WILL YOU ANSWER THE HOLY SPIRIT’S CALL TO A MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION
My last two blogs have been about an essential ingredient in a Believer’s daily PRAYER LIFE, that of INTERCESSION.
I want to go a step further today, are you retired? or have considerable free time on a regular basis?
Would you consider giving some thought to making yourself available to the Lord and embrace a MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION.
There is a cost, and it will be a continued challenge to you, but the result could be beyond your/our wildest dreams.
In a previous blog, I mentioned John Hyde (also known as PRAYING HYDE). An American Presbyterian who went to the Punjab in India to be a missionary. He must have become burdened and almost overwhelmed by the millions of unbelievers in India. He began to pray “LORD GIVE ME SOULS OR I DIE,” a similar prayer to John Knox who constantly prayed “GIVE ME SCOTLAND OR I DIE”.
Hyde’s prayer became the whole basis of his life and ministry. He was also a soul winner ,and would see often 4-10 souls a day coming to the Lord regularly..
We are told he would often spend 30 days and nights in prayer, and many times he was in in deep intercession for 36 hours at a time.
To be honest with you, I cannot comprehend this depth of such praying, nor am I suggesting Hyde’s practice to you is the norm if you are willing to consider a MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION.
I suggest, you tell the Lord you are available, and willing to commit yourself to INTERCESSORY PRAYER.
If it is the Lord’s will, you will begin to get people come into your mind, you may know their need more often you won’t, but pray, and the more you yield to these promptings, the burden for people and situations and nations will become heavier, don’t shrug off these promptings, but respond to them. Frustratingly often you won’t know specifics. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Rom.8:26-27 NKJV
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
AMP.N.T. So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.
The Holy Spirit wants to partner with us in our MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION, let us co-operate with Him.
When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to reside and PRESIDE, if you have been blest with a “prayer language”, let the Holy Spirit pray through you, as the Word says you will be praying IN THE WILL OF GOD. Keep on praying until the burden lifts, and then praise and thank the Lord for hearing and responding to your prayers.
It is so interesting, that the very next verse following Rom.8:26-27 is And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.
With all prayer we leave the answer to our prayers to our SOVEREIGN LORD.
Many of my readers, may not have ever heard of a MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION, prayer of any kind seems to be low priority in many circles in the Church today. May God’s people hear the Holy Spirit’s CALL TO PRAYER,and may all ingredients to daily prayer become a lifestyle to every Believer amen.
