Hey intercessors…
Intercessory prayers are clearly good works,
That express unselfish love, care and concern.
For them, Heaven’s benefits most certainly accrue,
To them for whom prayer is intended, and also …to you.
But could one aspect of this kind of prayer hurt,
If its implications we fail to discern?
It’s about something Jesus encouraged us to do.
So Friends, I sincerely hope my point you will not misconstrue.
To lead folks to repentance, The Lord’s Grace intends. 1
And for sinners, His Grace likely postpones His judgment.
But for many, if not the majority of folks,
Grace may be mis-read as a...
‘Continue what you’re doing’ license. 2
Lacking incentives to change, folks may then defend,
And in their sinful ways, become even more blatant.
If this cycle repeats, more sinfulness it provokes,
And toward righteousness, they develop …a seared conscience. 3
With this backdrop, ponder this from The Lord’s Prayer:
‘And Father, forgive us our sins…’,
Then ponder the pleas in Daniel’s prayer so fervent. 4
Both comprise what I call, ‘intercessory repentance’.
If the plural pronouns in both of these prayers,
Include folks who seek sinful ends,
Then forgiveness granted may prompt more sin recurrence.
So, should we pray in this manner for those with no penance??
Daniel’s prayer may cover the entire surviving remnant,
Of Babylon’s three invasions of Judah,
Both the righteous and those who to sinfulness are prone. 5
This is why my point is relevant in our world day.
To pray for my nation, America, I am diligent,
But not with a ‘Forgive us all’ agenda.
That The Lord has shed His Grace on her, it is well known.
If more Grace means more sin, that’s one prayer I just can’t pray!!!
Rather, I ask The Lord to give us hearts and minds to repent,
To endow us all with an awesome fear of God,
Then Grace sufficient to accomplish His will in and through us,
And timely Judgments when Grace fails to achieve all His ends.
Grace, then Judgments for Righteousness
when to sin we don’t relent,
This is His declared strategy. Don’t think it’s odd.
When to repentance, Grace doesn’t lead us,
Judgments make us conscious.
Not smart enough to get that? Don’t be shocked
…at what He sends. 6
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1 See: Romans 2:4. This intent is expressed and echoed in so many ways throughout both The Bible, and also human history.
2 Have you noticed our natural proclivity is to abuse Grace, whether extended from The Lord or other people? Apart from the born-again experience, there is a direct relationship between Grace and un-righteousness: the more Grace we receive, more unrighteousness we practice.
3 See: 1 Timothy 4:1-2. Seared consciences are in abundant supply the world over.
4 See: Daniel 9, especially the closing part. This prayer notwithstanding, The Lord had already determined, and informed several prophets that He would eventually pardon the gross sins of both nations of Israel and Judah, and would regather and rejoin them as one over-flowing nation prior to His Millennial Reign. Zechariah 10:10 accentuates the over-flowing aspect of their return.
5 In Ezekiel 9 and elsewhere, The Lord promised to slaughter the worst offenders in the two tribes of Judah (long after Israel had been judged and punished). So it is reasonable to assume many who survived King Nebuchadnezzar’s three attacks on Judah and Jerusalem (judgment remnants) were not righteous like Daniel and his three friends.
6 See: Transformational Terror Tactics (Poem) and What’s Really Going On (…Inside). The fear of God refers to our highest understanding, respect, reverence for Him, His desires for us, and His heart that is grieved when we fail to honor Him Who loves us deeply and incessantly.
