Evening
Time: 2:04 PM PST
"Pray one for another." --James 5:16
As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that
such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is
of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into
the golden censer, there is not a single grain for Himself. His intercession
must be the most acceptable of all supplications--and the more like our prayer
is to Christ's, the sweeter it will be; thus while petitions for ourselves will
be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the
Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the
precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the
very fat of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is
exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems
with its marvellous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use
it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a
benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King's ear, speak to Him for the
suffering members of His body. When thou art favoured to draw very near to His
throne, and the King saith to thee, "Ask, and I will give thee what thou wilt,"
let thy petitions be, not for thyself alone, but for the many who need His aid.
If thou hast grace at all, and art not an intercessor, that grace must be small
as a grain of mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul clear
from the quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of grace, or else thou wouldst
carry in thy joyous bark a weighty cargo of the wants of others, and thou
wouldst bring back from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings which but for thee
they might not have obtained:--
"Oh, let my hands forget their skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!"