truth.
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will
believe in Me through their word;
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in
You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that
You sent Me.
22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may
be one just as We are one:
23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one,
and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved
them as You have loved Me.
24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me
where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me;
for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have
known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that
the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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