I finally found a spare moment to sit down and share with you my fourth installment of what God has revealed to me on the age old subject of worship. I have already strived to show you the precious power that is behind the unique song that God set in your heart, this unique song that you must allow to part your lips and lift up your heart. Secondly I tried to take you to the scriptures and show you how much of a treasure worship is with the fact that is ushers the very presence of God into a place. Thirdly I ran with you into the throes of a battle where one of our most powerful weapons is a heart and life in a posture of worship before the King of Kings. Now however, I want to take you to a place that is often uncomfortable. God is always stretching and growing us, so why wouldn't an aspect of using worship as a tool be uncomfortable? Here is a place where we feel the pain of others and we weep bitter tears on behalf of others, here is a place where we take worship to the place of intercession.
Four things I know to be true about worship.
1) God has placed unique and powerful songs within each of his precious children that are just waiting to pour out.
2) God dwells within the praises of his people.
3) Worship is a powerful tool against Satan's devices.
4) We can tap into a depth of intercession as we identify with the heart of those around us in song.
+Psalm 149:1, 3, 6 "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful…Praise his name with dancing…Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands…"
"The Unhindered Interceding Heart"
Intercession by definition is an entreaty or pleading in favor on behalf of another, a prayer to God on behalf of another person. In this simple form, prayers on behalf of another, intercession is an amazingly powerful tool. One of the most well known examples in the Old Testament is found in Genesis 18 when Abraham nearly argues with God on behalf of the wicked city of Sodom. He stands on behalf of the few righteous in the city and God relents on the standard he is asking to find therein. Another well known instance is found in Exodus 32 when God's anger is stirred toward the Hebrew people and Moses intercedes on their behalf. God relents from the judgment he was going to pour out because Moses pleaded with him and asked for his mercies to once more be showered on them. In the instances we see the power behind pleading to God on behalf of another person.
Now I want to build my case as to why we too can see powerful prayers answered when we step into intercession. We may not ever have the opportunity to see our intercession on behalf of a nation answered (even though God knows we need to see the US turn back to God in a big way) I want to address personal intercession for specific people. You may not realize you are already interceding for your friend who was once so strong in their faith and has now wandered away. Perhaps you have cried out to God and told him "God, they've been so wounded, their heart is hard, please shower your love on them and make yourself real to them once more!" Have you prayed a prayer like that? Have you had a family member who isn't saved make one more seemingly catastrophic choice and you find yourself on the floor during your devotional times with tear streaked cheeks asking God to make himself known to them in a big way? Dear friend each time you've prayed anything on behalf of another-you are interceding.
Will you let me show you how this can be so powerful in the place of worship? There are songs that at times we may not be able to relate to. Maybe you feel secure in your place with God and in this season of your walk with God the Desperation Song that declares:
"I need you Jesus to come to my rescue! Where else could I go? There's no other name for which I am saved! Capture me with grace!"
You don't need a valiant rescue at this point in time. While you can acknowledge that God has rescued you and his name has saving power, but this season, this moment you don't identify with that. Well may I ask you-how long is the list of people in your life that you believe DO need to be rescued by Jesus and captured by grace? Whether they see it or not-you can be their voice when they have none. Imagine the multitudes that are so weary and tired and lost that they have no strength to life their voice up to God to ask for a miracle, you can be their voice. When you encounter a song that may not be one you identify with at the moment-flip it around into a prayer on behalf of the people in your life. Instead of numbly reciting the words in worship as a little ditty that is fun to sing along to, let your heart be ripped to pieces on behalf of your prodigal friends. Cry out for God to rescue them.
There is a weekly prayer meeting I get to be a part of on Wednesdays before youth at my church, one specific evening a few weeks ago God laid it heavy on my heart to dedicate the night to interceding on behalf of the people in our lives that need a God encounter. We had songs that were al geared toward our need for God in our lives, our need to have him show up, a need to be saved-and we opened up the white board to write the names of the people God was laying on our hearts. It was one of the most powerful prayer times I've ever had. We all positioned our prayers in a way that it wasn't about us. We realized the desperate need of so many in our lives and we allowed our hearts to be torn on behalf of them. There are times when we don't have the words to pray for our loved ones. We begin to feel desperate for them just as they are desperate for a touch from God and we have no words to pray. In those times the Spirit will often give us words from a source deep inside that bubbles out. But another way God can give us words is through the hearts of others. We can turn to songs and specifically allow the heart within the song to pour forth from our lips on behalf of the ones so dear to us. In this prayer time exactly that happened. We all wept at the sheer amount of names on the board, it was covered with names all over. There are so many people in need of God. We just cried out
"Save me! Lord save me! I have nowhere else to go! Lord I trust in You alone to save me! My Savior I call on your name, Jesus save me!" (Save Me, by Gateway Worship)
"One tear in the dropping rain! One voice in the sea of pain! Could the maker of the stars hear the sound of my broken heart? One light, that's all I am! Right now I can barely stand! If you're everything you say you are, won't you come close and hold my heart!?" (Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North)
"There are tears from the saints, for the lost and unsaved. We're crying for them come back home! Come back home…" (Tears From the Saints by Leeland)
There are so many hearts that need us to intercede on their behalf. When we cry out on behalf of the hurting God shows up. You see, we are acting and identifying with Christ in this act. Christ is interceding on our behalf continually. We ourselves have a intercessor at the Throne of Heaven pleading on our behalf.
+ Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through Him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf.
I challenge you to devout a set amount of time in your prayers to singing out in intercession on behalf of the people you love. God will see your heart, and he will hear your prayers, and the words will come to you as you lift up the lost friend our prodigal son to the Kingly intercessor. Do not underestimate the power of simply praying in intercession, but I want you to see worship as the tool it is in the realm of intercession. Pray for those who have no voice. There are hearts that are too hard to ask God to act-be their voice. Be the voice for the prodigal whose pride won't allow him to turn back. Be the interceding voice on behalf of a generation who has lost all hope.
Do not overlook the power of worship,
allow the unique song to pour forth and usher in the presence of God in order to battle the attack of the enemy and call upon God's grace to save the lost people in your life.
+Psalm 149:1, 3, 6 "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful…Praise his name with dancing…Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands…"
0 comments:
Post a Comment