THE POWER OF CONSISTENT INTERCESSION (ISAIAH 62:6-7 & LUKE 18:1-8)

The Very Rev Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost.

Prayer is one of those important aspects that we are dwelling on this month. It is both a tool for our communion with God and an an opportunity for us to be trained in patience and righteousness. Sometimes the answers may not come within the time we expect but eventually they come based on our relationship with Christ and consistent commitment to prayer. We are not only required to pray for our individual needs but also for others.
In Isaiah 62:6-7, Prophet Isaiah comunicates the placement of watchment on the walls of Jerusalem. He gives an assurance that these watchmen will not keep quiet but call on the name of the Lord until Jerusalem gets established. These watchmen are the intercessors who served as mediators between God and His people.

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.(Isaiah 62:6-7, NIV) From this passage we discover that the continued prayer of intercession was the source of strong roots for establishment. People of Jerusalem were in a transition; from a hard time
to a moment of God’s comfort. They had to put a wall around themselves for some degree of safety but they needed more intercession to get reinforcement to remain in the state of security, peace and prosperity. We are also called to stand in the gap for our families, churches, Nations and communities. Intercession is a discipline and we train ourselves to do it more often.

Our second illustration in Luke 18:1-8 presents to us the persistent widow who needed justice from the complicated leader. This ruler had no urgency in handling her issue but she never gave up, instead she kept presenting her request to him. With time the ruler gave her attention and
solved the problem. Indeed this story affirms the encouragement in Matthew 7:7; when we ask we shall be given,when we seek we shall find and when we knock the door will be opened.

When we persist in prayer we shall have our minds always on the things of God, get in constant communication with Him and end up fruitful in life. Intercession can be done practically when we plan our times of prayer maybe early mornings or late evenings for thirty minutes, one hour or more, Starting short and simple and praying according to God’s will. Our generation has instant results for almost everything which some times leave the
recipients with negative effects. We are therefore encouraged to be prayerful and wait on God. Thessalonians 5:17 explains this kind of prayer as that one which includes gratitude in everything. In our intercession we need to realise that God is Holy, just and merciful but He punishes sin.

May God bless you as you plan to pray continually and stand in the gap for others too.
The Very Reverend Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, Provost.