Someone Might be Praying For You

“I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.” (De 9:26 AV)

 

It is amazing how much the prayer of another intervenes in our situation, even if we clearly do not deserve it.  At issue is Moses’ rehearsal in the ears of the nation of Israel his intercession on behalf of them that the LORD not destroy them.  When, after forty days and nights, Moses returned to the camp, he found them half-naked in a stooper, in worship to a golden calf.  God was so upset with Israel, He posited the possibility of destroying Israel and starting over with Moses.  If I was Moses, I might have entertained that suggestion.  However, that is not what Moses did.  He got on his face to the LORD and prayed for Israel.  God harkened to Moses and kept His anger at bay.  The thing is, Israel never realized just how close they were to annihilation.  They never knew how close they were to God’s judgment.  Because of the prayers of a man of God, the people of God escaped a great disaster.  If the truth is known, this is far more common than one might think.

As a pastor, this is something that happens quite a bit.  There are so many examples from which to draw.  Years ago, we had this fella who was giving the pastor a hard time.  Even after the pastor had dealt with this man, the man persisted.  There were no threats from the pastor.  There was no warning given.  Yet the pastor knew if this man persisted, the LORD was going to deal with him.  The pastor was not claiming the error which many persist to use today.  That being to not touch the LORD’s anointed.  What the pastor did understand is the LORD does defend those who serve him.  A close family member to this man was in a horrible accident.  The book of Proverbs tells us not to rejoice at the hard times of those who treat us badly.  So, the pastor began to pray for this victim of an accident.  The victim recovered without any complications.  The man of God prayed for the situation of someone living in complete rebellion and God heard him.  The man never knew how much the welfare of his relative lay in the hands of someone whom he had given fits.

I don’t even want to think about the times when my bad behavior was not dealt with as God chose to because the man of God prayed for me.  What really strikes me is I may never know how much the prayer of a man of God affected how God dealt with me.  Had Moses never mentioned it, Israel would have never known just what Moses did for them.  When I consider all I have done and how much God has not visited me equal to my transgressions, I can only think it was the faithful prayers of a pastor or friend that kept God’s hand at bay.  It blows the mind how much grace the LORD has extended towards me.  When I think about how I would have handled a saint like me, it amazes me I am still alive.  However, I can almost assume with certainty it was the prayers of my pastors that kept the hand of God from coming too heavy on me.  So, the next time we escape what we so rightly deserve, maybe we should thank the man or men of God in our lives whose prayers probably stayed that hand.  We owe our lives to those who pray for us.  Far more than we might realize.