Intercede for others

2 Chronicles 30:19 -20

…"May the LORD, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony." And the LORD listened to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people.

I loved Hezekiah's interceding for the people. Hezekiah knew the rules about being cleansed, but he believed their hearts were in the right place to seek God. He felt their sincerity, so he prayed to the LORD. If we are sincere in asking for our forgiveness when we fail, God will hear and heal us. He knows our hearts. If our hearts are right, then healing will take place.

We all have moments in our life that we must intercede for those we love. Richard Foster had a quote that went like this "Intercession is a way of loving others." It is true. I know at difficult times in my life, when I was struggling I felt the prayers of others. It helped me to get through the difficult times and I felt God's healing hand. The people in Jerusalem were healed due to Hezekiah's prayers to the LORD.

Hezekiah was trying so hard to follow every law and he was encouraging all to worship the LORD. They all celebrated for the week joyously worshipping. I almost felt my own feet dancing this morning that joy was again back in the city of Jerusalem not since Solomon had they seen this celebration. The people were healed, they were changed and they returned to their own homes and smashed the shrines to other gods.

Wow, what if Hezekiah had not offered the prayer for these people? The story would have ended not in celebration, but more likely destruction. Today, intercede in prayer for the ones you love. It might be our prayer that makes a difference in their life, just like Hezekiah's did in these people.

Praying,

Debbie