Intercession - Day and Night

"Shall not God avenge His own elect, who cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them."

When Nehemiah heard of the destruction of Jerusalem, he cried to God: "Hear the prayer of Thy servant which I pray before Thy face day and night." Of the watchmen set on the walls of Jerusalem, God said: "Who shall never hold their peace day nor night." And Paul writes "Night and day praying exceedingly, to the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father." (1 Thess. 3:10-13).

Is such a prayer night and day really needed and really possible? Most assuredly, when the heart is first so entirely possessed by the desire that it cannot rest until this is fulfilled. The life has so come under the power of the heavenly blessing that nothing can keep it from sacrificing all to obtain it.

When a child of God begins to get a real vision into the need of the church and of the world, a vision of the divine redemption which God has promised in the outpouring of His love into our hearts, a vision of the power of true intercession to bring down the heavenly blessing, a vision of the honor of being allowed as intercessors to take part in that work, it comes as a matter of course that he regards the work as the most heavenly thing upon earth - as intercessor to cry day and night to God for the revelation of His mighty power.

Let us learn from David, who said: "The zeal of Thine house hath consumed me"; from Christ our Lord, of whom these words were so intensely true; let us learn that there is nothing so much worth living for as this one thought - how to satisfy the heart of God in His longing for human fellowship and affection, and how to win hearts to be His dwellng-place. And shall not we too give ourselves no rest until we have found a place for the Mighty One in ur hearts, and yielded ourselves to the great work of intercession for so many after whom the desires of God are going out.

God grant that our hearts may be so brought under the influence of these divine truths that we may in very deed yield ourselves to make our devotion to Christ, and our longing to satisfy the heart of God, the chief object of our life.