Intercessory Prayer, We Miss You!

[Falla39]

Intercessory Prayer, We Miss You!

By Martyn Ballestero Sr.

This is just a line to let you know how things are since you've gone. It's not the same without you, nor will it ever be. Although our lives seem shallow and empty when you're not here, we've learned to make up for you in other ways. We've learned to live without you.

We now run the aisles, leap for joy, jig to the music, sing catchy choruses, and tap our feet in time to the rhythm of the drums. We use sticks, banners, black lights, and our sign teams do a tremendous job acting out recorded music. We've learned to worship without you.

The prayer rooms are mostly silent now. Those that do go there, for the most part, come away dry-eyed after only a few minutes. A lot of praying now is chanting and singsong style. That's how we know we're in the groove. We pray memorized phrases that come automatically. We love what we call Prayer Walks. Most of us don't even close our eyes anymore during prayer. We just walk and pray while we look around. We just pray till our ten minutes are up.

Family altars are almost unheard of now. You can't imagine how busy we are and how hectic our schedules have been. It's unbelievable. We get up in the morning and never stop till we go to bed at night. We do try to make it to church most services and get some praying in there during the service, but prayer at home is kind of out of the questions. That may be another reason you haven't heard much from us.

Oh sure, we still believe in prayer, as such. But not very many of us are anxious for you to come back. (You were always the polite type, you know, never forcing yourself on anyone. You never came uninvited. You only left because you were ignored.)

The sad truth is you're not really needed anymore. You see, most of use have hospitalization insurance now. (It sure takes away that old desperate feeling we use to have.) So now, there's no need to pray more than the few minutes it takes to drive to the Emergency Room. Also, we don't have to ask for our daily bread like we used to. We now have better jobs with good benefits and government programs to fall back on.

If we lose our jobs, there is always Unemployment or Welfare. If we retire or become disabled, Social Security now supplies our needs. So, you can see, we're doing OK. Other things have filled the void in your absence. Sure we miss you, but we're getting over it somehow. Actually, we're too busy to entertain you right now, even if you tried to come back. I hope you understand.

We are having revivals now without you. It's not hard. The pastor fasts and prays, along with a couple others. The evangelist preaches mostly just to sinners now. Most of us try to get to church in time for the first song or two. We justify the fact that the number of new converts is down. Yes, there seems to be diminished conviction, less lasting victory, fewer miracles and many young people are backsliding. We agree, however, that it's not us that are at fault here; it's just the times we're living in. It's like this everywhere.

As your friend, I'm writing this to you, knowing how much it must hurt you to have folks say they miss you...and yet in their material and intellectual progress, they've weaned themselves away from the haunting memory of you.

What hurts, I know, is that we were children you personally raised. You were always there when we needed you. (But now we don't.) You taught us about faith. You taught us about miracles. You taught us about a move of God. You taught us about revival. You taught us about how to touch God. Thank you for that, but you see, this is a new day and we are trying to go to the next level. Our services are structured differently now.

Do you know...can you believe, that now when you are ever mentioned in our church, everyone gets really quiet? They all feel guilty I'm sure. It's like they experience a momentary twinge of guilt while they consider their part in your disappearance. Once in awhile some even get misty eyed when we talk about the old times you shared with us. But all that feeling vanishes along with the pizza right after church.

No, Intercessory Prayer, your coming back really wouldn't work right now. We're too blessed. We're doing too well. We're comfortable. In your day, you served your purpose, but the sentiment of most today is that we can manage OK without you now. We've got better clothes, cars, homes and prettier and bigger churches than ever.

By the way, do you remember all the folks of yesteryear coming into the sanctuary with red-rimmed eyes? Remember the baggy looking knees in men's suits? Remember all night prayer meetings? Remember the depth that was in worship? Remember when sinners couldn't sit in their pews any longer, and would run to the altar? Remember when you could feel unity and brotherly love? When folks helped bear one another's burdens? when the saints didn't watch the clock? When they could hardly wait to enjoy the after service atmosphere, praying around the altar until the wee hours of the morning? Boy, those were the good old days. We call that "Old School."

Well, it's pretty much all gone now. But you ought to see our new Hammond C-3, our new drum set with a cage and everything. Electric bass guitars are just awesome and the electric guitars too. We use Praise Singers to help cover up the fact that our congregations don't sing like they should or used to. We let them do most of our worship for us. Our Choir just do terrific on the new style songs. Old saints don't like the new songs much, but the younger crowd seems to like them. Many music directors don't even know some of your old favorite songs, so they don't get played much anywhere.

You would be proud of our church buildings. Carpet on the floors, there are pews now instead of benches and they are padded too. Besides, the arched beams are beautiful, and we also have the loveliest of imported chandeliers. Our pastor has polish, too. He doesn't preach long. We are more concerned about sermon length now, than content. Our pastor spices up his sermons with cute sayings...but I guess that's progress for you. "Win some, lose some."

Speaking of "lose some", we're losing a surprising percentage of our young people. An unbelievable number of marriages have gone on the rocks. Many lives have been in jeopardy. But that's to be expected, I guess. Teenagers seem to be at war with their parents. Our youth meetings may not have much in the way of prayer, but we have great icebreakers, skits and games.

We have plenty of medicines nowadays to help our aches and pains. What more could we ask for? Sure, we miss you, but I guess we really don't NEED you right now.

I hope you're not offended. I don't mean for you to be. You'll always have a special place in my memory. You were very kind and generous to me. You sure got me out of some hard times. I can't thank you enough!! Still, this is a generation now that doesn't know you at all. Your coming would probably scare them.

Remember the night when my mother sat at the piano bench and you joined her there? Remember how she wept and groaned in the Spirit and slumped to the floor during the revival service and how some tried to call the ambulance because they thought she was sick? They never knew you and she were talking.

That's what I mean. A good many never got to know you well. And may never knew you at all. Those that knew you personally have waited so long to talk to you that they are now, to say the least, embarrassed.

So while we are trying to work out our feelings about you, and see where you might fit into our plans in the future, you might try your luck someplace else. Try Brazil , Ethiopia , or how about the Philippines ? You might have better luck in Third World Countries, or behind the Iron Curtain. You might even luck out and find someone to talk to you in some little storefront on the other side of the tracks. Surely someone somewhere needs you.

We're terribly sorry, Intercessory Prayer, we miss you, but we really don't NEED you...right now!!

SOMEONE SENT THIS TO ME IN AN E-MAIL! I felt it was well worth sharing!

[Scott Hutchinson]

This is very convicting. There is alot of truth here.

[Kay B]

Thank you Sis Falla for sharing this here.
I agree with you Bro Scott very convicting.

[LadyChocolate]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

This is very convicting. There is alot of truth here.

yes indeed!

[Sam]

This subject is also being discussed on GNC.
Here is a post that I posted there:

I recently taught our midweek lesson on the priority or importance of prayer based on 1 Timothy 2:1-2. In that passage there are a couple of types of prayer but I mainly talked about intercessory prayer.

to intercede is to plead or make a request on behalf of others, to intervene, to mediate.
We use the term "stand in the gap" based on Ezekiel 22:30-31
or "watchman on the wall" based on Isaiah 62:6-7

God esteems intercession very highly
ref Psalm 99:1-9; 106:19-23; Jeremiah 15:1; Ezekiel 14:12-20

--Intercession by the church saved Peter's life (Acts 12:1-19)
--Intercession by Job brought deliverance to him and forgiveness for his friends (Job chapter 42)
--Intercession by Abraham saved Lot and his daughters (Genesis chapters 18 and 19)
--Intercession by Moses spared his nation on more than one occasion
Exodus chapters 32-33, ref Psalm 106:19-23
Numbers 11:1-2; 14:10-24; 16:1-35
--Intercession by Moses brought healing to his sister Numbers 12:1-16
--Intercession by Aaron saved a multitude Numbers 16:41-50
--Intercession by Samuel defeated an army 1 Sam 7:1-13
Samuel anointed Israel's first king and considered it his duty to pray for the king and his nation 1 Samuel 12:1-25
--Intercession by Daniel brought favor for his companions (Daniel chapter 1); spared the lives of the wise men of Babylon (Dan chap 2); and brought release for his people (chapter 9)

At the 1992 Promise Keepers conference in Boulder, CO, Wellington Boone offered this formula for how long we should keep praying --PUSH
Pray
Until
Something
Happens

[ReddMann24]

thank for that bro ellis im a lil embarrased to say that i wasnt actally sure what inte. prayer was i have been hearning alot about it lately. im not exactly a babe in christ but there are alot of things i dont know ....but your post helped with that particullar subject

[Falla39]

Bro. Sam,

After I received the e-mail about "Intercessory Prayer" I checked to see if it
was already on here. Didn't find it here but also went to GNC and searched and
found this same article. Also saw your lesson later and posted a response. It is
very good.

If more only realized the power that can result through intercessory prayer, there
would be more of it going on. Possibly one reason is that there is so much today
compared to what the pioneers had. They had to trust God and they would get
desperate with God because they had such needs. Today with so many "benefits"
available, whether it be through government programs, better insurance through
jobs, or etc. But what if suddenly these things were taken away. What would we
do. We would learn to trust God just as they trusted God.

I thank God for the lessons I learned growing up, the eldest daughter of parents
who had eleven children. In the 52 yrs. they were married, before my dad crossed
over, they trusted God for everything. We children knew the verses that said,

Psalm 103

1Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-
kindness and tender mercies;

5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like
the eagle's.

Mom told me that two or three days before they married in 1937, they talked it
over together and agreed that they would endeavor to trust God for everything,
even child birth. They trusted God for healing, for provision, for wisdom, for the
needs of their family whether it be spiritual, physical, material, emotional, etc.
They outlived all eleven children and only last Sept. we lost our first sibling. But
God has been so good to our family. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

We are thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the LORD is good, His mercy is
everlasting and His Truth endureth unto ALL generations.

Blessings,

Falla39

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Bro. Sam,

After I received the e-mail about "Intercessory Prayer" I checked to see if it
was already on here. Didn't find it here but also went to GNC and searched and
found this same article. Also saw your lesson later and posted a response. It is
very good.

If more only realized the power that can result through intercessory prayer, there
would be more of it going on. Possibly one reason is that there is so much today
compared to what the pioneers had. They had to trust God and they would get
desperate with God because they had such needs. Today with so many "benefits"
available, whether it be through government programs, better insurance through
jobs, or etc. But what if suddenly these things were taken away. What would we
do. We would learn to trust God just as they trusted God.

I thank God for the lessons I learned growing up, the eldest daughter of parents
who had eleven children. In the 52 yrs. they were married, before my dad crossed
over, they trusted God for everything. We children knew the verses that said,

Psalm 103

1Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-
kindness and tender mercies;

5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like
the eagle's.

Mom told me that two or three days before they married in 1937, they talked it
over together and agreed that they would endeavor to trust God for everything,
even child birth. They trusted God for healing, for provision, for wisdom, for the
needs of their family whether it be spiritual, physical, material, emotional, etc.
They outlived all eleven children and only last Sept. we lost our first sibling. But
God has been so good to our family. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

We are thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the LORD is good, His mercy is
everlasting and His Truth endureth unto ALL generations.

Blessings,

Falla39

MISTAKE: I meant to say they never lost a child as long as they lived
and the first of the eleven passed on last Sept. Dad will have been gone
18 yrs. in Oct 08, Mom has been gone 8 yrs. as of May 08.