The Path of PrayerI finished this book by Samuel Chadwick yesterday on my day of spiritual refreshment and was really challenged in the area of disciplined prayer and intercession. I’m very passionate about prayer and dependence, but have never considered myself an intercessor. I don’t feel like I’m “wired” like most intercessors I know… and I’m honestly not very disciplined in interceding for others’ needs on a regular basis. I’m like a streaky baseball player who hits .450 for a week and then goes 0 for 30 the next week.

However, one of the things that struck me in finishing Chadwick’s book was that Jesus was an intercessor… He did the hard work of going off to a desolate place alone and interceding before the Father for many things. And, in my desire to be Christ-like - to be like Jesus - I too need to do the hard work of an intercessor. We ALL do. What I AM finding out as I continue this journey toward dependence is that prayer and intercession will never be easy for me. There will always be challenges. There will always be something else I could be doing. In fact, there will always be “good” things I could be doing with my time rather than praying. But, I need to pray, because that is how God moves.

A verse that has always struck me (and Chadwick refers to) is Ezekiel 22:30. God says:

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.”

God was looking for an intercessor. One man to go before the Lord on behalf of the nation of Israel to dissuade Him from destroying the nation… But there wasn’t one. Why? Because it’s hard work and it goes against our human nature to be still and make petitions before God. But the Bible clearly shows us the importance of intercession. Chadwick says this:

“The praying people of the Bible are intercessors. Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses made intercession for apostate Israel. Samuel prayed all night for Saul and continually for the nation. David entreated God for His people. Daniel prayed for the deliverance of the Lord’s people from Babylon. Christ prayed for His disciples, and made special intercession for Peter… The one thing that is said to have surprised God is that the voice of intercession had ceased. ‘And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor,’ (Isaiah 59:16). His delivering mercy depends upon intercessors - people who will put their shoulders under the burdens of others… The normal function of prayer is to make intercession with God for others.”

Samuel Chadwick, The Path of Prayer, p. 109.

Intercession is a mystery. Chadwick says that praying for others “is the deepest mystery and the crowning glory of prayer.” But, in interceding, we are being LIKE JESUS. For “He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

I’ll be blogging the rest of the chapters of this book in the coming days. This is a challenging and convicting book, but one that is also inspiring as we realize the high privilege and calling it is to live a dependent life of prayer before our God.