As I sit and think of each of you, I know that there are certain issues
that are heavy on your hearts that you might not be able to share with
any human being, yet you wish that you could. Those are what we label
"unspoken prayer requests", amen? I feel that way myself sometimes as
being a pastor's wife can make it difficult to share a personal burden
with another due to being in a leadership position. My point being, we
all need intercessory prayer, don't we?
When I feel that way, I simply take the whole thing to the Lord in this
manner, "Lord, whisper my name to someone who will pray for me." Have
you ever done that? I can't wait to get to Heaven and find out who listened
to the Lord's whisper....
That's the special part of intercessory prayer, listening to the Lord
whisper someone's name to your heart. At times we can see with our eyes
the certain matters that individuals need prayer concerning. Yet, when
you can't see with your eyes, you need to listen for the Lord's whisper
as He lays the privilege of intercessory prayer on your heart. Will you
hear that whisper, dear lady? Will you recognize it as the Lord's whisper,
the One who knows the deepest needs of all our hearts - and cares....
The One who looks down from Heaven above to search for that servant who
is ready to hear His whisper? If we are too busy or insensitive to pray
for the issues we can SEE need prayer, what will happen in those matters
we can't see? Who will hear? Who will pray? We need to be "listening"
prayer warriors as well as "seeing" ones!
How can an attitude toward prayer like this be possible? What is the foundation
of a rich prayer life? Turn with me to Matthew 8 as we study verses 5-13...
"And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the
palsy, grievously tormented."
A centurion was a professional soldier, an officer of over 100 men in
the Roman army. Every centurion mentioned in the Gospels and the book
of Acts was a gentleman of high character and sense of duty. No doubt
he was a very important and very busy man with many responsibilities to
carry out. Yet he had within his heart a concern for a lowly servant boy
that was "grievously tormented". This rough and tough soldier who was
capable of leading men victoriously through battle was bothered to see
him hurting so. Motivated by his suffering, the centurion took the time
to go to Jesus on this servant boy's behalf. He didn't send a message
to Jesus by way of anyone else as he typically did. You know what that
shows me, ladies? That he placed value upon this servant boy! The centurion's
professionalism did not prevent him from going to Christ, nor did it prevent
him from sincerely caring about others. He sacrificed his OWN time to
seek the Lord's help out of a sincere concern for this boy. How quickly
do you respond when friends or relatives, or church family have needs?
This soldier had an attitude of compassion....
Matthew 18:33, "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant,
even as I had pity on thee?"
As Christians, I think we have lost this perspective - God's perspective
on other people! We get so "polished" and "professional" in our Christianity
that we have lost our ability to hurt and grieve when others hurt and
grieve because only what is important to us, is most important! We don't
place value on others like we should... We have placed it all upon ourselves.
When that happens, we are blinded to the needs of others and don't bother
to lift them up in prayer. Oh, we make shallow promises to pray from our
heads, but our hearts are empty of true compassion for others. And our
faith in God is sorely lacking as well. There is much for us to learn
from this soldier....
Verse 7 says, "And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him."
This centurion went straight to the source that was able to bring help
to his hurting servant! A wise man... Notice he didn't waste any time.
He went to Jesus as soon as He came to Capernaum. Why? Because He knew
that God was capable! His faith in the Lord made that confidence possible.
Jesus said, "I WILL come and heal him." What an answer this centurion
got to his plea for help! He was promised by Jesus that the boy would
be healed... When we approach the Lord for help on others behalf, can
we be certain of getting this same response? Are you certain of getting
any answers to your prayers at all?? What made it possible for Christ
to say for certain that He would heal the centurion's servant? The answer
is found in the next two verses listed below...
Matthew 8:8, "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that
thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed."
First of all, it's obvious by this comment that there was a humility present
in this soldier that caused him to realize he was no better than this
servant boy just because of his professionalism, just because he was "polished",
or because of his position as a leader of others. The less we think of
ourselves, the more we'll think of Christ! Humility is what gave him the
heart to beseech Christ on another's behalf... His humility was the foundation
of his compassion for others. He did not consider himself and his life
more important. He didn't react by saying there was no time for such trivial
matters as a sick servant boy. Could we be guilty of such an attitude?
Do we view having to stop what we're doing to pray for others a hindrance
to our lives because we've set ourselves up as being more important? Are
we aggravated when the needs of others interrupt our lifestyle? How about
when you get a call in the middle of the night for prayer... Do we, within
ourselves, determine what issues are serious enough to seek Jesus over
rather than being affected by the simple fact that another is in immediate
need? Perhaps we are so consumed with ourselves that we miss the Lord's
whisper to pray for another....
Matthew 8:9, "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me:
and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he
cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."
Secondly, we find that the centurion stated he was a man "under authority".
How many Christians today can confidently place themselves in this category?!
Not many, sad to say! Let's be honest, the only authority we usually fall
under is what WE decide for ourselves... Ladies, if we want powerful,
prosperous prayer lives, we need to be in a right relationship with the
authorities over our life, whether it be the law of the land, our husbands,
our pastor, or the Lord! Humility makes this an easy task. You will find
that when you have a submissive attitude towards authority, you will not
feel as if you are better than others. You will not walk around as if
you were a peacock with the prettiest of feathers. You will be sensitive
to the needs of others and take those needs to the One you are ultimately
under the authority of! ....or are you?? The centurion was promised help
from the Lord because he placed himself under authority. Hence, he prospered
in many ways because of it. Have you been getting answers to your prayers?
Realize they are strongly linked to your submission to authority...
Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:
for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they
may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."
Submitting properly to authority brings confidence to our lives. This
soldier approached the Lord boldly for help, because within his heart,
he knew that he was living right... It is worth noting that those who
are under authority have the right to exercise authority, amen? The reason
we tiptoe around the throne of grace is because we tiptoe around our sin
instead of kicking it out of our life altogether! If others asked you
to pray for them, would you, in the inward part of your heart, be in a
position to be heard of God on their behalf? Do you cringe when others
ask you to pray for them because you know you are not right with the Lord?
Do you pray doubting God will answer your prayers because you know you've
not repented of certain sinful attitudes or actions? Ladies, we ought
to be prepared to carry the burdens of others in prayer! It is when we
approach the Lord with boldness that He marvels that such faith exists
in man, for not many come to Him in such godly condition...
Matthew 8:10, "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that
followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no,
not in Israel."
A commander himself, the centurion soldier recognized that God had full
command over all creatures and powers of nature. His servant's disease
would be nothing for the Lord to cure... What keeps you from having the
faith that God can do anything?? Where there is little faith, there is
little fruit... Are you a commander today, dear lady? If it's your sin
you don't have control over, confess and forsake it! Remove anything in
your life that comes between you and your Savior... It's time we took
this matter of intercessory prayer seriously. Like the centurion, let's
be soldiers who keep our hearts humble and under authority so that we
can protect ourselves from insensitivity to others, gaining confidence
and power in prayer. Let's strive to be "listening" prayer warriors and
not just "seeing" ones!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
