The theme for Open Heaven Daily Devotional August 6 2023 is Intercede I
SCRIPTURE: I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men. 1 Timothy 2:1
Intercession is an assignment for every true child of God. Intercessors are people who carry the burdens of God. They pray the prayers God wants them to, not just their own prayers. When God needs something done on earth, He looks for intercessors to partner with. He looks for a man to stand in the gap for others.
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30
Remember when God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 – it was clear that God was looking for someone to stand in the gap for the people of Sodom. You will see that God agreed to every plea Abraham made for the people. God always looks for someone to stand in the gap for others; when He looks your way, will He find you to be an intercessor?
You may ask, “Why can’t God just reveal to the fellow who is about to get into trouble so he can pray for himself?” The truth is, sometimes, God needs someone else to pray for other people so they are not destroyed. At such times, He puts it in the heart of an intercessor to stand in the gap in prayers. This is clearly illustrated in the case of job and his friends (Job 42:8).
Many people are perishing today because there is a shortage of intercessors willing to carry the burdens of God in the place of prayer. Enough of praying for yourself alone. Don’t be a selfish Christian. When you pray, let God put into your heart what or who you should pray for.
If He lays in your heart to pray for another country that is not yours, don’t say, “What is my business with those people?” Pray as He has laid in your heart so that at least one person there can be saved. Sometimes He will ask you to pray for one fellow; do so, because your prayer may be what would make the difference between the fellow living or dying. God is seeking intercessors, will He find you?
Open Heaven 7 August 2023 Action Point
Commit to becoming an intercessor today.